7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Death, Film Noir, and Black Cinema, December 8, 2000
This review is from: Go Down Death [VHS] (VHS Tape)
I am a researcher and educator in the area of death and dying. In looking for visual materials to use in presentations and classrooms, I went searching for any versions of James Weldon Johnson's poem, Go Down Death. I came upon this video and added it to my collection. I have not yet found it to be useful for my purposes, however, I did find it a fascinating cultural artifact and do not regret the purchase. It probably would be of interest to those studying the history of black film and film-making.
"Go Down Death" as a black film is indeed, if you pardon the pun, an example of "film-noir" in which a larger narrative of malevolence is built around the death of Sister Caroline from the original Johnson poem. I believe it is Spencer Williams (the director), himself, who plays the sleazy, cynical character perpetrating a crime that ultimately calls "down death".
Williams directed several serious and comedic films in the 1930's and 40's of which this film is included. He is probably best known as "Andy" from "Amos and Andy."
Because of the age of the film as well as what I imagine was poor quality from low-budgeting in the first place, it is a very choppy film, difficult to understand in places.
While it lacks contemporary entertainment value (I would rate it 0 to 1 stars for that), all in all it has it's place in history and may be well worth the purchase for the collector or film scholar, (earning it 3 stars).
For those interested in other videos based on the works of James Weldon Johnson, I highly recommend an amazon.com search for the video "God's Trombones."
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