11. “Ray” (2005; Taylor Hackford; Jamie Foxx, Regina King)
12. “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman” TV (1974; John Korty; Cicely Tyson)
13. “Bamboozled” (2000; Spike Lee; Damon Wayans, Savion Glover, Jada Pinkett Smith)
14. “Cotton Comes to Harlem” (1970; Ossie Davis; Godfrey Cambridge, Raymond St.
Jacques)
15.“Richard Pryor: Live in Concert” (1979; Jeff Margolis)
16. “Shaft” (1971; Gordon Parks; Richard Roundtree, Moses Gunn)
17. “Dreamgirls” (2006; Bill Condon; Jamie Foxx, Beyonce Knowles, Eddie Murphy,
Jennifer Hudson)
18. “Friday” (1995; F. Gary Gray; Ice Cube, Chris Tucker)
19. “Baby Boy” (2001; John Singleton; Tyrese Gibson, Taraji P. Henson, Snoop Dogg)
20. “A Raisin in the Sun” (1961; Daniel Petrie; Sidney Poitier, Claudia McNeil, Ruby Dee)
21. “The Five Heartbeats” (1991; Robert Townsend; Robert Townsend, Michael Wright,
Leon)
22. “Watermelon Man” (1970; Melvin Van Peebles; Godfrey Cambridge)
23. “City of God” (2002; Fernando Meirelles and Katia Lund; Alexandre Rodrigues)
24. “Glory” (1989; Edward Zwick; Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, Andre Braugher)
25. “Menace II Society” (1993; Allen and Albert Hughes; Tyrin Turner, Lorenz Tate, Jada
Pinkett Smith)
26. “Tsotsi” (2005; Gavin Hood; Presley Chweneyagae, Terry Pheto)
27. “The Emperor Jones” (1933; Dudley Murphy; Paul Robeson)
28. “Eve’s Bayou” (1997; Kasi Lemmons; Samuel L. Jackson, Debbi Morgan, Vondie
Curtis-Hall)
29. “Lilies of the Field” (1963; Ralph Nelson; Sidney Poitier)
30. “Soul Food” (1997; George Tillman Jr.; Vanessa Williams, Vivica A. Fox, Mekhi Phifer)
31. “Black Caesar” (1973; Larry Cohen; Fred Williamson, Gloria Hendry)
32. “Boyz N the Hood” (1991; John Singleton; Laurence Fishburne, Cuba Gooding Jr., Ice
Cube)
33. “She’s Gotta Have It” (1986; Spike Lee; Tracy Camilla Johns, Spike Lee, Tommy
Redmond Hicks)
34. “Island in the Sun” (1957; Robert Rossen; Harry Belafonte, Dorothy Dandridge)
35. “In the Heat of the Night” (1967; Norman Jewison; Sidney Poitier)
36. “Lady Sings the Blues” (1972; Sidney J. Furie; Diana Ross, Billy Dee Williams,
Richard Pryor)
37. “When We Were Kings” (1996; Leon Gast; Muhammad Ali, George Foreman)
38. “Love & Basketball” (2000; Gina Prince-Bythewood; Omar Epps, Sanaa Lathan)
39. “What’s Love Got to Do With It” (1993; Brian Gibson; Angela Bassett, Laurence
Fishburne)
40. “The Mack” (1973; Michael Campus; Max Julien, Don Gordon, Richard Pryor)
41. “To Sleep With Anger” (1990; Charles Burnett; Danny Glover, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Mary
Alice)
42. “The Exile” (1931; Oscar Micheaux; Eunice Brooks, Stanley Morrell)
43. “Set It Off” (1997; F. Gary Gray; Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox)
44. “Sweet Sweetback …” (1971; Melvin Van Peebles; Melvin Van Peebles, Mario Van
Peebles)
45. “Waiting to Exhale” (1995; Forest Whitaker; Whitney Houston, Angela Bassett,
Loretta Devine)
46. “Nothing But a Man” (1964; Michael Roemer; Ivan Dixon, Abbey Lincoln)
47. “Blade” (1998; Stephen Norrington; Wesley Snipes, N’Bushe Wright)
48. “Devil in a Blue Dress” (1995; Carl Franklin; Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle)
49. “Sonkofa” (1993; Haile Gerima; Kofi Ghanaba)
50. “Love Jones” (1997; Theodore Witcher; Nia Long, Lorenz Tate, Isaiah Washington)
51. “A Rage in Harlem” (1991; Bill Duke; Forest Whitaker, Gregory Hines)
52. “A Soldier’s Story” (1984; Norman Jewison; Howard E. Rollins Jr., Adolph Caesar,
Denzel Washington)
53. “Dead Presidents” (1995; Albert and Allen Hughes; Larenz Tate, Keith David, Chris
Tucker)
54. “Hollywood Shuffle” (1987; Robert Townsend; Robert Townsend, Anne-Marie
Johnson, Keenen Ivory Wayans)
55. “Car Wash” (1976; Michael Schultz; Richard Pryor, Bill Duke, Franklin Ajaye)
56. “The Learning Tree” (1969; Gordon Parks; Kyle Johnson, Alex Clarke, Estelle Evans)
57. “Stormy Weather” (1943; Andrew L. Stone; Bill Robinson, Lena Horne)
58. “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka” (1988; Keenen Ivory Wayans; Keenen Ivory Wayans, Jim
Brown, Bernie Casey)
59. “Cabin in the Sky” (1943; Vincente Minnelli; Lena Horne, Louis Armstrong)
60. “Wattstax” (1973; Mel Stuart; Isaac Hayes, Richard Pryor, Albert King)
61. “Rosewood” (1997; John Singleton; Ving Rhames, Don Cheadle, Esther Rolle)
62. “To Sir, With Love” (1967; James Clavell; Sidney Poitier)
63. “New Jack City” (1991; Mario Van Peebles: Wesley Snipes, Ice-T)
64. “House Party” (1990; Reginald Hudlin; Christopher Reid, Christopher Martin, Robin
Harris)
65. “The Green Pastures” (1936; Marc Connelly and William Keighley; Eddie “Rochester
” Anderson, Rex Ingram)
66. “Hotel Rwanda” (2004; Terry George; Don Cheadle, Sophie Okenedo)
67. “Home of the Brave” (1949; Mark Robson; James Edwards)
68. “Lean on Me” (1989; John G. Avildsen; Morgan Freeman, Robert Guillaume)
69. “Hallelujah!” (1929; King Vidor; Daniel L. Haynes, Nina Mae McKinney)
70. “The River Niger” (1976; Krishna Shah; Cicley Tyson, James Earl Jones, Lou Gossett
Jr.)
71. “Purple Rain” (1984; Albert Magnoli; Prince, Morris Day, Apollonia Kotero)
72. “Introducing Dorothy Dandridge” (1999; Martha Coolidge; Halle Berry)
73. “Krush Groove” (1985; Michael Schultz; Blair Underwood, Sheila E.)
74. “La haine” (1995; Mathieu Kassovitz; Vincent Cassel)
75. “Sugar Cane Alley” (1983; Euzhan Palcy; Garry Cadenat)
76.“When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Parts” (2006; Spike Lee; Ray Nagin,
Terence Blanchard, Harry Belafonte)
77. “Cornbread, Earl and Me” (1975; Joe Manduke; Jamal Wilkes, Moses Gunn,
Laurence Fishburne)
78. “Juice” (1992; Ernest R. Dickerson; Tupac Shakur, Omar Epps, Queen Latifah)
79. “Uptown Saturday Night” (1974; Sidney Poitier; Sidney Poitier, Bill Cosby, Harry
Belafonte)
80. “Jungle Fever” (1991; Spike Lee; Samuel L. Jackson, Wesley Snipes, Ossie Davis,
Ruby Dee)
81. “Killer of Sheep” (1977; Charles Burnett; Henry G. Sanders)
82. “The Cool World” (1963; Shirley Clarke; Rony Clayton)
83. “Buck and the Preacher” (1972; Sidney Poitier; Sidney Poitier, Harry Belafonte)
84. “Putney Swope” (1969; Robert Downey Sr.; Arnold Johnson)
85. “Paris is Burning” (1991; Jennie Livingston; Paris Dupree)
86. “The Harder They Come” (1973; Perry Henzell; Jimmy Cliff)
87. “Daughters of the Dust” (1991; Julie Dash; Cora Lee Day, Alva Rogers)
88. “The Spook Who Sat by the Door” (1973; Ivan Dixon; Lawrence Cook)
89. “Battle of Algiers” (1966; Gillo Pontecorvo; Brahim Hadjadj)
90. “Precious” (2009; Lee Daniels; Mo'nique, Gabourey Sidibe, Paula Patton, Mariah
Carey)
91. “Miracle in Harlem” (1948; Jack Kemp: Stepin Fetchit, Sheila Guyse)
92. “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” (1967; Stanley Kramer; Sidney Poitier, Beah
Richards)
93. “Burning an Illusion” (1981; Menelik Shabazz; Cassie McFarlane, Victor Romero)
94. “Cry Freedom” (1987; Richard Attenborough; Denzel Washington)
95. “Akeelah and the Bee” (2006; Doug Atchison; Keke Palmer, Laurence Fishburne,
Angela Bassett)
96. “Wild Style” (1982; Charlie Ahearn; Fab Five Freddy, Grandmaster Flash)
97. “Aaron Loves Angela” (1975; Gordon Parks Jr.; Kevin Hooks, Irene Cara)
98. “Bamako” (2006; Abderrahmane Sissako; Aissa Maiga)
99. “Undercover Brother” (2002; Malcolm D. Lee; Eddie Griffin, Dave Chappelle, Billy
Dee Williams)
100. “The Princess and the Frog” (2009; Ron Clements and John Musker; Anika Noni
Rose, Keith David, Jenifer Lewis )
List compiled by FOX-TV film critic Shawn Edwards. Edwards has been a film critic for
FOX 4 News in Kansas City since 2000. The award-winning journalist is also the co-
founder of the African American Film Critics Association and is a voting member of the
Broadcast Film Critics Association. Edwards wrote and directed the 2007 documentary
"The 100 Best Black Films (Ever)." He is currently writing a book about the history of black
film.
Note: List revised February 2010
12. “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman” TV (1974; John Korty; Cicely Tyson)
13. “Bamboozled” (2000; Spike Lee; Damon Wayans, Savion Glover, Jada Pinkett Smith)
14. “Cotton Comes to Harlem” (1970; Ossie Davis; Godfrey Cambridge, Raymond St.
Jacques)
15.“Richard Pryor: Live in Concert” (1979; Jeff Margolis)
16. “Shaft” (1971; Gordon Parks; Richard Roundtree, Moses Gunn)
17. “Dreamgirls” (2006; Bill Condon; Jamie Foxx, Beyonce Knowles, Eddie Murphy,
Jennifer Hudson)
18. “Friday” (1995; F. Gary Gray; Ice Cube, Chris Tucker)
19. “Baby Boy” (2001; John Singleton; Tyrese Gibson, Taraji P. Henson, Snoop Dogg)
20. “A Raisin in the Sun” (1961; Daniel Petrie; Sidney Poitier, Claudia McNeil, Ruby Dee)
21. “The Five Heartbeats” (1991; Robert Townsend; Robert Townsend, Michael Wright,
Leon)
22. “Watermelon Man” (1970; Melvin Van Peebles; Godfrey Cambridge)
23. “City of God” (2002; Fernando Meirelles and Katia Lund; Alexandre Rodrigues)
24. “Glory” (1989; Edward Zwick; Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, Andre Braugher)
25. “Menace II Society” (1993; Allen and Albert Hughes; Tyrin Turner, Lorenz Tate, Jada
Pinkett Smith)
26. “Tsotsi” (2005; Gavin Hood; Presley Chweneyagae, Terry Pheto)
27. “The Emperor Jones” (1933; Dudley Murphy; Paul Robeson)
28. “Eve’s Bayou” (1997; Kasi Lemmons; Samuel L. Jackson, Debbi Morgan, Vondie
Curtis-Hall)
29. “Lilies of the Field” (1963; Ralph Nelson; Sidney Poitier)
30. “Soul Food” (1997; George Tillman Jr.; Vanessa Williams, Vivica A. Fox, Mekhi Phifer)
31. “Black Caesar” (1973; Larry Cohen; Fred Williamson, Gloria Hendry)
32. “Boyz N the Hood” (1991; John Singleton; Laurence Fishburne, Cuba Gooding Jr., Ice
Cube)
33. “She’s Gotta Have It” (1986; Spike Lee; Tracy Camilla Johns, Spike Lee, Tommy
Redmond Hicks)
34. “Island in the Sun” (1957; Robert Rossen; Harry Belafonte, Dorothy Dandridge)
35. “In the Heat of the Night” (1967; Norman Jewison; Sidney Poitier)
36. “Lady Sings the Blues” (1972; Sidney J. Furie; Diana Ross, Billy Dee Williams,
Richard Pryor)
37. “When We Were Kings” (1996; Leon Gast; Muhammad Ali, George Foreman)
38. “Love & Basketball” (2000; Gina Prince-Bythewood; Omar Epps, Sanaa Lathan)
39. “What’s Love Got to Do With It” (1993; Brian Gibson; Angela Bassett, Laurence
Fishburne)
40. “The Mack” (1973; Michael Campus; Max Julien, Don Gordon, Richard Pryor)
41. “To Sleep With Anger” (1990; Charles Burnett; Danny Glover, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Mary
Alice)
42. “The Exile” (1931; Oscar Micheaux; Eunice Brooks, Stanley Morrell)
43. “Set It Off” (1997; F. Gary Gray; Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox)
44. “Sweet Sweetback …” (1971; Melvin Van Peebles; Melvin Van Peebles, Mario Van
Peebles)
45. “Waiting to Exhale” (1995; Forest Whitaker; Whitney Houston, Angela Bassett,
Loretta Devine)
46. “Nothing But a Man” (1964; Michael Roemer; Ivan Dixon, Abbey Lincoln)
47. “Blade” (1998; Stephen Norrington; Wesley Snipes, N’Bushe Wright)
48. “Devil in a Blue Dress” (1995; Carl Franklin; Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle)
49. “Sonkofa” (1993; Haile Gerima; Kofi Ghanaba)
50. “Love Jones” (1997; Theodore Witcher; Nia Long, Lorenz Tate, Isaiah Washington)
51. “A Rage in Harlem” (1991; Bill Duke; Forest Whitaker, Gregory Hines)
52. “A Soldier’s Story” (1984; Norman Jewison; Howard E. Rollins Jr., Adolph Caesar,
Denzel Washington)
53. “Dead Presidents” (1995; Albert and Allen Hughes; Larenz Tate, Keith David, Chris
Tucker)
54. “Hollywood Shuffle” (1987; Robert Townsend; Robert Townsend, Anne-Marie
Johnson, Keenen Ivory Wayans)
55. “Car Wash” (1976; Michael Schultz; Richard Pryor, Bill Duke, Franklin Ajaye)
56. “The Learning Tree” (1969; Gordon Parks; Kyle Johnson, Alex Clarke, Estelle Evans)
57. “Stormy Weather” (1943; Andrew L. Stone; Bill Robinson, Lena Horne)
58. “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka” (1988; Keenen Ivory Wayans; Keenen Ivory Wayans, Jim
Brown, Bernie Casey)
59. “Cabin in the Sky” (1943; Vincente Minnelli; Lena Horne, Louis Armstrong)
60. “Wattstax” (1973; Mel Stuart; Isaac Hayes, Richard Pryor, Albert King)
61. “Rosewood” (1997; John Singleton; Ving Rhames, Don Cheadle, Esther Rolle)
62. “To Sir, With Love” (1967; James Clavell; Sidney Poitier)
63. “New Jack City” (1991; Mario Van Peebles: Wesley Snipes, Ice-T)
64. “House Party” (1990; Reginald Hudlin; Christopher Reid, Christopher Martin, Robin
Harris)
65. “The Green Pastures” (1936; Marc Connelly and William Keighley; Eddie “Rochester
” Anderson, Rex Ingram)
66. “Hotel Rwanda” (2004; Terry George; Don Cheadle, Sophie Okenedo)
67. “Home of the Brave” (1949; Mark Robson; James Edwards)
68. “Lean on Me” (1989; John G. Avildsen; Morgan Freeman, Robert Guillaume)
69. “Hallelujah!” (1929; King Vidor; Daniel L. Haynes, Nina Mae McKinney)
70. “The River Niger” (1976; Krishna Shah; Cicley Tyson, James Earl Jones, Lou Gossett
Jr.)
71. “Purple Rain” (1984; Albert Magnoli; Prince, Morris Day, Apollonia Kotero)
72. “Introducing Dorothy Dandridge” (1999; Martha Coolidge; Halle Berry)
73. “Krush Groove” (1985; Michael Schultz; Blair Underwood, Sheila E.)
74. “La haine” (1995; Mathieu Kassovitz; Vincent Cassel)
75. “Sugar Cane Alley” (1983; Euzhan Palcy; Garry Cadenat)
76.“When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Parts” (2006; Spike Lee; Ray Nagin,
Terence Blanchard, Harry Belafonte)
77. “Cornbread, Earl and Me” (1975; Joe Manduke; Jamal Wilkes, Moses Gunn,
Laurence Fishburne)
78. “Juice” (1992; Ernest R. Dickerson; Tupac Shakur, Omar Epps, Queen Latifah)
79. “Uptown Saturday Night” (1974; Sidney Poitier; Sidney Poitier, Bill Cosby, Harry
Belafonte)
80. “Jungle Fever” (1991; Spike Lee; Samuel L. Jackson, Wesley Snipes, Ossie Davis,
Ruby Dee)
81. “Killer of Sheep” (1977; Charles Burnett; Henry G. Sanders)
82. “The Cool World” (1963; Shirley Clarke; Rony Clayton)
83. “Buck and the Preacher” (1972; Sidney Poitier; Sidney Poitier, Harry Belafonte)
84. “Putney Swope” (1969; Robert Downey Sr.; Arnold Johnson)
85. “Paris is Burning” (1991; Jennie Livingston; Paris Dupree)
86. “The Harder They Come” (1973; Perry Henzell; Jimmy Cliff)
87. “Daughters of the Dust” (1991; Julie Dash; Cora Lee Day, Alva Rogers)
88. “The Spook Who Sat by the Door” (1973; Ivan Dixon; Lawrence Cook)
89. “Battle of Algiers” (1966; Gillo Pontecorvo; Brahim Hadjadj)
90. “Precious” (2009; Lee Daniels; Mo'nique, Gabourey Sidibe, Paula Patton, Mariah
Carey)
91. “Miracle in Harlem” (1948; Jack Kemp: Stepin Fetchit, Sheila Guyse)
92. “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” (1967; Stanley Kramer; Sidney Poitier, Beah
Richards)
93. “Burning an Illusion” (1981; Menelik Shabazz; Cassie McFarlane, Victor Romero)
94. “Cry Freedom” (1987; Richard Attenborough; Denzel Washington)
95. “Akeelah and the Bee” (2006; Doug Atchison; Keke Palmer, Laurence Fishburne,
Angela Bassett)
96. “Wild Style” (1982; Charlie Ahearn; Fab Five Freddy, Grandmaster Flash)
97. “Aaron Loves Angela” (1975; Gordon Parks Jr.; Kevin Hooks, Irene Cara)
98. “Bamako” (2006; Abderrahmane Sissako; Aissa Maiga)
99. “Undercover Brother” (2002; Malcolm D. Lee; Eddie Griffin, Dave Chappelle, Billy
Dee Williams)
100. “The Princess and the Frog” (2009; Ron Clements and John Musker; Anika Noni
Rose, Keith David, Jenifer Lewis )
List compiled by FOX-TV film critic Shawn Edwards. Edwards has been a film critic for
FOX 4 News in Kansas City since 2000. The award-winning journalist is also the co-
founder of the African American Film Critics Association and is a voting member of the
Broadcast Film Critics Association. Edwards wrote and directed the 2007 documentary
"The 100 Best Black Films (Ever)." He is currently writing a book about the history of black
film.
Note: List revised February 2010
iloveblackmovies
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
 | |  | |  | |  | |  |
The 100 Best Black Movies (Ever)
1. "Do The Right Thing" (1989; Spike Lee; Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Samuel L. Jackson,
Martin Lawrence, Spike Lee, Robin Harris)
2. “The Color Purple” (1985; Steven Spielberg; Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Glover, Oprah
Winfrey)
3. “Claudine” (1974; John Berry; Diahann Carroll, James Earl Jones)
4. “Malcolm X” (1992; Spike Lee; Denzel Washington, Angela Bassett)
5. “Sounder” (1972; Martin Ritt; Cicely Tyson, Paul Winfield, Kevin Hooks)
Bailey, Diahann Carroll)
6. "Carmen Jones" (1954; directed by Otto Preminger; Dorothy Dandridge, Harry
Belafonte)
7. “Super Fly” (1972; Gordon Parks Jr.; Ron O’Neal, Carl Lee)
8. “Cooley High” (1975; Michael Schultz; Glynn Thurman, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs,
Garrett Morris)
9. “Hoop Dreams” (1995; Steve James; William Gates, Arthur Agee)
10. “Coming to America” (1988; John Landis; Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, James Earl
Jones)
1. "Do The Right Thing" (1989; Spike Lee; Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Samuel L. Jackson,
Martin Lawrence, Spike Lee, Robin Harris)
2. “The Color Purple” (1985; Steven Spielberg; Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Glover, Oprah
Winfrey)
3. “Claudine” (1974; John Berry; Diahann Carroll, James Earl Jones)
4. “Malcolm X” (1992; Spike Lee; Denzel Washington, Angela Bassett)
5. “Sounder” (1972; Martin Ritt; Cicely Tyson, Paul Winfield, Kevin Hooks)
Bailey, Diahann Carroll)
6. "Carmen Jones" (1954; directed by Otto Preminger; Dorothy Dandridge, Harry
Belafonte)
7. “Super Fly” (1972; Gordon Parks Jr.; Ron O’Neal, Carl Lee)
8. “Cooley High” (1975; Michael Schultz; Glynn Thurman, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs,
Garrett Morris)
9. “Hoop Dreams” (1995; Steve James; William Gates, Arthur Agee)
10. “Coming to America” (1988; John Landis; Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, James Earl
Jones)
BLACK MOVIE HALL OF FAME
 |  |  |  |  |  |
WHAT IS A BLACK MOVIE?
1. A movie that is written, produced and/or directed by "Do the
Right Thing" (Spike Lee), "Friday" (F. Gary Gray), "Eve's Bayou"
(Kasi Lemmons)
2. A movie about the black experience even if it not written,
produced and/or directed by someone black.
"The Color Purple" (Steven Speilberg), "The Hurricane" (Norman
Jewison), "Carmen Jones" (Otto Preminger)
3. A movie with a black person in the lead role. "Beverly Hills
Cop" (Eddie Murphy), "I Am Legend" (Will Smith), "Blazing
Saddles" (Cleavon Little)
1. A movie that is written, produced and/or directed by "Do the
Right Thing" (Spike Lee), "Friday" (F. Gary Gray), "Eve's Bayou"
(Kasi Lemmons)
2. A movie about the black experience even if it not written,
produced and/or directed by someone black.
"The Color Purple" (Steven Speilberg), "The Hurricane" (Norman
Jewison), "Carmen Jones" (Otto Preminger)
3. A movie with a black person in the lead role. "Beverly Hills
Cop" (Eddie Murphy), "I Am Legend" (Will Smith), "Blazing
Saddles" (Cleavon Little)
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
