A melodrama involving a con man who (somehow) has assumed the role of a preacher (Paul Robeson), and along with an ex-cellmate, sets out to bilk the townspeople out of their money. He's also got his eye on a young woman (Julia Theresa Russell) who just so happens to prefer his kinder twin brother. Robeson turns in a reasonably strong performance in the dual role, even if the character of his twin is somewhat ridiculous. Russell is reasonably good too, and the rape scene told in flashback evokes horror and is well done, probably the film's best.
Overall the film suffers from a weak script, complete with an enormous "it was just a dream" cliché. Accounts vary as to whether the unsatisfying conclusion was due to the considerable problems Micheaux had getting it approved, which unfortunately resulted in a significant hack job. As it is though, it suffers from sloppy editing, has dangling plot points (like the ex-cellmate), and drags on for longer than it should have.
Looking at the film through the lens of today can also be troubling, because the dialogue the characters use is what we think of as stereotypical. As with other films from Micheaux, he unapologetically criticizes the African-American community. Later he would say this:
"I have always tried to make my photoplays present the truth, to lay before the Race a cross-section of its own life, to view the colored heart from close range. My results might have been narrow at times, due perhaps to certain limited situations which I endeavored to portray, but in those limited situations the Truth was the predominant characteristic. It is only by presenting those portions of the Race portrayed in my pictures in the light and background of their true state that we can raise our people to greater heights. I am too much imbued with the spirit of Booker T. Washington to ingraft false virtues upon ourselves, to make ourselves that which we are not. Nothing could be a greater blow to our own progress. The recognition of our true situation will react in itself as a stimulus for self-advancement."
Thus, we have this dialogue, and we have the church congregation falling for the lengthy sermons of a low-life who drinks alcohol out of what looks like a water glass while preaching. Micheaux and other black leaders like W.E.B. DuBois saw religion critically, and as something holding back African-American progress. That's something we also see in the film 'Within Our Gates.' The portrait of ignorance is not flattering, and some black filmgoers were not amused. One at the time likened it to D.W. Griffith's 'Birth of a Nation,' saying "One would expect a white screenwriter to fan the flames of hatred. But what can we say when a black man portrays our people in the same manner?" The white censors were also displeased, seeing in the evil traits of a minister, even a false one, as "sacrilegious, immoral, and would tend to incite to crime."
There is thus a brave honesty here, at least until that ending sequence, and for that I admire Micheaux. He also shows the vulnerability of women in the rape (although it's not the case that she's not believed - in fact it's the opposite, her mother and the congregation believe her and attack the culprit). While rough around the edges, there's a certain power in being a film from a legendary African-American director and featuring the debut of a star, Robeson, who was incredibly multi-faceted and should be better known. Both have done better work, but I'm glad I saw this one, and it's worth checking out.
