Hallelujah

Beverly Hills, CA: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer [MGM], 1929. Vintage oversize borderless double weight portrait photograph of actor Daniel L. Haynes from the 1929 film. With the ink stamp and blind stamp of photographer Ruth Harriet Louise, a mimeo snipe, and a publication stamp on the verso. Rare, or possibly unique.

Director King Vidor's first talkie and the first Black musical, as well as the second all-Black film by a major Hollywood studio, with arguably more depth than its predecessor, Paul Sloane's "Hearts in Dixie," released earlier the same year.

Although Vidor had expressed his intent of an honest depiction of rural southern African-American life, the film still clearly advanced racial stereotypes of the era. "Hallelujah" had, however, authentically represented African-American spiritual music from the period, which no other film at that point had achieved. Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Director.

Shot on location in Memphis, Tennessee, and Arkansas.

9.25 x 12.25 inches, trimmed unevenly. Very Good plus, with a small chip to the bottom right corner, and print preparation touch ups and cropping annotations on the recto.

National Film Registry. Rosenbaum 1000.

[Book #170990]