Synopsis
Seeking out new avenues for his artistry, Paul Robeson moved his family to London in 1928. During the next twelve years, he headlined six British films, pioneering uncharted territory for black actors and reaching a level of prominence unthinkable in Hollywood. Robeson’s first British production, Zoltán Korda’s Sanders of the River, however, ended up being an embarrassment for the actor, its story of an African tribal leader transformed into a celebration of the British Empire. As a result, Robeson sought more artistic control, eventually achieving it with Jericho, which features Robeson in what turned out to be his most satisfying film role, as a World War I officer who escapes his fate as a black man by fleeing to Africa and creating a new world for himself.
Cast
| "Jericho" Jackson | Paul Robeson |
| Captain Mack | Henry Wilcoxon |
| Mike Clancy | Wallace Ford |
| Gara | Princess Kouka |
| Hassan | John Laurie |
| Major Barnes | James Carew |
| Private Face | Lawrence Brown |
| Sergeant Gamey | Rufus Fennell |
Credits
| Director | Thornton Freeland |
| Producer | Walter Futter |
| Adaptation by | Robert N. Lee and Peter Ruric |
| Original story | Walter Futter |
| Scenario | George Barraud |
| Cinematography | John W. Boyle |
| Art direction | Edward Carrick |
| Sound | A.S. Ross |
| Editing | E.B. Jarvis |
| Assistant director | Donald Wilson |
| Songs | Michael Carr and Jimmy Kennedy |
| Musical direction | Van Phillips |
Disc Features
FEATURED ON THE DISC PAUL ROBESON: PIONEER WITH THE FEATURE SANDERS OF THE RIVER
- New, digital transfers created from the best surviving elements
- True Pioneer: The British Films of Paul Robeson, a new video program featuring interviews with Paul Robeson Jr. and film historians Stephen Bourne and Ian Christie, and including film clips from Song of Freedom (1936), King Solomon’s Mines (1937), and Big Fella (1937)
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
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