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Commandment Keeper Church, Beaufort South Carolina, May 1940

1940 · Movie · 42 min · ★ 6.5

Documentary

This footage, shot by author Zora Neale Hurston in the Sea Island community of Beaufort, South Carolina, observes the religious practices of the Gullah people. The footage is accompanied here by field audio recordings by Norman Chalfin, who wrote of the endeavor, "There was no electric power . . . Illumination was from kerosene lamps." Because there was no electricity, they could not effectively synchronize sound and image. In 2006, the footage was selected for the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress.

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Streaming on The Criterion Channel.

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Details
Years
1940
Release date
1940-03-24
Language
English
Runtime
42 min
TMDB rating
6.5/10 (11 votes)

Themes

  • woman director

Cast & crew

Directed by Zora Neale Hurston