Free Member Event: Hallelujah

Inspired by Hitchcock’s transitional Blackmail (April 18, Orpheum) we continue a 1929 series with some of the earliest talkies.

The first real talkie, The Jazz Singer, had just been released in 1927. It starred the famous Jewish entertainer Al Jolson, who appeared in blackface. Hallelujah took things one step further: It featured a cast that was entirely African American. Hallelujah was the brainchild of one of 1920s Hollywood’s best-known directors, King Vidor who filmed in the heart of the Jim Crow South. While it received an Academy Award nomination, it was never released in many parts of the country, a casualty of segregation. King Vidor even revolutionized the way sound was recorded and edited into this film, establishing a new industry standard. (dir. King Vidor, U.S., 1929, 109 min.)

*This is open to all members and they are allotted a +1. Please reserve a ticket per person.

The Revival House series is presented by Ruge’s Auto Group.
It is also generously underwritten by Kevin Cornish, Sabine Hrechdakian, Bryanne Hamill, Dal Lamagna, Sarah Drew, Diane Archer, Allen Coulter, Sven Huseby, and Wendy Ettinger.

This project is made possible with funds from the New York State Legislature and administered by Arts Mid-Hudson.