BHM25: Eleven P.M. (1928) w/live accompaniment from the Columbus Jazz Orchestra
Director: Richard Maurice Run Time: 66 min. Rating: NR Release Year: 1928
Starring: H. Marion Williams, Leo Pope, Orine Johnson, Richard Maurice, Sammie Fields
Country: United States
Language: English
Gateway Film Foundation is proud to unveil its Black History Month 2025 program, a thoughtfully curated selection of films which honor the rich tapestry of Black experiences and showcase the talents of groundbreaking filmmakers.
The 2025 edition of our Black History Month Program is made possible thanks to the generosity of Larry and Donna James and the Kridler Family Fund, and the ongoing support of the Greater Columbus Arts Council, The Ohio Arts Council, the Columbus Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
A surreal melodrama in which a poor violinist named Sundaisy (Maurice) tries to protect an orphan girl (Wand Maurice) from a small-time hoodlum. Eleven P.M. will be presented with live accompaniment from the Columbus Jazz Orchestra.
About the filmmaker:
Richard D. Maurice was a pioneering filmmaker of African descent. Born in Cuba, he migrated to the United States in 1903, eventually moving to Detroit, where worked as a tailor. In July 1920, he founded the Maurice Film Company there. His debut feature, Nobody’s Children (1920) premiered in Detroit on September 27th of that year and played throughout the eastern United States. Unfortunately, no prints of the film are known to exist.
Maurice’s second and only surviving feature, Eleven P.M. (1928) is generally dated as being released in 1928, but scholars Pearl Bowser and Charles Musser speculate that the film was actually released a year or two later because of its cinematic style. Eleven P.M. (1928) is particularly interesting due to its use of unusual camera angles and dream-like visual elements, which suggest that Maurice was perhaps influenced by Surrealism.
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