Cheap Hallelujah! (Video) (Daniel L. Haynes, Nina Mae McKinney) (King Vidor) Price

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Customer Reviews of Hallelujah!

Nina Mae McKinney Is The Best! Lena and Dorothy-Forget It
For awhile I heard of Nina Mae McKinney, I read she was married to the same man Billie Holiday would marry. Not much is said, but when you see this film you'll fall in love with her and wonder how come she's forgotten. Nina Mae McKinney was the first black beauty on the screen, she was a raw beauty, down-to-earth beauty. After one big movie, Nina Mae McKinney starred in movies as a maid, another film I suggest is a film short "Pie Pie Blackbird". Nina Mae deserved more then what she got from MGM. MGM could of made her into what Joan Crawford, Norma Shearer, and Greta Garbo was to whites. Even though she was a hell of a performer, she had a little bad attitude which cost her a lot of work. But a lot her films are around, they may be hard to find, but their around. I hate how people she paved the path for Lena Horne and Dorothy Dandridge, she may have, but people often say Nina Mae was their role model, not really. If you ask me I think Nina Mae McKinney was better then all of them but she wouldn't kiss the white man's [bottom]. This movie is the ultimate black movie, telling about black southern life.

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Truly Glorious!
I saw "Hallelujah" on cable television one night, and I had to buy the video because it really touched me. I learned that it was the first all-black sound movie, and I must say it was a classic. This was such an achievement for 1929, and I must say I immediately became a fan of the beautiful Nina Mae McKinney who played the young temptress Chick in the movie. This movie was enlightening because the characters, action and everything that took place reminded me so much of today's time, especially the character Chick as a temptress, the African-American church with its unique praise and the importance of dance and song. I loved the moral of the story, it was one of redemption and forgiveness. This is a powerful film and it will always remain a historical classic. "Hallelujah" gave the young Nina Mae McKinney her start, and she later inspired other African-American beauties like Dorothy Dandridge and Lena Horne to let their stars shines. Truly she was before her time, but she helped blaze the trail for others to follow, and gave so much light from her star in this film. This movie is unforgettable and truly a classic! God is Love!

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a magnificent milestone
The first all-African American feature film ever made, "Hallelujah !" was also King Vidor's first "talkie", and one that he was willing to forfeit his salary for in order to make.
Those who might be troubled by "racial stereotypes" are failing to see the exquisite beauty of this film, and its place in cultural history; it is an astounding film for all Americans, especially those of African descent, to watch and be proud of.
A melodramatic morality tale, it is about a naive cotton farmer who falls into the net of a pretty but corrupt girl, and his rocky road from sin to redemption.
It also shows the hardship of the life of a sharecropper; the wrenching poverty and backbreaking labor, as well as the faith to survive it all.

Daniel L. Haynes is extraordinary as Zeke. Had he been born 50 years later, he would no doubt have been a major world superstar. Incredibly handsome and charismatic, he was also blessed with a marvelous voice, and great acting ability. Thank goodness this film exists, as a remembrance of his enormous talent.
The other members of the cast are also excellent, with Nina Mae McKinney as the seductive Chick and Fanny Belle DeKnight, as Mammy Johnson, Zeke's mother who never gives up hope for her wayward son. The scene where Mammy holds the children in her arms and sings a lullaby is one that moves me to tears; this is a film that expresses much love, and the best of human characteristics.

The music is glorious, combining spirituals like "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child" with songs like Irving Berlin's "Waiting at the End of the Road", and there are also some superb dance numbers. I was particularly delighted by the short but well executed sand soft shoe in the bar scene, a style that started in the early 1910s during the minstrel shows. Tap dancing has its roots in slavery, and the history of this unique American art form is fascinating; anyone interested in the evolution of American dance will love this film.
The b&w cinematography by Gordon Avil is crisp and uses stark contrasts, and for the most part, there is little evidence of its age. Coming from the same era, and with similar themes of good and evil, this film shares a kinship with the DuBose Heyward and Gershwin versions of "Porgy and Bess". Total running time is 1 hour and 40 minutes.