The Emperor Jones
Of all Paul Robeson's eleven starring film performances, by far his most iconic was his breakthrough in the big-screen adaptation of Eugene O'Neill's The Emperor Jones (1933). He was already a legend for his stage incarnation of Brutus Jones, a Pullman porter who powers his way to the rule of a Caribbean island, but with this, his first sound-era film role, his regal image was married to his booming voice for eternity. With The Emperor Jones, Robeson became the first African-American leading man in mainstream movies and, he said, gained a deeper understanding of cinema's potential to change racial misconceptions. Previously censored, The Emperor Jones is presented here in its most complete form.
Special Features
- New digital transfer of The Emperor Jones, created from the best surviving elements
- Audio commentary for The Emperor Jones by historian Jeffrey C. Stewart
- Our Paul: Remembering Paul Robeson, a new video program including interviews with filmmaker William Greaves and actors Ruby Dee and James Earl Jones
- Robeson on Robeson, a new interview with Paul Robeson Jr. about his father's career and art
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Available In
Collector's Set
Special Features
- New digital transfer of The Emperor Jones, created from the best surviving elements
- Audio commentary for The Emperor Jones by historian Jeffrey C. Stewart
- Our Paul: Remembering Paul Robeson, a new video program including interviews with filmmaker William Greaves and actors Ruby Dee and James Earl Jones
- Robeson on Robeson, a new interview with Paul Robeson Jr. about his father's career and art
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Cast
- Paul Robeson
- Brutus Jones
- Dudley Digges
- Smithers
- Frank Wilson
- Jeff
- Fredi Washington
- Undine
- Ruby Elzy
- Dolly
- George Stamper
- Lem, the ruler
- Blueboy O'Connor
- Treasurer
- Rex Ingram
- Court crier
- Jackie "Moms" Mabley
- Marcella
Credits
- Director
- Dudley Murphy
- Based on the play by
- Eugene O'Neill
- Screenplay
- DuBose Heyward
- Script supervisor
- William C. De Mille
- Cinematography
- Ernest Haller
- Art direction
- Herman Rosse
- Sound
- Joseph Kane
- Production manager
- J. Edward Shugrue
- Music
- Frank Tours
- Vocal arrangements
- J. Rosamond Johnson
- Editing
- Grant Whytock
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