Review of Hallelujah (1929) by Johnny B — 28 Jul 2007

While not as stylistically beautiful as "the crowd" or "the big parade", king vidor's first attempt at sound is a progressive and historically important piece of work. continuing his ongoing theme of characters striving to live far beyond their means, vidor takes a (1920's) risk by enlisting an all-black cast to tell an "all-black" story for the first time in major studio history.

compelling not only for this aspect, but also for the warmth, yearning and overall humanity that shines from the characters. much like other vidor films, the drama is heavy and continuous, but an ultimately optimistic story survives to be told.