Review of Judge Priest (1934) by Tristan G — 21 Apr 2009
Populist, but also racist and rife with reactionary pro-Confederate nostalgia. Having Hattie McDaniel and an all-Black choir in white dresses sing, "Massa Jesus Wrote Me a Note" with lyrics about being washed clean and white from black sin? Yowza, boss, as Stepin Fetchit says all too frequently.
There is a lot of wonderful comedy and music to be enjoyed in context here, even a call-and-response duet of sorts b/c McDaniel and Rogers that has both charm and interest. The outdoor scenes are somewhat distracting b/c of the poor depth of field, but there is fine storytelling evident throughout.
This review of Judge Priest (1934) was written by Tristan G on 21 Apr 2009.
Judge Priest has generally received mixed reviews.
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