User Reviews

Yamekraw, according to the movie, is a rural village in Georgia. However, when I did an internet search, I could find no mention of such a town--so I assume it's fictional.

This Vitaphone short is an experimental film--sort of an avant-garde black Broadway-style musical. It's certainly not a film that will please the masses--either back in 1930 or today. However, it is in some ways very modern...though in a few other ways very much a product of its times. A major studio like Warner Brothers making an all-black film was unusual and the film, for the most part, portrays black people as people. However, there were a few scenes of watermelon eating and the like. As I said, it was a product of its times.

The style of the film is almost like a silent with added music. You don't hear any singing until late in the film. The sets are not at all like movie sets but are exaggerated--like those you'd see in a play--and with a bit of a surreal touch.

The film's theme is apparently life in the back country versus the big city. When the main character leaves town, he's excited to be going to the city. However, it's a less than satisfying place and eventually he returns home to his 'Mammy'. Again, remember the context--such stereotypical sentimentality was the norm--and at least the studio chose to employ all these black performers in a work that was not, generally, degrading. While today it might be easy to dismiss the film as racist, it was trying to be inclusive and is an important historical artifact that should not be dismissed. Well worth a look.

When "Jammin' The Blues" was released by Warner Bros. in 1944, it was recognized as a breakthrough in visual razzle-dazzle, nominated for an Oscar, later singled out by Leonald Maltin in his THE GREAT MOVIE SHORTS, became a cult favorite among jazz film collectors and finally entered into the National Film Registry. Yet, as Warner starts unveiling its vast short subject collection gradually on DVD, including the Archive's 6-disc set of Melody Masters and Vitaphone Varieties (Warner Bros. Big Band, Jazz & Swing), a treasure-trove of nuggets are being rediscovered... some of which may be one-reel "Citizen Kanes" aching for critical attention.

On one level, this short subject "dates" poorly: scenes of happy-but-lazy "negro life" in a rural "shanty" cabin outside of Savannah, Georgia with watermelon eatin', cotton pickin' and rockin' with Mammy on the front porch.

On another level, the look of the film and the art direction are years ahead of its time. In a curious way, it invites comparison to avant garde experiments of the late twenties like "Life and Death of 9143: a Hollywood Extra". Many camera angles are slanted with people popping out of the corners of the screen. Silhouettes and funhouse mirrors are utilized to eye-popping effect. Stylized "palm" trees make the human actors appear as if they are coverting in a toy Plasticville, while the city dance hall segment could pass for a seventies discotheque. Even the train is carefully constructed as "surreal". It is possible that this film was Warner-Vitaphone's response to the artsy musical shorts that William Cameron Menzies was releasing through United Artists at this time.

According to Roy Liebman's VITAPHONE FILMS, the studio was sued for using the music without permission. With this in mind, one of the title cards listing James P. Johnson was probably a "reissue" edit.

Yamekraw (1930)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

This early talkie from Warner isn't the best short you're going to watch but I think there are enough interesting moments to make it worth viewing to film buffs. What we basically have is an opening where we're told that this film is going to show a black person's life in Georgia and then we get a couple musical numbers. Anyone familiar with history will know how blacks were looked out during this era and all the stereotypes you'd expect to see are on display here. This includes a scene with watermelon and others that I'm sure will offend people today. With that said, it's important to know that this is just how these shorts were produced back then and at the very least at least this short allows us to see some black performers from the day. None of the songs here are going to be considered great or even good but they're all catchy enough to where the film never drags. I think there are some pretty interesting visual styles going on here from director Murray Roth including one where the shadows on the wall are put on full display. This "musical" really doesn't contain music numbers like you'd expect from shorts from this period. It's more of a surreal look at life in this small town and for the most part it works.