8 Must-See Movies for Black
History Month

It's Black History Month, so find a spot on the sofa, grab the DVD remote and settle in for a cinematic ride through African American history. The AARP Bulletin asked film historian Donald Bogle to share his list of eight movies that depict the African American experience at pivotal stages in our nation's past. In addition to teaching film at New York University and the University of Pennsylvania, Bogle is the prize-winning author of several books, including Dorothy Dandridge: A Biography and Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies & Bucks: An Interpretive History of Blacks in American Films. His latest is Heat Wave: The Life and Career of Ethel Waters.

Slavery: Roots (1977)

The slave drama took a lot of people by surprise when it first aired as a television miniseries based on the Alex Haley novel. "People were curious about it," Bogle says. "The other thing that was a great hook for it, in terms of bringing in viewers of all ages, was its young protagonist, Kunta Kinte, played by LeVar Burton. The younger audience could identify with him." Other notable actors in the story that followed several generations of a black family during slavery are John Amos, Lou Gossett Jr., Madge Sinclair, Leslie Uggams and Ben Vereen. "You had these exceptional performances and all of America was watching."

Next: Glory