Hallelujah (1929-30)

 

Hallelujah is tough to watch with a modern sensibility because it does occasionally traffic in some pretty offensive stereotypes of African Americans. Historically, it is significant as the first all-black, all-sound musical film, released early in the sound era, and it was named in 2008 to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” I’m sure its defenders (if there are any?) would claim that it depicts the standard representations of African Americans of the time, but given what we know of the racist tendencies of the entertainment industry, that doesn’t make it easier to view. You cannot just dismiss what was offensive even at the time of its creation; the film even features a character named Mammy, and that term certainly had pejorative implications even in 1929. The plot concerns Zeke, a poor cotton farmer who gambles away the money that his family has earned on their yearly crop. He’s fallen under the influence of a “loose woman” named Chick who is working with her boyfriend, a hustler called Hot Shot. After they cheat Zeke out of his money, he tries to get it back and one of his brothers is accidentally killed in the fight. Zeke becomes a preacher, renames himself Zekiel, and tries to convert Chick to Christianity. The sequence where Zeke baptizes multiple people, including Chick, is really quite beautifully shot. However, he really cannot resist Chick and she cannot resist her former lover. Soon after he leaves his religion to be with her, she renews her relationship with Hot Shot. As Zeke, actor Daniel L. Haynes exhibits a fine baritone voice. The real star of the movie, though, is Nina Mae McKinney as Chick. She is a supremely talented actress, a great singer, and a fantastic dancer. It’s a shame that she didn’t have a bigger, more successful career. Much of the acting is somewhat amateurish, but the dialogue doesn’t really help the actors. What does impress a viewer is the integration of music into the film’s narrative. Hallelujah features lots of singing and music, much of it diegetic. The music is an interesting mix of religious and secular music, and it certainly contributes to the overall impact of the film. Here’s an interesting bit of awards trivia: the film’s director, King Vidor, was one of two directors being nominated for the second time in Academy Award history; the other was eventual winner Lewis Milestone (for All Quiet on the Western Front), who had won for his direction of the comedy film Two Arabian Knights in the Oscars’ first year.

Oscar Nomination: Best Director (King Vidor)