10 Great Movies for Black History Month

This is a very diverse list of movies to watch in honor of black history month. Some of the movies here are about famous black historical figures that made a difference, and some of the movies themselves are a part of black history. So from Malcolm X to Halle Berry, there's sure to be some great movies on this list to suit the tastes of anyone celebrating black history month (just be forewarned: not all of the movies here are suitable for young eyes):

Carmen Jones (1954) - This is one of the best movies for watching during black history month because it was groundbreaking as one of the only movies with an all black cast released during the 50's, and it would help pave the way for many movies with all black casts to come. It's also one of the historically great movies for watching during black history month because of gorgeous and talented Dorothy Dandridge's historical Academy Award nomination for best actress, and you can't miss seeing her sultry and sexy onscreen chemistry with the legendary Harry Belafonte. This modern adaptation of the classic opera Carmen is one of the hottest musicals you'll ever see, and definitely one of he most entertaining, romantic, and steamy movies for watching during black history month.

Do the Right Thing (1989) - You can't celebrate black history month without a few Spike Lee movies...I mean, joints. Set in Brooklyn during a steamy summer, 'Do the Right Thing' takes a look at urban life and all the anger and racial tension that goes along with it. For being one of the most real movies on this list and for its excessive but addictive use of 'Fight the Power' (as well as the many great funky fashion statements), this entertaining and slick flick definitely deserves a spot on this list of the best movies to watch for black history month, but Spike Lee's best movie (one that got him nominated for an Academy Award for best screenplay) includes plenty of moments that might not be suitable for really young kids, so watch who you watch it with.

A Raisin in the Sun (1961) - This is another of the great breakthrough movies here for watching during black history month, a socially-conscious cinematic work-of-art starring the incomparable, Academy Award winning Sidney Poitier. It's about a black family that receives a $10,000 insurance check after the death of its matriarch's husband. However, each family member has a different idea of how to use it to achieve their dreams: should it be used as a down payment on a new home? Should it be used to help the son start his own business? Or should it be used to put the daughter through medial school? So with their great windfall comes a lot of conflict and many different definitions about what achieving the American Dream really means, and the family has even more troubles to deal with outside their home thanks to social and racial prejudice. It's not just one of the best movies for black history month because of its honest look at racism and the struggles many black families used to face (and are still facing today), but it's another of the movies here worth seeing for the incredible performances of the cast members, which also include Claudia McNeil and Diana Sands.

Malcolm X (1992) - This is definitely one of the movies you've got to watch during black history month, as Denzel Washington does an amazing job portraying legendary (and controversial) civil rights leader Malcolm X in a role that got him an Academy Award nomination. It's another of the Spike Lee movies on this list (who better to portray black history accurately than the best black filmmaker?), and while it's not quite as good as 'Do the Right Thing', it's rather incredible for compressing a very eventful four decades of Malcolm X's life into just three and a half hours (yes, it's long, but worth it). From the death of his father at the hands of the Ku Klux Klan to his days as a street hustler, his time in prison where he discovered of the Nation of Islam writings of Elijah Muhammad to his rise of a civil rights activist, this is one of the most fascinating movies you'll ever see about one of the most fascinating historical figures that we will be remembering during black history month.

In the Heat of the Night (1967) - This is one of the best movies you can watch during black history month that truly captures the ugliness of racism in the South, and another of Sidney Poitier's best (it also one the Academy Award for best picture). Here Poitier portrays a black detective from Philadelphia traveling through the South that first finds himself accused of a murder, and then asked to help solve it. He's forced to team up with the town's racist sheriff (Rod Steiger also does an excellent job here), and the two learn a lot more than the shocking details behind the truth of the crime. It's not just one of the best movies you can watch during black history month about how horrible race relations can be, but it's probably one of the most entertaining and engrossing movies on this list.

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967) - This film that came out the same year as the one above was also up for the best picture Academy Award, and it's one of the movies for black history month here that tackles a subject that is still controversial today: interracial relationships (interracial marriage was against the law in 17 states when the movie was released!). Sidney Poitier and Katharine Houghton make an incredibly cute onscreen couple that is planning on getting married. As they meet each other's families, shocking and surprising everyone, all parties involved have their say in the interracial union with funny, thoughtful, and very emotional results. It's one of the many movies here that may feel a bit dated, but it was rather groundbreaking for its time and a must-see during black history month for all that haven't had the pleasure of viewing it yet.

The Color Purple (1985) - This is another of the great movies for watching during black history month here not just for its realistic portrayal of the struggles of black Americans (particularly poor black women) throughout history, but for its rich and moving story, complimented by the performances of an incredible cast of black actors and actresses. Whoopi Goldberg is divine as a poor woman living in the South who is forced to marry a violent man (Danny Glover), seemingly resigned to living her life as a punching bag. But then she meets a woman that proves that neither sex nor skin color should be a mark of weakness, and she also becomes intrigued with her husband's liberated mistress. It's not just one of the best movies for black history month, but definitely one of the best movies about women and relationships you'll ever see, with Oprah and Margaret Avery also turning in superb performances as empowering women. It's a real travesty that this movie garnered 11 Academy Award nominations and won none of them.

Remember the Titans (2000) - Here's one of the best movies to watch with kids during black history month. It's based on the true story of the desegregation of a school and its resulting interracial football team, now led by a black coach (Denzel Washington). The events in the movie may be exaggerated some, but it's one of the best movies to watch with kids during black history month to teach them about the dark history of segregation in schools. However, it's also a feel-good movie about overcoming prejudice with amazing music that the whole family can enjoy.

Monster's Ball (2001) - This is another of the movies for black history month here about an interracial relationship, but this isn't the feel-good movie that 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner' is. It's a dark story infused with raw racism, tragedy, and hate, as a black woman and the white man that helped execute her husband while he was in prison are thrown together by fate, forming a bizarre bond. This one is definitely not for kids, but it's another of the movies here that is itself a part of black history, as you can check out the performance that earned Halle Berry her historical Academy Award win for black history month.

Glory (1989) - And here's yet another of Denzel Washington's great historical movies for celebrating black history month. This bloody and violent film takes a look at the struggles of the first black regiment to fight for the North in the Civil War, fighting not just bullet fire and the other horrors of war, but racism from even those whose side they were fighting for. It's not just one of the best movies for watching during black history month, but one of the best history movies, period.

So from stories of love to stories of hate, from the civil rights movement to segregation, and from the struggles of poor black women to the difficulties of urban life, the movies here are a very diverse collection of pieces of an American quilt perfect for viewing during black history month.

SOURCES: www.imdb.com
http://www.blackclassicmovies.com/top100alpha.html