Within Our Gates Movie Analysis Sample

The film Within Our Gates incorporated a shot sequence that embraced the adversity African Americans had to endure during the early twentieth century. During this time where white supremacy is still highly active, African Americans are in constant fear for their lives. This is because if any charges are made against a specific person, there will be no due process and the individual will be punished by lynching. Jasper Landry is one of the unfortunate victims to have fallen under this lawful type of due process. To illustrate the scene, Jasper is on the run with his family because he was wrongly accused of killing Mr. Gridlestone but eventually gets caught in the end. Director Oscar Micheaux makes use of mis-en-scene, props, setting, and blocking to display the heinous oppression that has been bestowed upon African Americans. Despite this film being the reply towards the representation of the African Americans in Birth of a Nation, this sequence juxtaposes the notion made up about black people through emotion and circumstance while emphasizing that white people are uncivilized.

To begin, the mis-en-scene and the setting of the first shot of the sequence entail the mental and physical exhaustion that Jasper’s wife is feeling at the moment. She is laying on the ground leaning against a tree and her emotional state is merely shattered, she has no other choice but to keep moving in order to live. The setting of the shot hints towards where the Landry family has run off to. They are most likely in a remote area with a lot of trees for cover and shade so they are not easily exposed. Since losing their home, which to many is considered a haven, the Landry family is feeling uneasy since they practically lost everything in order to survive this mess. Being on the constant run is their “home” until they ensure their safety. The mis-en-scene gives a clear overview of the status quo of Jasper’s wife. She is fatigued, in anguish, and feels like she is on the precipice of this situation. Her facial expressions are a representation of these feelings. In desperation, she refers to her bible and God for a ray of hope and for all of this to be resolved lawfully. This shot details the emotional aspect that solidifies the humane representation of African Americans. Rather than being seen as non-human or barbaric like how Griffith represented his African Americans, Micheaux employs a sincere shot that displays the reaction of any other human to be feeling when they are in a situation like this. 

Furthermore, as the persecution concludes the Landy family is being manhandled by the blood lust mob who thinks what they are doing is “justice”. The shot introduces how a white mob is vicious and capable of doing whatever when they are given a racially motivated reason to do so. This part of the sequence exemplifies one of the main ideas that Micheaux tries to juxtapose from D.W. Giffith’s film Birth of a Nation. The idea is that African Americans are uncivilized barbaric savages in society. This particular shot shows that anyone regardless of skin color can be this uncivilized and savage. To emphasize these characteristics, Michaeux used the large sticks as weapons for the white mob to use. Furthermore, as the shot progresses the white mob partially strips and attempts to beat Jasper’s wife, however, Jasper was able to break free and was able to intervene for a few seconds and chokes out the white man with the stick. This brief part of the clip shows admirable wholeheartedness and compassion from Jasper. Even though their chances of leaving this situation are very minuscule Jasper still decides to try to protect his partner no matter what. This shot focuses on yet another emotional aspect of the movie which adds to the humane representation of African Americans in the film.

Towards the middle of the sequence, there is a wooden frame that is mounted onto the ground with a noose attached to it. Though it is a brief shot it ultimately shows how the Landry family is supposed to be executed. The mis-en-scene in this shot is very minimal yet very symbolic. It is the most notorious method of killing African Americans in the nineteenth and twentieth century. The public notoriety it gained was immense and shows the uncivilized side of the white people in America. With there being a contraption that displays the ultimate demise of the Landry family it intensifies the climax of the situation. This adds to the uncivilized aspect of the white people in this film. Additionally, it juxtaposes the idea of D.W. Griffith and how races are represented in films. No one side is barbaric or civilized according to the color of their skin. Micheaux’s contrasting ideas close out the racial divide between white and black people in order to prove that anybody is capable of doing these types of actions. 

Moreover, the next shot in the sequence yet again emphasizes more of the pathos injected into the movie. The shot features an emotional separation between mother and son. Micheaux uses a simple long shot that would make the separation between the mother and son more dramatic. The shot opens up to where the mother is holding her son on the left-hand side of the screen. The mother is holding her son with all her might so they would be together for as long as possible, however, the white mob violently tears them apart. As they are being separated, the son is being pulled to the far right-hand side of the screen while the mother is being slightly pulled out of the frame of the left-hand side of the screen. In addition to the emotional content of the shot, the mis-en-scene enhances the barbarism of what the white mob has done to this family. The Landry family have been persecuted for a while and have ruthlessly manhandled the black family over a false accusation. Micheaux’s mis-en-scene parallels his character's behaviors with the characters in Birth of a Nation. 

The end of the sequence concludes the end of the persecution. Shot five and six concludes the fate of the family. On the other hand, the son was able to escape and his parents were unfortunate to not have that same outcome. In shot 5, the white mob is gathering around the wooden frame mounted on the ground with the nooses attached to them. A long shot that displays the magnitude of heartfelt sadness for Jasper Landry and his wife. With that being said, the white mob feels ecstatic that they were able to catch the supposed perpetrators. As the shot progresses towards the end of the sequence, the moments of sympathy emerge as Jasper and his wife are being set up while at the same time there is hatred for the white mob that caused all of this. Finally, shot six where it shows the top of the frame with the two ropes under tension closes out the fate of Jasper Landry and his wife at the end of the sequence. The way Micheaux set this sequence brought some realism to the lynching of this family. He brings one of the harshest realities of African Americans living in America during the early twentieth century. The ending of the sequence vitalized Micheaux’s dismissal of the negative connotations of African Americans in society and film. 

In essence, Micheaux’s use of mis-en-scene, props, setting, and blocking, Micheaux was able to negate the notions of the racial and social hierarchy of African Americans and white people during the early twentieth century. He was able to convey a message as to how black people are just as American and human compared to white people. Micheaux’s cinematic prowess captured the reality and the relationship between white and black people. All in all, he provided a riveting perspective of African Americans which brings light to their inaccurate portrayal over the years. These six shots were able to unfold the oppression of African Americans while demonstrating the characteristics of humanity.