Hellbound Train
Ticket Details
Lecture Hall
(USA/1930—directed by James Gist and Eloyce Gist)
Eloyce Gist studied piano at Howard University during the late 1920s where she met and married James Gist, a devout Christian evangelist. Hellbound Train was made as part of their mission to spread messages of morality and personal responsibility to Black communities, and was presented at churches, schools, and tent revival meetings throughout the South.
Shot on 16mm film with an all-Black cast, the train ride is conducted by Satan who entices passengers with jazz music, gambling, and adultery. Each car of the train presents these seductive sins using surreal imagery, enhanced in their public screenings by live narration and a piano score performed by Eloyce. (60 min.)
This program is part of a companion series of film and music events presented in celebration of Regeneration: Black Cinema, 1898–1971, on view at the Detroit Institute of Arts Feb. 4–June 23, 2024. Regeneration is organized by the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.
Hellbound Train
Ticket Details
Lecture Hall
Related Exhibition
Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898 – 1971
February 4 - June 23, 2024
Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898 – 1971 honors the legacy of African American filmmakers and actors from the dawn of cinema, through the golden age, and into the aftermath of the Civil Rights Movement. Inspired by and named after an independent 1923 all-Black-cast movie, Regeneration seeks to revive lost or forgotten films, filmmakers, and performers for a contemporary audience.
Become a Member
Immerse yourself in unique history and culture and enjoy greater access, exclusive events, and more