Heaven-Bound Traveler

"Heaven-Bound Traveler" is a film by Eloyce and James Gist. I have no idea where this and the other Gist films were intended to be shown--perhaps in theaters but more likely at churches and tent meetings. This is because the films have almost no budget and are silents and lack the usual look of the more professionally made black movies of the day. Regardless, they have somehow been preserved and give us an interesting look at the times and the people portrayed in the film.

The film begins with a woman deciding to become a Christian. Her husband is angry about this (who knows why) and this causes strife in their marriage. Soon, he accuses her of adultery and throws her out as well as their child. Over time, she remains true to her faith. Eventually, the man sees the error of his ways and repents...and what follows are some folks dressed up as angels and demons....and looks like portions of "Verdict Not Guilty" were used as well.

This is all very strange and cheap and weird. The film is low-budgeted and cheap but also has a certain weird charm as well. Certainly worth watching...but not a film most people would enjoy but more of an important historical record of black America and religion in the 1930s.

Heaven-Bound Traveler (1935)

** (out of 4)

The third and final film from James and Eloyce Gist is about a woman and her young daughter who are thrown out of their home after she's falsely accused of being a cheater. HEAVEN-BOUND TRAVELER was another film from the Gist's that was made so that they could show it during their days of traveling to black churches to try and teach people about right and wrong. HELLBOUND TRAIN was one of the worst films I had ever seen and VERDICT NOT GUILTY wasn't much better. This one here actually tells a coherent story, which makes it better than the previous two films and I think the message here comes across a lot better than the earlier films as well. There are still all sorts of problems with this movie but these technical issues are to be expected for this type of film and the fact that I doubt the budget was over $500. The scenes dealing with the winged angel and pitchfork carrying Devil are more humorous than anything else but for the most part this race film is worth watching.