Films that were made prior to the Civil Rights Era tend to display the views of the day within them, not simply the status of race in the time represented within such works. This paper assesses the concepts of race relations as are presented in the films “Cimarron” (Wesley Ruggles; 1931), “Birth of the Nation” (D.W. Griffith; 1915), and” Within Our Gates” (Oscar Micherux; 1920).