The Blood of Jesus

“One of the 25 most important films on race.”—Time Magazine on The Blood of Jesus

“A masterpiece of folk cinema that has scarcely lost its power to astonish.”—J. Hoberman on The Blood of Jesus 

One of the most acclaimed, popular, and influential of the “race films” made in the first half of the 20th century, The Blood of Jesus is a morality play about an angel and devil fighting for a woman’s soul. Filled with gospel music and a sincere portrayal of religious faith, the film is both formally daring and a loving depiction of Southern black religious and cultural practices. Entered into the Library of Congress’s National Film Registry, its enduring legacy can be seen across the Wex this January, as Thom Andersen’s recent Spencer Williams tribute film, Juke, plays in The Box all month long. (57 mins., 35mm)

We’ll then show three short films that follow up on Williams’s interest in documenting the realities of black life against a music-filled backdrop:

The Cry of Jazz caused extensive debates among both black and white communities on its initial release. When the film was voted into the National Film Registry, it was described as arguing that “black life in America shares a structural identity with jazz music,” as it intercut scenes of life in Chicago’s black neighborhoods with discussions of social and political interpretations of the musical form. The film is set to a soundtrack by Sun Ra and His Arkestra and features the only known footage of his original Arkestra band. (39 mins., 35mm)

Critic Jonathan Rosenbaum has called Charles Burnett “the most gifted and important black filmmaker this country has ever had” and included Burnett’s obscure short When It Rains on a list of the greatest movies ever made, calling it “one of those rare movies in which jazz forms directly influence film narrative.” The film tracks a Watts man as he roams his community trying to garner support for a woman about to be evicted from her apartment. (13 mins., video)

Trailblazing documentarian Madeline Anderson’s classic I Am Somebody is an inspiring and seldom-discussed document from the civil rights era. It follows 400 poorly paid black female hospital workers in Charleston, South Carolina, who go on strike for fair wage increases and come up against the National Guard and state government. (30 mins., 16mm)