The Symbol of the Unconquered | 1920 | Silent drama

Title: The Symbol of the Unconquered | 1920 | Silent drama Director: Oscar Micheaux Studio: Micheaux Film Corporation Starring: Iris Hall, Walker Thompson, Lawrence Chenault, Leigh Whipper Release Date: November 29, 1920 Runtime: 54 Format: Silent; black-and-white; 1.33:1 Country: United States Language: Silent Genres: Drama, Silent, Race film --- Summary: In a frontier community, light‑skinned Black newcomer Eve Mason befriends her neighbor, prospector Hugh Van Allen, who is unaware of her ancestry. Jefferson Driscoll, a self-hating Black man passing as white, conspires with local criminals and a hooded terror group to seize Van Allen’s oil-rich land. As threats escalate, Eve rides for help to thwart the gang’s attack. Years later, after Van Allen’s success in oil, a letter revealing Eve’s heritage clears the way for their romance, and the pair can acknowledge their bond openly. --- Background: Produced, written, and directed by independent African American filmmaker Oscar Micheaux for his Micheaux Film Corporation, the film was shot in Fort Lee, New Jersey, under the working title The Wilderness Trail. Released on November 29, 1920, it was part of Micheaux’s early cycle of “race films” that directly countered the racial politics of D. W. Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation; the Ku Klux Klan is represented as the “Knights of the Black Cross.” Contemporary sources record a New York opening on December 27, 1920, at the Lafayette Theatre, and a surviving print is held by the Museum of Modern Art. --- Trivia: Also known as The Wilderness Trail in contemporary materials. Filmed in Fort Lee, New Jersey, a major production hub of the silent era. Distributed by Micheaux Film Corporation; early engagements included a Detroit opening on November 29, 1920. A surviving print is preserved at the Museum of Modern Art. The film’s Klan analogue is named the Knights of the Black Cross. A restoration sourced from archival materials has been exhibited in recent years, including versions associated with the Royal Cinémathèque of Belgium. --- Hashtags: TheSymbolOfTheUnconquered OscarMicheaux SilentFilm RaceFilm PublicDomain ClassicCinema 1920sCinema FilmHistory