Hallelujah, may be an old black and white film from 1929, but I found it incredibly moving. First, I had no idea that Hollywood made an all black film in 1929, just out of the Silent film era. So, what a treat it was to see 'Hallelujah'.
This story is about a poor close knit religious family somewhere down South. There's a saying that , "Religion is the Opium of the People". This film shows that there is some truth to that as faith seems to drown out grief.
When the film opens we see the entire family working together to harvest their cotton crop. This is the only source of income for the family for the entire year. Later the family celebrates their harvest when they are interrupted by their neighbors Adam and Eve and their eleven kids. They want to do the right thing and get married, after years of living together and having eleven kids. While Pappy 'Parson' Johnson (Harry Gray) marries his guests, the oldest son, Zeke (Daniel L. Haynes) goes inside and lusts after Missy Rose (Victoria Spivey). She's a beautiful young woman adopted into the family. She is afraid of his advances, but they end up in a passionate kiss.
In the morning the crop is loaded onto a wagon and the two older boys, Zeke and Spunk (Everett McGarrity) head off to the cotton gin, where its nicely processed into a bale and sold. The income from their crop is $100. Of this money Zeke is supposed to buy things for his family, clothes, shoes, food stuffs. Instead Zeke abandons his loving brother and runs off to the pier. There he sees a beautiful mulatto woman, Chick (Nina Mae McKinney) dancing. Zeke is mesmerized. Chick hurls insults at Zeke, but after Zeke pulls out his family's earnings she Chick walks away with him. They end up in a juke joint where Zeke is conned out of all the money by Chick and her partner Hot Shot (William Fountaine). When Zeke realizes he's been had he fights for the money. Hot Shot pulls out a gun shooting indiscriminately, Zeke grabs it and shoots as well. Spunk who was searching for his brother and just found him at the bar is fatally wounded. We don't know who fired the shot that killed him.
Mammy (Fanny Belle deKnight) senses something is terribly wrong when she sees her older sons bed empty. She started wailing and the family prays for the boys. The next morning Zeke returns home with his brother's body instead of the goodies or money that the family was waiting for. A wake is held and Zeke repents his sins and becomes a preacher. Zeke's style: he becomes the conductor on a train headed for heaven, complete with stops. When Zeke says this is the last stop all the sinners in the crowd flock to the train on the track to Salvation,.
Zeke's preaching leads to prosperity for his family. They travel by their own train to Revivals. In an unnamed town Zeke meets Chick and Hot Shot again. They taunt him terribly. Chick ends up at a Revival and is saved. She returns to be baptized to the dislike of the family. Viewers can feel the sexual tension and lust Zeke feels for Chick. After the baptism, Zeke carries Chick to a tent as if possessed, and is about to make love to her when Mammy intervenes. That night Zeke seems to be soul searching and asks Missy Rose to marry him.
The next day there's a spiritually charged sermon followed by a Holy dance. Chick bites Zeke on the hand like a viper, breaking his resistance, the next thing he is running out the Church into the darkness with her in his arms. Missy Rose goes running after them into the dark begging for Zeke's return.. Realizing that she's lost Zeke she cries in such a mournful way viewers can feel her pain.
Next Zeke goes to work in a factory to support Chick, but its obviously tiring hard work for him. Hot Shot finds Chick and meets her at their home while Zeke is away at work. One night Hot Shot returns for Chick. Zeke is tired and sleeping at the table when a stone thrown by Hot Shot at the window wakes him. Zeke gets his shotgun and shoots at the fleeing couple. He runs after them. He incredibly fast catching up with the wagon. The wagon get stuck in the mud overturning, and throwing Chick in the mud. She's mortally wounded.
While Chick is dying she pleads for Zeke to take her out of the mud. She speaking like she can't see him, she says the Devil is coming for her. Zeke doesn't realize Chick is dying and she dies in his arms. Hot Shot returns to check if Chick is okay. Realizing that Chick is dead, Zeke chases Hot Shot down in the swamp and kills him.
Zeke lands in Prison on a Chain Gang but is later paroled. He returns to his family who are happy to see him and we're lead to believe that he ends up marrying Missy Rose.
At times this film feels like a play, and one might get annoyed by the stereotypes. The photography is that of the time, right out of the Silent film Era. Even with its technical flaws, this is a powerful film whose message is valid today.
They say that King Vidor used his own funds to make this film and it was originally meant to be a silent film. Considering that there weren't many Black films made in the early 20th century, King Vidor needs to be commended otherwise we wouldn't be talking of Hallelujah now.
This story is about a poor close knit religious family somewhere down South. There's a saying that , "Religion is the Opium of the People". This film shows that there is some truth to that as faith seems to drown out grief.
When the film opens we see the entire family working together to harvest their cotton crop. This is the only source of income for the family for the entire year. Later the family celebrates their harvest when they are interrupted by their neighbors Adam and Eve and their eleven kids. They want to do the right thing and get married, after years of living together and having eleven kids. While Pappy 'Parson' Johnson (Harry Gray) marries his guests, the oldest son, Zeke (Daniel L. Haynes) goes inside and lusts after Missy Rose (Victoria Spivey). She's a beautiful young woman adopted into the family. She is afraid of his advances, but they end up in a passionate kiss.
In the morning the crop is loaded onto a wagon and the two older boys, Zeke and Spunk (Everett McGarrity) head off to the cotton gin, where its nicely processed into a bale and sold. The income from their crop is $100. Of this money Zeke is supposed to buy things for his family, clothes, shoes, food stuffs. Instead Zeke abandons his loving brother and runs off to the pier. There he sees a beautiful mulatto woman, Chick (Nina Mae McKinney) dancing. Zeke is mesmerized. Chick hurls insults at Zeke, but after Zeke pulls out his family's earnings she Chick walks away with him. They end up in a juke joint where Zeke is conned out of all the money by Chick and her partner Hot Shot (William Fountaine). When Zeke realizes he's been had he fights for the money. Hot Shot pulls out a gun shooting indiscriminately, Zeke grabs it and shoots as well. Spunk who was searching for his brother and just found him at the bar is fatally wounded. We don't know who fired the shot that killed him.
Mammy (Fanny Belle deKnight) senses something is terribly wrong when she sees her older sons bed empty. She started wailing and the family prays for the boys. The next morning Zeke returns home with his brother's body instead of the goodies or money that the family was waiting for. A wake is held and Zeke repents his sins and becomes a preacher. Zeke's style: he becomes the conductor on a train headed for heaven, complete with stops. When Zeke says this is the last stop all the sinners in the crowd flock to the train on the track to Salvation,.
Zeke's preaching leads to prosperity for his family. They travel by their own train to Revivals. In an unnamed town Zeke meets Chick and Hot Shot again. They taunt him terribly. Chick ends up at a Revival and is saved. She returns to be baptized to the dislike of the family. Viewers can feel the sexual tension and lust Zeke feels for Chick. After the baptism, Zeke carries Chick to a tent as if possessed, and is about to make love to her when Mammy intervenes. That night Zeke seems to be soul searching and asks Missy Rose to marry him.
The next day there's a spiritually charged sermon followed by a Holy dance. Chick bites Zeke on the hand like a viper, breaking his resistance, the next thing he is running out the Church into the darkness with her in his arms. Missy Rose goes running after them into the dark begging for Zeke's return.. Realizing that she's lost Zeke she cries in such a mournful way viewers can feel her pain.
Next Zeke goes to work in a factory to support Chick, but its obviously tiring hard work for him. Hot Shot finds Chick and meets her at their home while Zeke is away at work. One night Hot Shot returns for Chick. Zeke is tired and sleeping at the table when a stone thrown by Hot Shot at the window wakes him. Zeke gets his shotgun and shoots at the fleeing couple. He runs after them. He incredibly fast catching up with the wagon. The wagon get stuck in the mud overturning, and throwing Chick in the mud. She's mortally wounded.
While Chick is dying she pleads for Zeke to take her out of the mud. She speaking like she can't see him, she says the Devil is coming for her. Zeke doesn't realize Chick is dying and she dies in his arms. Hot Shot returns to check if Chick is okay. Realizing that Chick is dead, Zeke chases Hot Shot down in the swamp and kills him.
Zeke lands in Prison on a Chain Gang but is later paroled. He returns to his family who are happy to see him and we're lead to believe that he ends up marrying Missy Rose.
At times this film feels like a play, and one might get annoyed by the stereotypes. The photography is that of the time, right out of the Silent film Era. Even with its technical flaws, this is a powerful film whose message is valid today.
They say that King Vidor used his own funds to make this film and it was originally meant to be a silent film. Considering that there weren't many Black films made in the early 20th century, King Vidor needs to be commended otherwise we wouldn't be talking of Hallelujah now.