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Paul Robeson: Portraits of an Artist

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All-American athlete, scholar, renowned baritone, stage actor, and social activist, Paul Robeson (1898-1976) was a towering figure and a trailblazer many times over. He was perhaps most groundbreaking, however, in the medium of film. The son of an escaped slave, Robeson managed to become a top-billed movie star during the time of Jim Crow America, headlining everything from fellow pioneer Oscar Micheaux's silent drama Body and Soul to British studio showcases to socially engaged documentaries, always striving to project positive images of black characters. Increasingly politically minded, Robeson eventually left movies behind, using his international celebrity to speak for those denied their civil liberties around the world and ultimately becoming a victim of ideological persecution himself. But his film legacy lives on and continues to speak eloquently of the long and difficult journey of a courageous and outspoken African American.

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Body and Soul

Borderline

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Though the 1920s brought him international acclaim as a stage performer and singer, Paul Robeson still had to prove himself as a viable screen performer. Mainstream avenues were limited, however, and his first two films, both silent, were made in the peripheries of the film business. Body and Soul (1925), 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. Borderline (1930), the sole feature by British film theorist Kenneth Macpherson, boldly blends Eisensteinian montage and domestic melodrama, featuring Robeson and his wife, Eslanda, as lovers caught up in a tangled web of interracial affairs. With these first independent works, Robeson was able to reveal his stunning and expressive onscreen physical presence, opening doors in the film world that had never been approached by an African-American actor before.

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The Emperor Jones

Paul Robeson: Tribute to an Artist

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Paul Robeson appeared in eleven films during his seventeen-year movie career, but none was more iconic than his breakthrough role in the film version of Eugene O'Neill's The Emperor Jones. Following his legendary stage performance as Brutus Jones, a Pullman porter who powers his way to rule of a Caribbean island, Paul Robeson was cast in his first sound-era film role in director Dudley Murphy's adaptation--and thus was his regal image married to his booming voice for eternity. With The Emperor Jones, Robeson became the first African-American leading man in mainstream movies and, he later said, gained a deeper understanding of cinema's potential to change misconceptions of the black community. Previously censored, The Emperor Jones is presented here in its most complete form. Also included is Saul J. Turell's Academy Award-winning documentary short Paul Robeson: Tribute to an Artist, narrated by Sidney Poitier, which traces his career through his activism and his socially charged performances of his signature song, "Ol' Man River."

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The Proud Valley

Native Land

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By the start of World War II, Paul Robeson had given up his lucrative mainstream work to participate in more socially progressive film and stage productions. As David Goliath, in the British The Proud Valley (1940), Robeson is the quintessential "everyman," an American sailor who joins rank-and-file Welsh miners organizing against the powers that be. Concurrently, Robeson committed his support to Paul Strand and Leo Hurwitz's political semi-documentary Native Land (1942). With Robeson's narration and songs, this beautifully shot and edited film takes a critical look at American workers denied their civil liberties. Scarcely shown since its debut, Native Land represents Robeson's shift from narrative cinema to the leftist documentaries that would define the final chapter in his controversial film career.

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Sanders of the River

Jericho

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Seeking out new territory to explore his artistry, Paul Robeson moved his family to London in 1928. During the next twelve years, he headlined six films within the British film industry, pioneering new heights for black actors and reaching a level of prominence unattainable in Hollywood. Robeson's first British production, Zoltan Korda's Sanders of the River (1935), however, ended up being an embarrassment for the actor, with the studio ultimately turning the story of an African tribal leader into a celebration of the British Empire. As a result, Robeson sought more artistic control, eventually achieving it with Jericho (1938), which featured 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.

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Special Features

-All new, digital transfers created from the best surviving elements
-Audio commentaries by historians Jeffrey C. Stewart (The Emperor Jones) and Pearl Bowser (Body and Soul)
-Musical scores by Wycliffe Gordon (Body and Soul) and Courtney Pine (Borderline)
-1958 Pacifica Radio interview with Paul Robeson (Courtesy of Pacifica Radio Archives)
-Four new video programs featuring interviews with actors Ruby Dee and James Earl Jones, filmmaker William Greaves, cinematographer Tom Hurwitz, film historians Ian Christie and Stephen Bourne, and Paul Robeson Jr., and including film clips from Song of Freedom (1936), King Solomon’s Mines (1937), and Big Fella (1938)
-Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
-PLUS: A book featuring an excerpt from Paul Robeson’s Here I Stand, new essays by Clement Alexander Price, Hilton Als, Charles Burnett, Ian Christie, Deborah Willis, and Charles Musser, a reprinted article by Harlem Renaissance writer Geraldyn Dismond, and a note from Pete Seeger

Aren't some of the films in this set from Kino? They are releasing Cabiria too. Perhaps some sort of deal.

Kino had only released some of these on VHS, not quite sure which ones though.

This is something of a gutsy release for Criterion...after all, Robeson isn't remembered much nowadays except for old lefties and old civil rights activists.

Does anyone know if the documentary includes an excerpt of Old Man River from James Whale's Show Boat?

Tribe

Tribe wrote:This is something of a gutsy release for Criterion...after all, Robeson isn't remembered much nowadays except for old lefties and old civil rights activists.

I'll give you credit: you've managed to trivialize the significant artistic contribution of an extremely important and still powerful emblem of an American minority, dismiss the activities of a still active political movement, and condescend to citizens who put their lives on the line to improve the lives of fellow Americans as "old" (as in irrelevant). I think you've earned this month's honorary "mental giant" award.

nazarin wrote:

Tribe wrote:This is something of a gutsy release for Criterion...after all, Robeson isn't remembered much nowadays except for old lefties and old civil rights activists.

I'll give you credit: you've managed to trivialize the significant artistic contribution of an extremely important and still powerful emblem of an American minority, dismiss the activities of a still active political movement, and condescend to citizens who put their lives on the line to improve the lives of fellow Americans as "old" (as in irrelevant). I think you've earned this month's honorary "mental giant" award.

I didn't get the sense that Tribe was trivializing any of those things. Rather, I think he's claiming that Robeson is an artist who deserves to be remembered but is not. I think that's a fair point. I once taught O'Neill's The Emperor Jones to college students and showed part of the film version. As I was introducing it and emphasizing Robeson's importance, all I got was a bunch of blank stares.

At the same time, however, I've noticed the (very good) documentary Paul Robeson: HereI Stand on PBS and the Sundance Channel several times over the past couple of years. So it doesn't seem that Robeson has been entirely forgotten. (Let's hope he never will.)

tryavna wrote:I didn't get the sense that Tribe was trivializing any of those things.

Nice spin, doctor! However, in the context of his dismissive use of the adjective "old," "gutsy" can only mean "an economic gamble," not "courageous." Sorry, I don't buy it.

nazarin wrote:

tryavna wrote:I didn't get the sense that Tribe was trivializing any of those things.

Nice spin, doctor! However, in the context of his dismissive use of the adjective "old," "gutsy" can only mean "an economic gamble," not "courageous." Sorry, I don't buy it.

Well, that's fine, but I think you're taking the words Tribe used much more seriously than was intended. Tribe probably doesn't need me to defend that post, but my guess is that it was indeed admiration cloaked in sarcasm.

nazarin wrote:

Tribe wrote:This is something of a gutsy release for Criterion...after all, Robeson isn't remembered much nowadays except for old lefties and old civil rights activists.

I'll give you credit: you've managed to trivialize the significant artistic contribution of an extremely important and still powerful emblem of an American minority, dismiss the activities of a still active political movement, and condescend to citizens who put their lives on the line to improve the lives of fellow Americans as "old" (as in irrelevant). I think you've earned this month's honorary "mental giant" award.

He he he...using the race card, huh?

But still, as much as I admire Robeson for his work, both political and on the screen, the truth of the matter is that he is mostly forgotten by folks from this generation. The only one who equates "old" to "irrelevant" is you.

So fuck you.

Should I have sugar coated the original post? Sure, I could've, but I've never been one to be politically correct just for the sake of being politically correct.

Tribe

I'm inclined to think that Tribe may consider himself an "old leftie"; there's really no need to get defensive about it.

As for the sentiment itself, I disagree. I do think that Robeson's name isn't a household one, but I also think that the introduction of this boxset to the marketplace could easily change that. I'd always been of the opinion that Criterion catered to a very select market generally, but I've run into quite a few people who have been impressed with my modest collection of Criterions and they have almost always been most interested in talking about the lesser-known ones (I Am Curious and Il Posto spring to mind). And I can't begin to tell you how many times I've heard the company's name tossed around in film classes. Lots of people respect or admire the brand, and the fact that this is a box set (and one featuring eight films at that) will surely increase the likelihood that those people notice it. Maybe they'll come to this set cold, but I think the fact that this particular company is putting it out could definitely raise his profile (not to mention the number of hits to this page).

Tribe wrote:But still, as much as I admire Robeson for his work, both political and on the screen, the truth of the matter is that he is mostly forgotten by folks from this generation. The only one who equates "old" to "irrelevant" is you.

So fuck you.

I take full credit for claiming that one connotation of "old," is "irrelevant," that's true. But at least I don't presume to speak on behalf of "this generation," whatever one that is. Again, I applaud your keen intellectual acumen, largesse, and...what?...your GUTSY political incorrectness. Kiss kiss.

BTW, which "work" of Robeson's do you admire? In college academics? Sports? In film? In music? As a political leftist? For civil rights...?

In general Criterion tagets its releases to any number of different niche markets. I would guess that a substantial majority of films they've released would be totally unfamiliar to at least of 90% of people you could stop at random on the street, and even to the average DVD buying public. I can think of quite a few different kinds of audiences for the Robeson set. There have been a few CDs of his music that have sold well enough for me to have seen them in a number of different shops, along with his own book, Here I Stand, and the autoritative Duberman biography. I've also heard Paul Robeson, Jr. interviewed on NPR about his father a couple of different times in recent years, even though I don't listen to NPR that often.

Side note: Tribe does know how to be gracious! He edited his post from saying "fuck you, fuck your mother, and fuck the horse you rode in on," to just saying "fuck you."

So are the films any good?

GringoTex wrote:So are the films any good?

Bingo! And now we're back on track.

I have to say that I am not particularly familiar with Robeson's career (beyond the obvious parts), and strictly speaking as a collector of world cinema in a digital format, I feel a little overwhelmed by the idea of devoting so much of my own shelf space to someone I'm only casually familiar with. Eight films is almost more than I have dedicated to anyone else. Thus, I really do need to echo GringoTex's question. Is anyone more than loosely aquainted to this obviously important yet tragically obscure (relatively speaking, of course) artist?

Gregory wrote:Side note: Tribe does know how to be gracious! He edited his post from saying "fuck you, fuck your mother, and fuck the horse you rode in on," to just saying "fuck you."

True. It was unfair to his mother and the horse.

Tribe

Gregory wrote:Side note: Tribe does know how to be gracious! He edited his post from saying "fuck you, fuck your mother, and fuck the horse you rode in on," to just saying "fuck you."

Not only gracious, but so original in thought and expression, too! Here I thought I was discussing an issue with someone who was so deeply committed to being politically incorrect.

GringoTex wrote:So are the films any good?

I'm no authority on them, but my prediction is that many people who blind-buy these will consider most of them uneven, dated, and cheesy. The ones I'm familiar with are full of cultural and historical interest, though, both as genre films and imperialist representations of Africa, and in some cases as films about the Robeson persona itself. It is an unusual set for Criterion because for most the value of these will be for Robeson's performances (and seeing how much he could within the confines of roles such as these) while the mise-en-scene (etc.) of the films are rather pedestrian.
I hope I haven't been unfair in my general portrayal of the non-Robeson qualities of these films. Perhaps Schreck holds a candle for one or two of them?

Gregory wrote:I hope I haven't been unfair in my general portrayal of the non-Robeson qualities of these films. Perhaps Schreck holds a candle for one or two of them?

No, that's a fair assessment. Emperor Jones however still stands up on its own as a very fine performance by Robeson, with all the racial issues that are apparent in O'Neill's original text.

Native Land is a familiar film for old labor militants, marvelously full of (for some) over the top and pithy sloganeering. If you're labor friendly, you'll enjoy it. And like the synopsis on the Criterion page says, it is very nicely shot and edited.

While I haven't seen the other films, in light of the sub-titles that Criterion has given the collection (ie, Icon, etc.), I would imagine that as a whole they will give a nice overview of Robeson's acting career. Acting in films is really a small aspect of Robeson's fascinating life.

Tribe

I wrote:Perhaps Schreck holds a candle for one or two of them?

Perhaps I should have said "carries a torch"? Whatever the right figure of speech is...

Gregory wrote:

GringoTex wrote:So are the films any good?

I'm no authority on them, but my prediction is that many people who blind-buy these will consider most of them uneven, dated, and cheesy. The ones I'm familiar with are full of cultural and historical interest, though, both as genre films and imperialist representations of Africa, and in some cases as films about the Robeson persona itself. It is an unusual set for Criterion because for most the value of these will be for Robeson's performances (and seeing how much he could within the confines of roles such as these) while the mise-en-scene (etc.) of the films are rather pedestrian.
I hope I haven't been unfair in my general portrayal of the non-Robeson qualities of these films. Perhaps Schreck holds a candle for one or two of them?

I think Gregory has pretty neatly summarized the general critical consensus on Robeson's film work. With the exception of Show Boat and Tales of Manhattan, which most critics would probably cite as the best all-around films he appeared in (though his role in each was actaully quite small), you often hear/read phrases like "Robeson is good in spite of the script/direction" or "Robeson rises above the movie." The sad fact is that Robeson was not used particularly well in films. Generally, he played supporting roles and got to sing a couple of songs. Without question, Emperor Jones gave him his biggest and juciest role, though the film loses part of its expressionistic allure through its expansion. (For those not familiar with the play, it's quite short -- basically the last 30 minutes of the movie. But it's very rich thematically and symbolically, and it raises provocative questions about racial identity.)

Personally, I'm rather fond of some of the British productions he appeared in, but as Gregory points out, they tend to feel "dated." Both Sanders of the River and King Solomon's Mines (which isn't included here) are unequivocal celebrations of the British empire and betray producer Alexander Korda's unapologetic anglophilia. Nevertheless, they're a lot of fun, with some of the highest production values that any British films enjoyed during the 1930s. I'm also looking forward to The Proud Valley, which was one of the earliest films to be released by Ealing Studios. It was also directed by Pen Tennyson, who had been Hitchcock's long-time assistant director before graduating into the director's chair when Hitchcock left for Hollywood. Based on what I've read, Tennyson is one of the more interesting "what if" figures in British cinema. He died during WWII after having directed only three or four films. But Ealing boss Michael Balcon thought very highly of him, and he may have been another Basil Dearden or Robert Hamer had he lived.

So I think that, although Robeson is most definitely the main draw for most of these films, there are other interesting aspects to them.

It's really just too bad that Robeson never got the chance to star in an adaptation of Othello. Apparently, he was brilliant in some of the stage productions he appeared in.

It's a sad reflection on Robeson and what he stood up for that in 2006 a thread about his work descends into name calling and holier-than-thou grandstanding in no time at all.

Anyway, I'm just sorry to see the Sidney Poiter-narrated doc from the CC laserdisc omitted.

Matango wrote:Anyway, I'm just sorry to see the Sidney Poiter-narrated doc from the CC laserdisc omitted.

You mean this one?

Also included is Saul J. Turell's Academy Award-winning documentary short Paul Robeson: Tribute to an Artist, narrated by Sidney Poitier, which traces his career through his activism and his socially charged performances of his signature song, "Ol' Man River."

Ah yes, missed that hidden in there, thanks.

The Emperor Jones is a standard-definition digital transfer mastered from the 2001 restoration print created by the Library of Congress, the most complete version of the film available.

When was the last time Criterion did a SD transfer? All the other titles in the box, including the documentary, are HD transfers

To all concerned...I needlessly escalated things purely out of anger. No excuses.

My apologies.

Tribe

Gregory wrote:I'm no authority on them, but my prediction is that many people who blind-buy these will consider most of them uneven, dated, and cheesy. The ones I'm familiar with are full of cultural and historical interest, though, both as genre films and imperialist representations of Africa, and in some cases as films about the Robeson persona itself. It is an unusual set for Criterion because for most the value of these will be for Robeson's performances (and seeing how much he could within the confines of roles such as these) while the mise-en-scene (etc.) of the films are rather pedestrian.

Yes, I think you're right. In terms of the dramatic conventions, depiction of cultural differences, and so on, the films will be perceived as hopelessly declassé. TCM has consistently shown many of Robeson's films over the years; early last summer TCM aired several Oscar Micheaux films, including THE SYMBOL OF THE UNCONQUERED (a response in part to BIRTH OF A NATION) and BODY AND SOUL; neither of these presentations were derived from particularly good source materials (and in the case of SYMBOL, portions were missing). While Micheaux has great historic interest, he wasn't an especially gifted filmmaker, but still Robeson is quite good in BODY AND SOUL, and Criterion's box will redress a glaring gap in the historical record of American cinema. Robeson is to movies what Sidney Bechet is to jazz: despite their historic significance and brilliant careers, neither was captured especially well in their respective storage media. It's too bad we won't get a restored SHOW BOAT with the box, although it was released as a Criterion LD some years ago. I think it's only currently available on VHS, though that may be OOP, I'm not sure.