The Blood of JesusThe Blood of Jesus
After her husband accidentally shoots her, a devout woman's spirit is led to the crossroads between Heaven and Hell, where Satan's agents try to tempt her into the nightlife of the city.
Pioneers of Black Cinema
Before Hollywood would cast Black actors as anything but servants, Black filmmakers built a parallel industry of "race films" made for Black audiences. Oscar Micheaux wrote, produced and directed more than forty features, and Spencer Williams's The Blood of Jesus was the first race film added to the National Film Registry. Some of these films show attitudes of their time; titles that need it carry a content note.
The Blood of Jesus
Murder in HarlemMurder in Harlem
When a Black night watchman is charged with the murder of a young white woman found in a factory basement, a novelist-turned-lawyer takes his case and pieces together what really happened. Loosely based on the Leo Frank case.
Lying LipsLying Lips
A nightclub singer who refuses to entertain customers is framed for her aunt's murder and sent to prison, while two detectives who believe her set out to find the real killer.
The Girl from ChicagoThe Girl from Chicago
A federal agent on assignment in Mississippi falls in love and follows the woman to Harlem, where they are drawn into the numbers racket and the killing of a Cuban racketeer.
Go Down, Death!Go Down, Death!
A juke-joint boss schemes to frame a new preacher who is drawing away his customers, and his foster mother pays the price when she tries to stop him. Inspired by James Weldon Johnson's poem.
Dirty Gertie from Harlem U.S.A.Dirty Gertie from Harlem U.S.A.
A Harlem nightclub star flees to a Caribbean island resort to headline its revue, where she toys with the men around her while missionaries watch her every move and a jilted lover tracks her down.
Souls of SinSouls of Sin
Three roommates share a Harlem basement apartment: a small-time gambler, a hard-luck writer and a young blues singer from the South, whose fortunes split when the gambler takes a job fencing stolen jewelry.
Juke JointJuke Joint
Two broke con men pose as Hollywood acting coaches to win free room and board, then coach their landlady's daughter for a beauty contest, until her father plans a victory party at a rough juke joint.
BirthrightBirthright
A Black Harvard graduate returns to his small Tennessee hometown hoping to found a school, and runs into racism from white townspeople and distrust from his own community. The surviving print lacks its first two reels.
Veiled AristocratsVeiled Aristocrats
A light-skinned lawyer who has lived for years as a white man returns home and urges his sister to leave the man she loves and pass for white too. The surviving 44-minute portion of the film.