Of all the Oscar Micheaux films I've seen this is one that keeps your attention and has a real story to follow. God's Stepchildren is about a girl named Naomi who is abandoned as a baby by a beautiful black lady(Dorothy Van Engle) whose her mother, the mother leaves the baby with Mrs. Saunders a woman she hears is a good woman and who she knows will take good care of her child, the woman leaves no name and never returns. Obviously the woman had Naomi with a white man, and she's ashame and can't raise the child. Mrs. Saunders takes on raising the child and treats as her own but Naomi is trouble, she taunts and bullies and rejects the black kids and adults and always skip school to go to the white school and tries to be accepted. She goes to far when she spreads nasty rumors about her teacher who punished her for spitting on her, she's then sent to a all girl catholic school and stays until she's grown. She comes back home acting innocent but stirs up trouble by falling in love with her foster brother, Mrs. Saunders and her foster brother notices that and marries her off against her will to a ugly black man, she has a son but up and leaves her child with Mrs. Saunders because she can't get what she wants- her brother, she sees no reason to stay Black, so she passes for white but have no luck, she commits suicide. The moral of the story is when you try to be something your not or have no morals or values you'll end up to no good in life, be proud of what you are, work hard for what you want and you will be a success. Naomi was a spoiled girl who wanted something for nothing and instead of appreciating what she has and who she is, she was always wanting something she could never get because what she wanted was impossible and out of reach. This movie struck a nerve in the black community, they were kind of offended like most were because Micheaux films were strong. The actors and actresses in Oscar Micheaux film don't get the credit their due- Ethel Moses- the black jean harlow- was Micheaux most used actress, beautiful and a fine actress, Carman Newsome- the black clark gable- micheaux most used actor, Alice B. Russell- Micheaux wife and fine actress always played the mother figures, Jacqueline Smith who played the child Naomi, deserves an academy award for her performance, Gloria Press- adult Naomi was good also, beautiful Dorothy Van Engle is the mother of Naomi who had a small part but significant. Check this movie out. You'll enjoy the acting and entertainment, unlike Hollywood in these independent black cast films Blacks were able to show their talent and do some real acting without being stereotyped.
Review of God's Step Children
