Go Down Death
Encyclopedia
Go Down, Death! is a 1944
race film directed by and starring Spencer Williams
. The film’s title derives from a poem by the African American
writer James Weldon Johnson
.
community where the criminal boss Big Jim Bottoms (Spencer Williams) runs a successful juke joint. The arrival of a new preacher (Samuel H. James) to the town results in many of Big Jim’s customers leaving the juke joint in favor of attending church. Big Jim arranges for the preacher to be photographed in compromising situations with three attractive women. Aunt Caroline, Big Jim’s adoptive mother, becomes aware of the scheme and tries to prevent Big Jim from carrying out his blackmail scheme. There is a physical struggle between Aunt Caroline and Big Jim, resulting in Aunt Caroline collapsing after being struck. Aunt Caroline dies from her injuries, but Big Jim escapes arrest. But following Aunt Caroline’s funeral, Big Jim’s conscience haunts him with visions of eternal damnation in Hell
. His body is later discovered in a canyon and the photographs of the preacher are nowhere to be found.
(1941) and the now-lost Brother Martin: Servant of Jesus
(1942). Publicity material for the production listed the film’s original title as Go Down, Death! The Story of Jesus and the Devil.
To depict the horrors of Hell, Williams used clips from silent fantasy productions created by the pioneering French
filmmaker Georges Méliès
.
In the course of its distribution, Go Down Death ran into several censorship problems. The state censors for Ohio
and Maryland
demands that edits to the Hell sequence, a brief exposure of a woman’s bare breast, and the action of a woman pulling up her dress. Ohio censors also requested removal of an image from the Hell sequence where a devil is seen chewing a man.
1944 in film
The year 1944 in film involved some significant events, including the wholesome, award-winning Going My Way plus popular murder mysteries such as Double Indemnity, Gaslight and Laura.-Events:*July 20 - Since You Went Away is released....
race film directed by and starring Spencer Williams
Spencer Williams (actor)
Spencer Williams was an African American actor and filmmaker. He was best known for playing Andy in the Amos 'n Andy television show and for the directing the 1941 race film The Blood of Jesus. Williams was a pioneer African-American film producer and director.-Early career:Williams...
. The film’s title derives from a poem by the African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
writer James Weldon Johnson
James Weldon Johnson
James Weldon Johnson was an American author, politician, diplomat, critic, journalist, poet, anthologist, educator, lawyer, songwriter, and early civil rights activist. Johnson is remembered best for his leadership within the NAACP, as well as for his writing, which includes novels, poems, and...
.
Plot
Go Down Death takes place in an African AmericanAfrican American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
community where the criminal boss Big Jim Bottoms (Spencer Williams) runs a successful juke joint. The arrival of a new preacher (Samuel H. James) to the town results in many of Big Jim’s customers leaving the juke joint in favor of attending church. Big Jim arranges for the preacher to be photographed in compromising situations with three attractive women. Aunt Caroline, Big Jim’s adoptive mother, becomes aware of the scheme and tries to prevent Big Jim from carrying out his blackmail scheme. There is a physical struggle between Aunt Caroline and Big Jim, resulting in Aunt Caroline collapsing after being struck. Aunt Caroline dies from her injuries, but Big Jim escapes arrest. But following Aunt Caroline’s funeral, Big Jim’s conscience haunts him with visions of eternal damnation in Hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
. His body is later discovered in a canyon and the photographs of the preacher are nowhere to be found.
Production
Go Down Death was the third in a trilogy of religious oriented films directed by Spencer Williams, an African American filmmaker, for the production and distribution company. He previously directed The Blood of JesusThe Blood of Jesus
The Blood of Jesus is a 1941 American race film written, directed, and starring Spencer Williams. It was also released under the alternate title of The Glory Road.-Plot:...
(1941) and the now-lost Brother Martin: Servant of Jesus
Brother Martin: Servant of Jesus
Brother Martin: Servant of Jesus is a race film directed and written by Spencer Williams. The film featured an all-black cast and was produced exclusively for exhibition in U.S. cinemas serving African American communities...
(1942). Publicity material for the production listed the film’s original title as Go Down, Death! The Story of Jesus and the Devil.
To depict the horrors of Hell, Williams used clips from silent fantasy productions created by the pioneering French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
filmmaker Georges Méliès
Georges Méliès
Georges Méliès , full name Marie-Georges-Jean Méliès, was a French filmmaker famous for leading many technical and narrative developments in the earliest cinema. He was very innovative in the use of special effects...
.
In the course of its distribution, Go Down Death ran into several censorship problems. The state censors for Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
and Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
demands that edits to the Hell sequence, a brief exposure of a woman’s bare breast, and the action of a woman pulling up her dress. Ohio censors also requested removal of an image from the Hell sequence where a devil is seen chewing a man.