Abstract
This chapter discusses approaches to the co-construction of religion and race in Hollywood films focusing on the case of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's 1929 film Hallelujah. Directed by King Vidor, the film extended popular culture and literary traditions of naturalizing and sanctioning American racial hierarchies through the presentation of an aesthetic of primitive black religion. The chapter examines the production history and reception of the film with attention to discourses about race, religion, and representation, as well as about the relationship between African-American religious practices and civil rights more broadly.
Original language | English (US) |
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Title of host publication | Race, Nation, and Religion in the Americas |
Publisher | Oxford University Press |
ISBN (Print) | 019514919X, 9780195149180 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Apr 1 2005 |
Externally published | Yes |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- General Arts and Humanities
Keywords
- African American religion
- Blackness
- Hallelujah
- Hollywood film
- King Vidor
- Popular culture
- Race
- Religion
- Representation