The Blood of Jesus

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For the Christian sacrament, see Blood of Christ.

The Blood of Jesus
Spencer Williams
Written bySpencer Williams
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyJack Whitman
Distributed by
  • Sack Amusement Enterprises
  • Avernus Productions
Release date
  • April 26, 1941 (1941-04-26)
Running time
56 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$5,000
The Blood of Jesus (1941) by Spencer Williams

The Blood of Jesus (also known as The Glory Road) is a 1941 American

Spencer Williams. The plot concerns a Baptist woman who, after being accidentally shot by her atheist husband, is sent to a crossroads, where Satan
tries to lead her astray.

The film was very successful and, in 1991, was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress, being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[3][4]

Plot

In a small rural village with an

Jesus Christ being crucified, and Christ's blood drips down on Martha's face. She awakens to discover she is home and her health is restored. Martha is reunited with her husband, who has now embraced religion. The angel who took Martha on her journey returns to bless the marriage.[5][6][7]

Cast

Production

The Blood of Jesus was the second film directed by Spencer Williams, who was one of the few African American directors active in the 1940s. The Blood of Jesus was produced in

L'Inferno that depicted souls entering Heaven and in addition to Williams, the cast was made up of amateur actors and members of Reverend R. L. Robinson's Heavenly Choir, who sang the film's gospel music score.[8]

Music

The film's soundtrack includes a variety of

Henry Thacker Burleigh
, unless otherwise noted, and performed by R.L. Robertson and The Heavenly Choir.

  • "Good News" (Traditional)
  • "Go Down Moses" (Traditional)
  • "Heav'n, Heav'n" (Traditional)
  • "On Jordan's Stormy Banks I Stand" (Music: M. Durham; Lyrics:
    Samuel Stennet
    )
  • "Amazing Grace" (Music: Traditional, arranged: William Walker; lyrics: John Newton)
  • "Run, Child, Run" (Traditional spiritual)
  • "
    Were You There (When They Crucified My Lord)
    " (Traditional)
  • "
    Wallis Willis
    )
  • "
    Old Time Religion
    " (Traditional spiritual)
  • "I've Heard of a City Called Heaven" (Spiritual)
  • "Weary Blues" (Music: Artie Matthews) – Gussie Smith.

Release, reception and legacy

The Blood of Jesus was screened in cinemas and in black churches.

Go Down Death (1944).[10]

For years, The Blood of Jesus was considered a lost film until prints were discovered in the mid-1980s in a warehouse in Tyler, Texas.[11]

Critical appraisal of The Blood of Jesus has been positive, with

Southern Baptist folk theology by presenting Christian myth in literal terms. From its opening voiceover, the film became an advocate for the most enduring traditions of Afro-American family life on Southern ground.”[13]

Filmmaker Julie Dash cited the baptismal sequence in The Blood of Jesus as the inspiration for a similar scene from her 1991 feature film Daughters of the Dust.[14] In 1991, The Blood of Jesus became the first race film to be added to the U.S. National Film Registry.[7]

It was also featured on

film essay Juke: Passages from the Films of Spencer Willams.[15]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "The Blood of Jesus". British Board of Film Classification. August 24, 2016.
  2. ^ The Top 10 Indie Movies of All Time | A Cinefix Movie List - IGN
  3. ^ "Complete National Film Registry Listing". Library of Congress. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  4. ^ Kehr, Dave (September 26, 1991). "U.S. FILM REGISTRY ADDS 25 'SIGNIFICANT' MOVIES". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  5. ^ “The Blood of Jesus”-Overview, Turner Classic Movies
  6. ^ New York Times / AllMovie Guide overview
  7. ^ a b “The Bootleg Files: The Blood of Jesus,” Film Threat, September 1, 2006
  8. ^ a b c ""Micheaux and Williams: Titans of 'Race' Cinema," Village Voice, March 18, 2008". Archived from the original on October 23, 2008. Retrieved November 18, 2008.
  9. ^ “Jazz on the screen : A Jazz and Blues Filmography,” Library of Congress
  10. ^ “Spencer Williams,” AfricanAmericans.com Archived 2009-01-01 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ a b “The 25 Most Important Films on Race,” Time Magazine
  12. ^ “A Troubled Past, but Promise for the Future,” The New York Times, October 1, 2004
  13. ^ “The Blood of Jesus,” Turner Classic Movies Archives
  14. ^ “Histories and Influences:Independent African American Cinema and More,” Geechee.tv (Julie Dash web site) Archived 2002-02-28 at the Wayback Machine
  15. ^ J. Hoberman on Thom Andersen's Juke - Artfourm International

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Blood_of_Jesus&oldid=1211553321"