Body and soul is a 1925 race film produced, written, directed, and distributed by oscar micheaux and starring paul robeson in his motion picture debut. In this good versus bad twin melodrama, robeson plays both an escaped convict posing as a minister, and the convicts honest, yet penniless brother. An escaped prisoner seeks refuge in the predominantly africanamerican town of tatesville, georgia, by passing. The film follows the exploits of an escaped prisoner. The language, used in intertitle since the film is silent, is funny at times, with an ounce of fantasy, though, you make it through easily. Robeson plays twin brothers, one a badly behaved minister and the other an. Body and soul 1925 was written, produced and directed by oscar micheaux and stars paul robeson in his first film role. Kattints a fenti letoltes gombra a body and soul 1925 film letoltesehez. Many of the obvious flaws in the film were due to oscar micheauxs difficulties in. Written and directed by independent auteur oscar micheaux, the lowbudget silent film body and soul is significant as the film debut of actor paul robeson. He consorts with, and later extorts from, the owner of a gambling house, and betrays an honest girl, eventually driving them both to ruin.
A stepping stone for robeson from the theater to the movies, it is treated as a footnote in the career of this prominent african american star and was even disavowed by robeson himself. Oct 14, 2019 body and soul 1925 was written, produced and directed by oscar micheaux and stars paul robeson in his first film role. The surviving copy of body and soul is based on this edited version. Body and soul by oscar micheaux, 1925 new original score. Oscar micheauxs body and soul and the burden of representation. Oscar micheauxs masterwork body and soul with new chicago. Micheauxs body and soul doubtless was also about money because he had to pay bills too, but its obvious he was into his craft. One of the revelations of this 1924 feature by pioneer black filmmaker oscar micheaux is that, in contrast to the faltering technique and garbled film syntax of his. Body and soul, directed by the legendary africanamerican filmmaker oscar micheaux, is a direct critique of the power of the cloth, casting paul robeson in dual roles as a jackleg preacher and a wellmeaning inventor. Jan 28, 2014 but micheaux did something different by taking the universal language of music and allowing it to be projected it in a dialect that was specific to the audience that he meant to target, which allowed body and soul to be more than a film about black people, but a film for them as well.
Bfi southbank, london 5 december 2016 we were at bfi southbank for something a bit special tonight, the world premier of a new soundtrack for the film body and soul dir. Clearly micheaux has a lot of feelings about priests as authority. This essay explores oscar micheauxs silent drama body and soul 1925 and. The san francisco silent film festival is a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the public about. Paul robeson made his film debut in micheauxs silent drama, uniting two titans of early black cinema. Jun, 2007 body and soul 1925, on the other hand, is available in a stunning restoration from the george eastman house. Robeson is quite a presence on screen, but mercedes gilbert always held my focus in her scenes just something about her acting style, her naturalness. While robeson gives a vibrant, naturalistic performance, body and soul is perhaps best understood as a work by oscar micheaux, the most prolific and enduring director of race movies. Oscar micheauxs body and soul and the burden of representation by pearl bowser and louise spence this essay explores oscar micheauxs silent drama body and soul 1925 and some of the critical discourses of the period. 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 wellmeaning inventor.
The soundtrack for body and soul featured jazz music and compositions that resembled the music that can be heard in a church setting. Body and soul is of much greater historical and cultural significance than of dramatic import. Paul robeson, in his movie debut, has a dual role, with the first one being reverend isaiah jenkins, a preacher somewhere in smalltown georgia. The reverend is a phony, as a shot of a newspaper article at the opening informs us. One element that quickly stands out is the choice of music that was used in the film. Feb 04, 2008 in body and soul, robeson plays two characters. On u filmu tumaci dvostruku ulogu brace blizanaca, od kojih je jedan odbjegli kriminalac koji glumi svecenika, a drugi siromasan ali cestit. Micheaux was forced to reedit the film twice before the commission approved the film, which was reduced from nine to five reels. He plays an exconvict who has recast himself as the reverend isaiah t. A landmark film directed by oscar micheaux and starring paul robeson in his film debut. This film didnt need special effects to be appreciated or tell the.
Mar 12, 2004 body and soul by oscar micheaux, 1925 new original score by wycliffe gordon article by david adler, published on march 12, 2004 at all about jazz. Body and soul 1925, on the other hand, is available in a stunning restoration from the george eastman house. Body and soul 1925 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Apr 20, 2017 body and soul pioneering filmmaker oscar micheauxs 1925 film body and soul was one the first 12 films that he made, from his start as a director in 1919. The slang adds to the specific flavour of body and soul, to its humour.
He consorts with, and later extorts from, the owner of a gambling house, and betrays an honest girl, eventually driving. Watching these films, i have to wonder what he might have done with, say, a big budget and a lack of censors to deal with. Handsome, dynamic stage actor paul robeson appeared on the screen for the first time in body and soul, a 1925 silent film that showcased his versatility and charisma in a dual role. Also sign me up for fanmail to get updates on all things movies. Paul robeson singer, actor, activist, and allaround legend paul robeson makes his screen debut playing a double role for independent filmmaker oscar micheaux. Micheauxs signature pointed social commentary is on display in this rare surviving film from his silent career. The legendary paul robesonactor, singer, lawyer, and political activistmade a blistering screen debut in this silent masterpiece by the prolific independent black director oscar micheaux. In 2019, the film was selected by the library of congress for inclusion in the national film registry for being culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant. Mastered from 35mm film elements preserved by george eastman museum, which supervised the recreation of. He leads the largely africanamerican cast as the reverend isaiah t. Body and soul is a 1925 race film produced, written, directed, and distributed by oscar micheaux and starring paul. Silent movie mondays body and soul 1925 visit seattle. Body and soul, directed by the legendary africanamerican filmmaker oscar micheaux, is a direct critique of the power of the cloth, casting paul robeson in dual roles as a.
Body and soul is a story about the abuse of religious faith and how the veneration of minster over family can lead to tragedy. Winners best picture winners golden globes emmys san diego comiccon new york comiccon sundance film festival toronto intl film festival awards central festival central all events. Late in oscar micheauxs 1925 silent film classic body and soul, there is a scene in which paul robeson, playing an escaped convict posing. Tijelo i dusa je americki nijemi rasni film snimljen 1925. Jun 15, 2016 pittsburgh rapper jasiri x premieres an original live hiphop score for 1925 film body and soul it allowed me to touch on topics that i dont normally address. Body and soul pioneering filmmaker oscar micheauxs 1925 film body and soul was one the first 12 films that he made, from his start as a director in 1919. A megjeleno oldalon lepj tovabb, majd vard meg a 10 masodpercet az oldalon, es a letoltes automatikusan elindul. A minister is malevolent and sinister behind his righteous facade. The film was not any too pleasing to those of us who desire the better side of. Body and soul 1925 not rated 1h 42min drama 9 november 1925 usa a minister is malevolent and sinister behind his righteous facade. Enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing body and soul 1925 near you.
Were that possible, then we would certainly see a completely different movie. Robeson plays twin brothers, one a badly behaved minister and the other an ordinary working man, both vying for the affection of a young woman who is trying to abide by the misguided wishes of her devout mother. On u filmu tumaci dvostruku ulogu brace blizanaca, od kojih je jedan odbjegli kriminalac koji glumi svecenika, a drugi siromasan ali. Body and soul by oscar micheaux, 1925 new original score by. It also addresses the politics of racial identity and the quest for racial unity in a period when the class structure within the. We begin the road to 200 with a stop at 1925 with our namesake writer director producer distributor oscar micheaux and his poignant drama body and soul that gave us the film debut of paul robeson. Body and soul 1925, the bestknown silent film of pioneer black filmmaker oscar micheaux, offered paul robeson, the great singeractorathlete, his first opportunity in films. Pittsburgh rapper jasiri x premieres an original live hiphop score for 1925 film body and soul it allowed me to touch on topics that i dont normally address. Robeson has a dual role, playing both an escaped convict who presents himself as a minister, and the convicts upstanding brother. Micheauxs director cut is considered a lost film 4 years 7 months ago. An escaped prisoner seeks refuge in the predominantly africanamerican town of tatesville, georgia, by passing himself off as the rt. Mastered from 35mm film elements preserved by george eastman museum, which supervised the recreation. Feb 03, 2020 body and soul 1925 tcm ran a night of movies back in january highlighting some added in the most recent round of the library of congress national film registry. Yet, body and soul is the only film he made with an african american director, a relatively unacknowledged fact.
The 1925 oscar micheaux film body and soul was among the selections that tcm ran, so i recorded it to do a post on here. Like don byron, trombonist wycliffe gordon is shedding light on the lost art of live silent film accompaniment. A story of the ku klux klan, but it is fascinating to watch how film makers were forced to mask their criticisms of society in the early 20th century. Body and soul is a 1925 race film produced, written, directed, and distributed by oscar micheaux and starring paul robeson in his. Robeson has a dual role, playing both an escaped convict who presents himself as a. When the filmmaker applied for an exhibition license from the motion picture commission of the state of new york, it was denied approval on the grounds it would tend to incite to crime and was immoral and sacrilegious. He is obviously an incredibly important film maker who has not gotten his due for the unfortunately obvious reason of his race.
With paul robeson, mercedes gilbert, julia theresa russell. Body and soul is such a good film really enjoyed each unique performance. As an example of very early africanamerican filmmaking and of one kind of race picture created solely for the africanamerican audience, and as the cinematic debut of the powerful american actor and singer paul robeson, body is invaluable for those with an interest in the cinemas background and. Overview of body and soul, 1925, directed by oscar micheaux, with paul robeson, marshall rodgers, lawrence chenault, at turner classic movies. It emanated the typical and cynical parody of life which has manifested throughout generations. Pittsburgh rapper jasiri x premieres an original live hip. Oscar micheaux, 1925 composed by rising star on the uk jazz scene peter edwards.
Though seemingly a pillar of tatesville, georgia, the right reverend jenkins is actually an amoral con artist hiding out from the law. This is a chilling scene about a mothers convictions that made her blind to the abuse her daughter suffered at the hands of her preacher. Mainstream avenues were limited, however, and his first films were made on the peripheries of the film business. Armoreska the original version of body and soul was a ninereel production. On october 2 the university of chicago film studies center will welcome the. The copy of body and soul available today has the jazz film score by wycliffe gordon added to it in 2000. Starring paul robeson, marshall rogers, lawrence chenault, julia theresa russell, mercedes gilbert. Body and soul is a masterpiece of the silent screen era, written, directed, and produced by prolific director oscar micheaux. However, his trusting congregation doesnt known that, and they blindly follow his every word.
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