Borderline (1930)

Directed by

Kenneth Macpherson

Genre

drama film, silent film, LGBTQ-related film

Country

United Kingdom

Runtime

1h 03m

Rating

6.0 of 10 from 24 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

This silent film uses avant-garde techniques to explore interracial relationships. It features Paul Robeson and was thought lost until resurfacing in the 1980s.

experimentalsilentslow-pacedthought-provokingatmosphericstarkseriousunsettling

What happens

Borderline is a 1930 film, written and directed by Kenneth Macpherson and produced by the Pool Group in Territet, Switzerland. The silent film, with English title cards, is primarily noted for its handling of the contentious issue of interracial relationships, using avant-garde experimental film-making techniques. The film, which features Paul Robeson, Eslanda Robeson, and H.D., was originally believed to have been lost, but was discovered, by chance, in Switzerland in 1983. An original 16mm copy of this film is now held in the Donnell Media Center, New York City Public Library. In 2006, the British Film Institute sponsored the film's restoration by The George Eastman House and eventual DVD release with a soundtrack composed by Courtney Pine. Its premiere at the Tate Modern gallery in London attracted 2,000 people. In 2010, the film was released with a soundtrack composed by Mallory Johns, performed by the Southern Connecticut State University Creative Music Orchestra. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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