The Blood of Jesus

The Blood of Jesus (1941) is a classic example of the "race film" genre of films by African-American directors and casts, geared exclusively for an African-American audience. This film, written and directed by Spencer Williams of Amos and Andy Show fame, is a morality tale about a woman (Cathryn Caviness) who is accidentally shot to death by her husband. Facing death, she must choose between Hell, represented as urban life, and Zion, represented as pastoral America, and between Satan and God. The climax comes when she makes her decision at the foot of the cross and wakes up to singing of her church choir. Intended to promote a Black Southern Baptist ideal of a virtuous rural life, the film was a major success and the most popular hit in its genre.

The film has also been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.