Hell-Bound Train
A jeremiad against intemperance, jazz music, and abortion, set on a train filled with unrepentant sinners hurtling toward damnation.
From the archive
I've been researching newly public domain films from 1929 and earlier, as well as getting a head start on some 1930 films, so I'm uploading the best possible copies that I can find. This religious film is notable for the way that they presented religion with a dramatic flair for black audiences across America. It was co-created by husband and wife filmmakers James and Eloyce Gist, and is therefore one of the few surviving silent films by an African-American woman. While it is a proselytizing picture, the imagery should prove interesting even to those without a religious background.
Why this is free to watch
Hell-Bound Train (1930) is hosted by the Internet Archive as a public-domain or openly licensed work, which means its copyright has expired, lapsed, or was released by the rights holder. The uploader declared an explicit licence, linked in the source panel. Nitrate streams the file directly from the Internet Archive and hosts no video itself.
- Director
- James Gist
Player shortcuts
- Space Play / pause
- ← → Skip 10s
- ↑ ↓ Volume
- M Mute
- F Fullscreen
- 0–9 Jump to %
