Kenneth Macpherson

Borderline

Borderline

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. Borderline, the sole feature of British film theorist Kenneth Macpherson, boldly blends Eisensteinian montage and domestic melodrama, and features Robeson and his wife, Eslanda, as lovers caught up in a tangled web of interracial affairs.

Film Info

  • United States
  • 1930
  • 65 minutes
  • Black & White
  • 1.33:1
  • English

Special Features

  • 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)

Available In

Collector's Set

Paul Robeson: Portraits of the Artist

Paul Robeson: Portraits of the Artist

DVD Box Set

4 Discs

$79.96

Special Features

  • 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)
Borderline
Cast
Paul Robeson
Pete
Eslanda Robeson
Adah
Helga Doorn (HD)
Astrid
Gavin Arthur
Thorne
Charlotte Arthur
The barmaid
Blanche Lewin
The old lady
Credits
Director
Kenneth Macpherson
Screenplay
Kenneth Macpherson

Current

A “Race Film” Revival in Philadelphia

Repertory Picks

A “Race Film” Revival in Philadelphia

Next week, the International House Philadelphia will screen the 1930 Paul Robeson vehicle Borderline as part of its ongoing series exploring “race films.”