Can discrimination exist in an America where everyone is Black?

That’s among the questions posted by ‘The Flying Ace’ (1926), a rare surviving example of movies produced early in the 20th century for Black audiences in segregated cinemas.

The Flying Ace, named to the U.S. National Film Registry in 2021, will be screened in honor of Black History Month on Sunday, February 2, at 2 p.m. at the Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square, Somerville, Mass.

The screening will feature live music by Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based silent film accompanist.

The Flying Ace was produced by Norman Studios in Jacksonville, Fla., using professionals such as Laurence Criner, a veteran of Harlem’s prestigious all-black theater troupe the Lafayette Players, but also many non-professionals for minor roles.

Films such as ‘The Flying Ace’ were shown specifically to African-American audiences in areas of the U.S. where theaters were segregated.

Norman Studios was among the nation’s top film production companies making feature length and short films for this market from the 1920s to the 1940s.

Filmed in the Arlington area of Jacksonville, Fla., The Flying Ace is a unique aviation melodrama in that no airplanes actually leave the ground. The mid-air scenes were filmed in a studio in front of neutral backdrops.

Although ‘The Flying Ace’ may appear crudely made to modern audiences, in 2021 the movie was named to the U.S. National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

A live musical score for ‘The Flying Ace’ will be created by accompanist Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based performer who specializes in music for silent film presentations.

‘The Flying Ace’ (1926), a silent crime melodrama with an all-Black cast, will be shown in honor of Black History Month on Sunday, Feb. 2 at 2 p.m. at the Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square, Somerville, Mass.

Admission $17 adults; $13 members; $12 seniors/children. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.somervilletheatre.com or call the box office at (617) 625-5700.

For more about the music, visit www.jeffrapsis.com.