The Flying Ace is a 1926 American black-and-white silent drama film directed by Richard E. Norman with an all-African-American cast. The story was inspired by Bessie Coleman (who was killed in an aviation accident the same year this film was released) and the six-reel film, made by Norman Studios in Jacksonville, Florida, utilized an all star cast of professional actors.
Films, such as The Flying Ace, that used an all-African-American cast and were shown specifically to African-American audiences, were known as "race films". Norman Studios produced feature length and numerous short race films during the 1920s. The untapped black filmgoing market and the plethora of talented performers unable to get work in mainstream films led to the production of race films by Norman Studios.
Richard Norman's reason for producing race films was not solely a business decision. Although the studio was filling a niche, Norman was also motivated by the state of race relations at the time and wanted to make a positive impact.
In 2021, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
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