Synopsis
Although the 1920s brought him acclaim as a stage actor and singer, Paul Robeson still had to prove himself as a viable screen performer. Mainstream avenues were limited, however, and his first films were made on the peripheries of the film business. Body and Soul, directed by the legendary African American filmmaker Oscar Micheaux, is a direct critique of the power of the cloth, casting Robeson in dual roles as a jackleg preacher and a well-meaning inventor.
Cast
| Reverend Jenkins/Sylvester | Paul Robeson |
| Sister Martha | Mercedes Gilbert |
| Isabelle | Julia Theresa Russell |
| Yellow "Curley" Hinds | Lawrence Chenault |
| Negro in business | Marshall Rodgers |
| Brother Amos, church elder | Walter Cornick |
| Deacon Simpkins | Chester A. Alexander |
| Sis' Ca'line | Lillian Johnson |
| Sis' Lucy | Madame Robinson |
Credits
| Director | Oscar Micheaux |
| Directed, written, and produced by | Oscar Micheaux |
Disc Features
FEATURED ON THE DISC PAUL ROBESON: OUTSIDER WITH THE FEATURE BORDERLINE
- New, digital transfers of Body and Soul and Borderline created from the best surviving elements
- Audio commentary for Body and Soul by Oscar Micheaux historian Pearl Bowser
- Musical scores by jazz recording artists and composers Wycliffe Gordon (Body and Soul) and Courtney Pine (Borderline)
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
From the Current
Another Oscar
Feb 5, 2009“Around the time that the KKK rode to victory in The Birth of a Nation (1915), Al Jolson applied burned cork to his face in The Jazz Singer (1927), and scores of African-American actors bowed, scraped, shucked, and jived in Hollywood productions, an alternative cinema was thriving . . .
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