The development of black films and the attitudes of the film industry toward black films and black actors are some of the topics examined in this anthology of essays. Section 1, "Nigger to Supernigger," contains such articles as "The Death of Rastus: Negroes in American Films" by Thomas R. Cripps and "Folk Values in a New Medium" by Alain Locke and Sterling A. Brown. Section 2, "Movie Milestones," contains such articles as "'Sounder'--A Hollywood Fantasy?" by Lindsay Patterson and "The Birth of 'Birth of a Nation'" by Bosley Crowther. Section 3, "The Black Actor: The Early Years," includes "The Negro Actor and the American Movies" by Geraldyn Dismond and "The Negro and the Cinema" by William Harrison. Section 4, "The Black Actor: A New Status," includes such articles as "The Negro in American Films: Some Recent Works" by Albert Johnson and "The Day Black Movie Stars Go Militant" by Michael Mattox. Section 5, "Establishing Your Own," contains such articles as "History of Negro Motion Pictures" by James Asendio. Section 6, "The Seventies: Only the Heroes Have Changed," contains such articles as Pauline Kael's "Notes on Black Movies." The book is illustrated with photographs and includes a filmography and bibliography. (TS)