By Arthur L. Terry
INTRODUCTION
By the turn of the century, characterizations of blacks (and other ethnic groups) were common in many films of the silent era. However, it was D.W. Griffith's Birth of A Nation (1915), that sparked the most widespread protest initiated by Negro leaders W.E.B. DuBois and Booker T. Washington. There were several legal battles to halt the release of the film, but it could not be stopped. Noble Johnson made an attempt to counteract the effects of Griffith's film by releasing The Birth of A Race (1917) two years later. This effort was at the heart of an emerging genre that came to be known as "race films." (For the purposes of this discussion, race films will be defined as films made by black Americans for a black American audience, with black principal players.)
As greater numbers of contemporary African American filmmakers make their mark in the film industry, more critical evaluation is being done on the work of black filmmakers who followed Noble Johnson. Most notable of these is Oscar Micheaux, whose career as writer, producer, director, and distributor spanned some forty years and as many films. Although Micheaux's work is benefiting from reexamination by cinema scholars, another African American filmmaker, Spencer Williams, created a body of work as actor, writer, director, and producer that (though not as extensive as Micheaux's) is no less important as an artifact of African-American culture during the first half of the 20th Century.
Best known for his role as Andy Brown in TV's Amos and Andy, Williams had done extensive work behind the scenes as a writer and director by the time he made it to the small screen. His work as a continuity writer for Christie Studios during the late 1920s gave him valuable experience that he would draw from when he would direct his own features some twenty years later.
Many who are familiar with his work prefer his "serious" pieces, like the three discussed here: Go Down Death (194?), Dirty Gertie From Harlem U.S.A. (1946), and Blood Of Jesus (1947). However, Williams also created several comic films. Juke Joint (1947), is one of the more popular Williams comedies, though it has many technical inadequacies. This film is the story of two men who arrive in a Texas town and find lodging at the home of Mama Lou Holiday and her husband. Though the characters are largely stereotypical (particularly the lazy husband) the film has great merit as a stylized portrait of the urbanized black family of the postwar era. Unlike stereotypical black film families, the Holidays live in their own home and are a nuclear family, with conservative morals and values (as indicated by the "prayer scene" at the dinner table).
As a preliminary study of the life and work of Spencer Williams, the purpose of examining the films in this discussion is threefold: (1)To place Williams' work in a historical context with race films of the era; (2) to critically analyze the works from an aesthetic and contextual standpoint using attributes common to all three films (the role of the church in the black community, the use of religious artifacts and symbols, the parallel relationships between country and city/good and evil and the narrative style; and (3) to draw a conclusion on the religious themes and content in each film. For the sake of brevity, I will not synopsize the plot of each film.
The Church in African-American Society
Before people of color were ever brought to these shores, there was a religion in Africa that spoke of a Creator who lives in the sun, a Creator intimately involved with the lives and the problems of humanity. However, the unifying element of this religion was lost as slaves tried to make their way in a world unfamiliar to them.
As the slave owners learned to communicate with their property and eventually taught them English (or a form of it), plantation churches began to be formed. In many instances the "services" were no more than brain-washing sessions designed to instruct slaves not to steal from their masters and to revere them as part of their service unto God. From the pulpit came messages of the "Good News" only to be undermined by the behavior of the slave owners and the very practice of slavery itself.
However, the messages of freedom and a "world to come" were not lost on the enslaved parishioners. Eventually slaves began to hold their own services, clandestine meetings in swamps and "hush harbors" away from the eyes and ears of their masters. Many slaves found attending meetings of this type were severely beaten or killed. But the prayer was bold, the singing animated, and worship robust. Slave preachers began to surface, meeting the needs of the "invisible church," yet treading a fine line between preaching "spiritual freedom" and natural rebellion. Faith in God kept many of these people alive no matter how they were mistreated.
At the turn of the century, as more blacks settled in the urban North, they brought with them a church tradition. In addition to being a house of worship and spiritual shelter, the church became social center, news, agency, and refuge. Granted, not every "man of the cloth" was led by the spirit of God, but the church as an institution remained a symbol of the struggle for freedom and the unity of a people. This image can be found in films.
M. Darrol Bryant states:
According to the auteur theory of film, one could argue from Bryant's quote that the environment represented is not so much objective as it is the director's perception of his/her environment. If one accepts this premise, it would follow that the subjective reality shown on the screen is a message (explicit or implied) from the filmmaker to his audience. I would argue that in the case of these particular films by Spencer Williams that the message is the reality of a personal and fundamental Christianity.
Religious Artifacts, Symbols, and Themes
In the films mentioned in this paper, church attendance in the community is not depicted as unusual behavior as we see in contemporary work such as Boyz N The Hood, or New Jack City. Though salvation is not always accepted by characters in these films, the existence of the church as an institution in the black community is a given, even in the extreme circumstances depicted in Dirty Gertie From Harlem, U.S.A.
Though the viewer of Dirty Gertie is as much in the dark about the presence of Mr. Christian and Ezra Crumm on the island of "Rinidad" as the characters are, these two are treated with respect by the hotel management. The manager even apologizes when Christian complains about the meager accommodations they were assigned when Gertie's troupe took over all the other rooms in the hotel. The management didn't necessarily agree with Christian's agenda (particularly when he was about closing the show), but he and his assistant were never treated as fanatics or part of a social fringe. Diamond Joe, the owner of the club where Gertie is to perform, is quite civil to Mr. Christian when confronted by his threats of government intervention to stop Gertie's show. The only character that violates this respect is Gertie. She verbally assaults Christian when he attempts to convince her to mend her ways, and she is the only character in the film that we actually see visit the VooDoo woman, Old Hager (portrayed wonderfully by Williams himself) who predicts Gertie's death. Indeed, at the climax of the film, the wages of Gertie's sin and refusal to repent has surely resulted in her death. This is foreshadowed during Christian's futile attempt to convince Gertie that Christ was her only hope, before she lashed out at him in the hotel.
In Go Down Death, young Reverend Jasper Rose is shown to be a man of impeccable character and strong moral fiber. He is devoted to his congregation at Mt. Zion church and is respected by everyone except Big Jim, the owner of a local beer joint. When the minister's rousing sermons begin to hurt Big Jim's business, he devises a plan to frame Reverend Rose by setting him up with some "fly girls" in the parsonage. However, after the trap is sprung, Rev. Rose continues to preach and verbalizes his firm belief that God would handle the situation and he would rest in that. Big Jim's actions result in his own death as well as Mother Carrie's, mother of Rose's fiance, who raised Jim as her own and never for a moment gave up hope for his salvation. The prayers of Mother Carrie are significant, as well as the special effects scenes illustrating Heaven during Rev. Rose's most passionate sermon and the appearance of Mother Carrie's deceased husband as an angel, guiding her to the location of Big Jim's blackmail photos and negatives of the Reverend.
What is shown is a fundamental relationship with God on a personal level, resulting in the ultimate overthrow of evil. In spite of the fact that Mother Carrie did not live to see justice served, it was a direct result of her prayer to a personal God that causes the situation to be resolved justly. Perhaps this relationship is the connection between the film and the poem of the same name by. (It is mentioned specifically in the opening credits.)
The poem, a funeral sermon by James Weldon Johnson, tells the story of how a "Sister Caroline" was tossing on her "bed of pain." God, having mercy and compassion for her, called for Death to go down to Earth and bring her back to him. He tells Death that she has labored and deserves her rest. Death comes to her and, at the close of the poem, Carrie is in Heaven, and Jesus himself is wiping her tears away- not unlike Mother Carrie being released from her Earthly burdens.
Though not entirely scriptural, Blood Of Jesus uses scripture and, in the language of the time, shows step by step the journey of a young woman from life to death, through eternity and back to life again. With the exception of Martha lying at the foot of a cross with blood dripping down on her forehead, nearly every scene is a translation of the Bible into common language.
At Martha's death, an angel escorts her to Heaven, taking her to a crossroads shown in the opening sequence of the film where she must choose between Heaven and Hell. There is Satan, watching her every move and doing his best to have her come to his side of the road. Even when Martha is in the employ of one of Satan's henchmen, she bows down underneath a picture of Christ on the wall of her room and prays for her deliverance. (One may find it difficult to understand why there is a picture of Jesus on the wall in Hell ... but that's show biz!) Again, Williams illustrates the theme of a direct communication with God resulting in deliverance (and in this case literal resurrection), with great effectiveness. Martha's life is turned around and she finds herself at the foot of the cross mentioned earlier. From the foot of the cross, she finds herself forgiven, alive again, and reunited with her husband. It should be noted that in the context of the film Martha experienced a literal bodily resurrection not explained away as a dream or hallucination.
In all three films, Bibles, crosses, and various religious icons punctuate the dialog and action. Though there are no overt references to any of these items, visually they reinforce themes of traditional biblical theology.
Good Country vs. Evil City
The most striking common theme in all of these films and many other race films is the relationship between the country and the city paralleling the relationship between good and evil. At every opportunity, Williams asserts (directly or indirectly) that "the city" is a place of great evil and corruption.
The Blood Of Jesus, takes place in a rural setting, established by the opening with a man plowing a field. As the story progresses, we see large lots of open land, Ras Jackson returning from a hunt, and baptisms held at the river requiring a fair walk along a dirt road. Ras' need to hunt and eventually to steal "shoats" (small pigs) indicates that there is a great lack of food in his home and perhaps in the entire area. The Jackson home is sparsely furnished and isolated. Sister Jenkins' visit indicates that there is quite some distance between neighbors and that the baptismal service is a major event in the community.
When Martha goes to Heaven, it is the lure of the city that brings her to Satan's side of the crossroads. Sophisticated clothes, dance clubs, bars, and jazz music are the antithesis of all that she knew before. Her troubles begin when she accepts a high fashion dress and shoes from Judas Green, Satan's servant. The clubs she finds herself in are filled with people, music, and dancing. The walls are paneled, the floors slick, and Judas Green flashy. She is fast-talked right into slavery to another club owner. It is interesting to note here that during Martha's entire journey she wears a cross around her neck. Perhaps it symbolizes that she never really left the God's protection no matter where she went, ultimately returning to the feet of Christ.
Go Down Death takes place in an urban setting and depicts this country/city relationship by pitting the protagonist against a slick city hustler. Rev. Rose is a humble man of God, dedicated to his calling. Not until his preaching has a direct affect on Big Jim's beer joint business does the slick businessman decide to take care of the preacher.
Rev. Rose's humility and spiritual outlook is hard to differentiate from rural naivet. Though not much subtext about him is revealed, it is pretty obvious that he has not succumbed to the lures of the city. He is "in the world, but not of it," and Big Jim sees this as a sign of weakness. Ironically, Big Jim was raised by Mother Carrie, Rev. Rose's neighbor, housekeeper, a member of his flock, and his fiance's aunt.
Williams depicts the city as a cheap, dirty place and the church as an oasis in a dessert of sin. Rev. Rose's parsonage is meticulously, though meagerly appointed, and the church, though not very large, has a certain "hominess" to it. The peace there equates to a more simple (or rural) lifestyle. This is reinforced by Rose's preaching style: low key but painting an incredible visualization of the text. (As he preaches Mother Carrie's funeral, a special effects view of Heaven begins to unfold over his head, taking the viewer as well as the congregation into the heavenlies and borrowing heavily from the special effects negatives of Blood 0f Jesus!)
Big Jim is streetwise, loud, boisterous, and his club looks very much like a converted drug store. His clothes are slightly disheveled and his office disorganized. The men who work for him have the seasoned look of crooked cab drivers and loan sharks. They do not necessarily trust or respect him, two requirements for business in a rural setting. As Big Jim carries out his blackmail plot against the preacher, he works himself deeper and deeper into sin, resulting in his suicide at Buck's Canyon after being convicted by his own conscience. It is in a rural setting, i.e. a place of holiness, that Big Joe finds his demise.
Though set in a far-off tropical island, the same premise continues in Dirty Gertie. The people of Rinidad are not simple country folk, but they have created for themselves a lifestyle not unlike rural America. Only Gertie and her troupe and the transplanted Diamond Joe have values and morals established in urban culture.
Their value system is rooted in a self-serving urban philosophy of "Get whatever you can however you can." Gertie is a star of some stature and makes sure that everyone knows it. She has all the stereotypical appearance of a wanton city woman. She drinks openly, dresses seductively, and it is implied from the text of the film that she is seeing both "Tight Pants" and "High Pockets" (a soldier and sailor she meets on the island) at the same time. We also know that Gertie is a professional strip-tease dancer. The night that Mr. Christian sees Gertie outside the hotel, she is drinking with both men and kisses them both passionately before entering the hotel. There is no rivalry whatsoever between these men for Gertie's affections. In one scene, they are talking to each other about her various attributes without a hint at competition. They seem perfectly at ease with the idea of sharing her, giving the audience the impression that they are both getting what they want from her.
The discussions Diamond Joe has with his pianist, Larry (a.k.a. "Blues In The Night") indicate that Gertie has a reputation in Harlem and that she is not a woman to be entangled with. Diamond Joe ignores Larry's warning and continues to shower Gertie with gifts and praise. Ultimately, Gertie's selfishness results in her death at the hand of Al, a spurned lover who travels all the way from Harlem to Rinidad, just to kill Gertie because he "loves her."
In the midst of all this turmoil, Mr. Christian and Ezra Crumm maintain a unique perspective. Though the audience is never fully aware of their agenda, much indicates that they too are slowly coming under Gertie's spell. First, there is Christian's body language when he carries Gertie into the hotel after she faints from catching a glimpse of her estranged boyfriend Al. Christian is somewhat tentative, as if fighting for restraint. Gertie awakens and accuses him of "wanting her just like all the others." Is this speculation, intuition, or conceit? We are never really sure, but the scene does much to reinforce the image of this woman from the city as "seductress." When Christian then prays for God's guidance in stopping the show, we feel his motives may not be entirely spiritual, though nothing in the text of the dialog confirms this.
The next day, Ezra Crumm insists that he needs to see Gertie's act to report back to Christian about the content of the show. Mr. Christian forbids him to go, replying that he already has a plan from God as to how he should proceed. What Mr. Christian fails to tell Crumm, however, is that "God's plan" includes attending the show himself. Both men wind up at the show, though Christian does step forward and stop it before Gertie goes too far. However, a considerable amount of time is spent by both men watching Gertie from the wings before either of them acts. When Christian finally does get involved, the result is death and destruction the likes of which has never been seen in this town of island dwellers.
In all three of these films, the sophisticated hustle and bustle of the city is seen as sin and destruction.
Aesthetics
Even for work of their time, these films leave something to be desired aesthetically. They all suffer from jump cuts, poor editing, continuity problems, and uneven acting. Certainly a percentage of this is due to age and the restoration process of the prints, but many problems were inherent in the production.
The films show virtually no camera movement of any kind. Apparently Williams experimented with the use of closeups for impact, particularly in Dirtie Gertie, but they were often inappropriate and too long. The pacing of all three stories is uneven, but the narratives hold up well, and each film has a fair amount of tension to keep the viewer involved in the story.
Due to the "guerrilla" nature of race films, the art direction relied heavily on whatever locations were available. This caused the filmmaker to make obvious adjustments in blocking and camera placement, but by the same token added a very realistic feel, enhancing their value as cultural artifacts. The fashions and furnishings in the homes were typical of black America at that time and serve as valuable reference material.
It is difficult to assess the acting in these films in modern terms. With the auteur theory as a model, a lot of responsibility that could be placed on Williams for his directorial choices. However, keeping the film in a cultural/historical context demands that allowances be made for the mechanics of filmmaking at that time.
For the most part, actors had to be taken from wherever they could be found, and there was little or no time (or money) to allow for rehearsal, blocking, rewrites, or retakes. (In the case of Oscar Micheaux, there were often no retakes at all.) In a very real sense, we are seeing part of a process more than a finished product.
The only possible exception to this would be Dirty Gertie, which was shot on 35mm film and had slightly better locations. However, the film still lacked in several fundamental visual areas, though the writing had much more of a crafted feel than in the other two works discussed.
Conclusion
Analysis of these three films indicates that Spencer Williams had a more than perfunctory understanding of the Bible and Christianity. We can summarize his use in three themes. First, in every instance, the relationship between religious characters and God is personal, depicted through intimate, conversational prayer. Second, the gospel is presented in conjunction with the quotation of scripture to the "unchurched" character or characters in the film, or used as an instrument of instruction for characters already in relationship with God. Third, the unrepentant characters in each film are punished by death. In the case of Blood Of Jesus, Martha's death is a direct result of Ras' sin, but his prayer during her absence implies a repentance connected to her resurrection. Though not entirely scriptural, Blood Of Jesus still addresses questions of sin, death, and the choice to be made before eternal life.
Works Consulted
Bogle, Donald. Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies and Bucks: An Interpretive History of Blacks in American Films. New York: Viking, 1973.
Bogle, Donald. Blacks In American Films and Television. New York: Simon & Schuster, Inc. 1988.
Grupenhoff, Richard. "The Rediscovery of Oscar Micheaux." Journal of Film and Video. 40,1 (1988): 40-48.
Jones, G. William. Black Cinema Treasures: Lost and Found. Denton: University of North Texas Press, 1991.
Klotman, Phyllis Rauch. Frame By Frame-A Black Filmography. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press, 1979.
Nesteby, James R. Black Images in American Films, 1896-1954. NewYork: University Press of America, 1982.
Raboteau, Albert J. Slave Religion: The "Invisible Institution " in the Antebellum South. New York: Oxford University Press, 1978.
Samson, Henry T. Blacks In Black and White: A Sourcebook on BlackFilms. Metuchen, New Jersey: Scarecrow Press, 1977.
Filmography
Dirty Gertie From Harlem U.S.A. Dir. Spencer Williams Alfred N. Sack, 19??
Go Down Death. Dir. Spencer Williams. Alfred N. Sack, 194?
The Blood Of Jesus. Dir. Spencer Williams. Amegro Films 1947.
Spencer Williams Filmography
Of One Blood (Undated)
Tenderfeet (1928) - Director
The Widow's Bite (1929) - Writer/Actor
MelancholyDame (1929) -Actor
7he Traming of the Shrew (I 929) - Actor
Oft in the Silly Night (1929) - Actor
7he Lady Fare (1929) -Actor
Music Hath Charms (1929) -Actor
Bronze Buckaroo (1938) -Actor
Harlem on the Prairie (1939) -Actor
Harlem Rides the Range (1939) - Actor
Marching On (c. 1940s) - Wiiter/Actor
Son Of Ingagi (1940) - Writer/Actor
7he Blood of jesus (1941) - Actor/Director
Go Down Death (1944) - Actor/Director (?)
Dirty Gertie From Harlem, U.S.A. (1946) - Director
Beale Street Mama (1946) - Director
The Girl in Room 20 (c. 1946) - Director
Juke Joint (1947) - Actor/Director
Hot Biscuits (Undated) - Producer