Oscar Micheaux

Body and Soul

Body and Soul

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.

Film Info

  • United States
  • 1925
  • 79 minutes
  • Black & White
  • 1.33:1
  • English
  • Spine #371

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)
Body and Soul
Cast
Paul Robeson
Reverend Jenkins/Sylvester
Mercedes Gilbert
Sister Martha
Julia Theresa Russell
Isabelle
Lawrence Chenault
Yellow "Curley" Hinds
Marshall Rodgers
Negro in business
Walter Cornick
Brother Amos, church elder
Chester A. Alexander
Deacon Simpkins
Lillian Johnson
Sis' Ca'line
Madame Robinson
Sis' Lucy
Credits
Director
Oscar Micheaux
Directed, written, and produced by
Oscar Micheaux

Current

A. V. Rockwell’s Top 10
A. V. Rockwell’s Top 10

The winner of the Grand Jury Prize at this year’s Sundance Film Festival throws the spotlight on filmmakers who have paved the way for the kind of stories she strives to tell.