{"product_id":"acts-of-love-black-performance-and-the-kiss-that-changed-film-history-9780520392939","title":"Acts of Love: Black Performance and the Kiss That Changed Film History","description":"\u003cb\u003e\"This book doesn't just fill gaps in film history; it demands that we confront why those gaps existed in the first place. A fascinating read for lovers of film.\"--Ava DuVernay​\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe rediscovery of the first film to depict African American affection revises the history of American cinema.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In 1898, vaudeville actors Saint Suttle and Gertie Brown joyously embraced in a short silent film titled \u003ci\u003eSomething Good--Negro Kiss\u003c\/i\u003e. The first known film to portray African American affection, it was lost for over a century until its rediscovery inspired contemporary audiences with a powerful and enduring depiction of Black love. More than a missing piece in an untold history of Black cinematic performance, \u003ci\u003eSomething Good\u003c\/i\u003e--and the magnetism of Suttle and Brown--attests to the power of Black performance on stage and screen from the nineteenth century to today. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In \u003ci\u003eActs of Love\u003c\/i\u003e, Allyson Nadia Field tells the story of \u003ci\u003eSomething Good\u003c\/i\u003e and recovers the forgotten yet fascinating lives of its performers and their world. Drawing a vivid picture from sparse historical records, \u003ci\u003eActs of Love\u003c\/i\u003e examines popular culture's negotiation of blackness to reconsider the intersections of minstrelsy, vaudeville, and cinema in ragtime America. This book not only presents the story of \u003ci\u003eSomething Good\u003c\/i\u003e, its performers, and the drama of its rediscovery; it shows how the rediscovery of this short early film changes our understanding of American film history.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Allyson Nadia Field\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of California Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 02\/17\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 272\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.84lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.80h x 6.00w x 0.90d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780520392939\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 01\/01\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAllyson Nadia Field \u003c\/b\u003eis Associate Professor of Cinema and Media Studies at the University of Chicago and author of \u003ci\u003eUplift Cinema: The Emergence of African American Film and the Possibility of Black Modernity\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"booksdeli.com","offers":[{"title":"Allyson Nadia Field \/ Paperback \/ English","offer_id":47698994233501,"sku":"9780520392939","price":59.11,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0619\/5648\/9373\/files\/img_597dd48f-8f26-4fe6-8ce6-e503d7c527e4.jpg?v=1772695202","url":"https:\/\/booksdeli.com\/products\/acts-of-love-black-performance-and-the-kiss-that-changed-film-history-9780520392939","provider":"booksdeli.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}