The Blood of Jesus

The film and video distribution company Kino Lorber has worked for years on a DVD boxset of early African-American films that were all made regionally. The boxset has finally seen the light of day and this month, the Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque will screen DCP versions of some of the best titles. At 5 p.m. today, it screens one of the most successful “race” films of all time, The Blood of Jesus. Set in a rural village, the film focuses on an angel of God and an agent of Satan as they fight over a woman's soul. It's preceded by Hell-Bound Train, a 1930 silent (with music track) by James and Eloyce Gist, husband and wife evangelicals who used the movie to supplement their sermons. Tickets are $10, $7 for Cinematheque members and students. (Niesel)