★ 4 / 10
Dialogue Issues
boblipton
College graduate Sol Johnson moves to Chicago to seek opportunities. The one he finds is not what he hoped, when femme fatale Bee Freeman draws him into a plot…
College graduate Sol Johnson moves to Chicago to seek opportunities. The one he finds is not what he hoped, when femme fatale Bee Freeman draws him into a plot to murder her lover, Oscar Polk.It's far less concerned with social issues than most of Micheaux's movies, although there are the matters of domestic violence and crime in general. This can be attributed to the fact it is not based on one of Micheaux's stories, but Edna Mae Baker's Chicago After Midnight. The real weakness in this movie lies in its dialogue. While Miss Freeman speaks her lines well -- she was called "the Black Mae West" and her delivery is similar -- most of the cast speaks their lines mechanically. I have discussed this aspect of Micheaux's direction in the past, his lack of skilled actors to perform in his money-starved productions. Once again, I will insist that this explains the issue, but does not make it more palatable. Nonetheless, there are several nicely performed musical interludes, including a handsome chorus line for one of them. It's these specialty numbers that are the highlight of this and other Micheaux films.
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★ 2 / 10
Even the greatest story in the world would be negated by production values this low.
I_Ailurophile
I'm late in discovering the films of Oscar Micheaux, and in fact this is the first of any that I've watched. The filmmaker's reputation and prolific body of…
I'm late in discovering the films of Oscar Micheaux, and in fact this is the first of any that I've watched. The filmmaker's reputation and prolific body of work would seem to speak for itself, and as such, right off the bat I assumed it's some combination of factors beyond Micheaux's control that result in the direly low fidelity of this picture. The audio and image quality is such as to suggest the movie is desperately in need of remastering, or a robust restoration - if such processes are possible in this instance. Visual detail in each scene is all but lost, and dialogue is too often characterized by static, or abrupt bursts in volume, and is likewise sometimes difficult to discern as a result. Moreover, very rough cuts between shots leads one to assume censorial edits after the fact, or perhaps simply lost footage in the years since; both may be just as likely, but the latter is certain, given several long seconds of a blank screen a little shy of the 40-minute mark. At length - suffice to say that assessing the technical craft of 'Underworld' is difficult, and whether it can be chalked up to shortcomings of the director and his crew, or outside influences, the inelegance inherently impacts our entertainment.In fairness, solid writing and acting of are more immediate importance in straightforward dramas. As modern low-budget, indie features can often demonstrate, indelicacies in execution can handily be overlooked so long as the story is strong, or the performances capable. Here, I find myself in a hard position. I can't say that the assembled cast make any particular impression where their skills are concerned. At best they're adequate, based on what one can distinguish given the poor audio and visual presentation - but at worst, there's a distinct, glaring lack of authenticity at some points. Unfortunately, the narrative also struggles with the crude production values. A few broad strokes are evident enough, but I'll be honest - if I didn't have the benefit of a plot summary on hand, then I'm not sure 'that 'Underworld,' as it is, communicates its tale clearly enough for it to be ascertained. And at that, it's just not an issue of coarse light and sound: plot development feels unbothered, light and slow. The exhibitions of song and dance we see at the nightclub are fine, on paper, but the sheer frequency with which these are inserted seems forced, as though to pad out the length for lack of substance.I began watching with somewhat high expectations; the premise is promising, and I gather that Micheaux had already curried no small amount of favor with his pictures preceding this one. It's also gratifying to see the cast of a drama filled with black actors, especially at a time when many white filmmakers were still employing blackface. Ultimately, however, the fact of the casting in and of itself may be the only noteworthy part of this feature, and it's not enough to save it. The longer the film ran on, the less generous I felt, and the more inclined to think ill of the contributions of cast and crew alike - it wasn't just outside factors weighing this down, was it? It's a strong concept, but a terribly rough realization makes it all but impossible to enjoy: 'Underworld' is a movie for only the most persevering and determined of viewers, and I wish you luck.
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The 53 Year Old Oscar Micheaux
Single-Black-Male
This adaptation of Edna Mae Baker's short story, 'Chicago After Midnight', is the equivalent of Hitchcock's adaptation of 'The Lady Vanishes', or DeMille's…
This adaptation of Edna Mae Baker's short story, 'Chicago After Midnight', is the equivalent of Hitchcock's adaptation of 'The Lady Vanishes', or DeMille's adaptation of 'Lafitte the Pirate' (better known as 'The Buccaneer'). They're not very good films, but at least 'Underworld' is presented from a black perspective.
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80%
AUDIENCE
4.7/10
75
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"ghost1990 May 25, 2025 at 08:21 pm @Chinster, where in the hell are you from? The Great Society programs were aimed to address social problems like poverty, racial inequality, and access to healthcare and education, bolstering the American Black family not destroying them..get your facts straight or don't comment on facts you know nothing about.." While that might have been the stated intent it clearly isn't what happened. The black nuclear family dissolved and they are obviously more poorly educated, as even the ones with degrees speak poorly (axe instead of ask, dindo nothing instead of didn't do anything, etc.) The left want to keep blacks down, on the urban plantations, where the new crop is their votes. YOU know nothing.