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Amazon.com Made in 1929 Hallelujah is an artifact of no small historical significance: the first major studio movie with an all-black cast and a white director (the esteemed King Vidor) it was also one of the earliest talkies after the silent film era. But it also has considerable artistic merit; simply put Hallelujah is damned entertaining. Sure the story isn t exactly subtle a morality tale chronicling the tribulations of Zeke (Daniel L. Haynes) a poor cotton farmer who succumbing to the carnal charms of the sexy Chick (Nina Mae McKinney who was sometimes known as the black Garbo ) finds himself caught up in a soul-scarring cycle of sin and salvation. There s also some painful dialogue of the Where is you gwine? and Honey I likes anything you s got! variety. But the major themes presented here--temptation and transgression redemption and repentance--are pure and universal the dancing and singing (including two songs by Irving Berlin) are marvelous and there are several scenes of extr