Starring Paul Robeson, Dudley Digges, Frank H. Wilson, and Fredi Washington
Directed by Dudley Murphy
Music and Lyrics by various
Paul Robeson was a strong, virile black actor at a time when minority actors in the major studios were more often relegated to comic relief or musical numbers that could be easily snipped out for white audiences in the south. However, in the 20's and the 30's, more white authors began writing plays that required partially or entirely black casts. One of those was The Emperor Jones by Eugene O'Neill. On Broadway in 1920, it was the first play to have a black actor in a starring role in a major play, rather than someone in black makeup. Robeson appeared in a 1925 revival and so impressed O'Neill, he wouldn't allow the movie to be made without him. How does this movie look now? Let's start with a rousing black choir, just as local boy Brutus Jones (Robeson) is leaving to become a Pullman porter, and find out...
The Story: Brutus has big plans. He wants to work his way up to being the stevedore for the President's private car. His white boss doesn't appreciate his fast ascent, and he's easily swayed by loose women and men who want to make a fast buck. One night, after a dice game gets out of hand, he accidentally stabs Jeff (Wilson), who had introduced him to gambling and to the lady they both loved Undine (Washington).
He ends up in a prison chain gang, but breaks out after he strikes a warden for abusing a prisoner. He convinces his girlfriend Dolly (Ruby Elzy) to help him flee the country. He takes a job shoveling coal on a steamer bound for the Caribbean. Catching sight of a remote island, he decides that's the place for him and swims to shore. He befriends the only white man, the con-artist merchant Smithers (Digges), then dethrones the previous ruler and makes himself emperor. However, his subjects aren't too thrilled with the way he over-taxes them and pockets the proceedings and revolt against him. Haughty Jones thinks he can survive in the jungle, but too many of his demons finally lead him straight to his doom.
The Song and Dance: Wow, this is intense. Robeson is mesmerizing as the black man who has been denied power all his life by those who rule society in the US, only to be corrupted by it when he finally gets the chance to be the lord of his own domain. He totally dominates the proceedings, whether he's shooting dice with that eager wide grin or sitting majestically on a throne, demanding his underlings pay him tribute. Some nice shooting, too. You'd never know they filmed this at the same Astoria Studios in New York as The Smiling Lieutenant. The second half in particular looks great, with its fetid jungles and languid tropical atmosphere. Great costumes, too, from the gowns and tuxes on the ladies at the clubs to the uniforms on Jones and his people in the Caribbean after he takes over.
Favorite Number: We open with the church congregation in Jones' Georgia home town really rolling with the traditional black spiritual "Now Let Me Fly." Jones even lends his rich baritone at one point near the end. "St. Louis Blues" turns up at a party in New York where the ladies get into a major cat fight. Before that, a very young Harold Nicholas goes to town in a tap routine that's a preview of the things he and his brother would do a decade later. Robeson ladles that tenor into the sorrowful "Water Boy" while on the chain gang and the somewhat more upbeat "I'm Travelin'" while he's working on the ship. "Daniel" is his big number with the chorus on the island.
Trivia: Shot in New York because Robeson had a clause in his contract that he wouldn't shoot south of the Mason-Dixon Line, due to the Jim Crow laws there...and that included southern California and the Florida swamps, both originally intended as shooting locations. Haiti was also considered, but ruled out due to budget restrictions.
The movie had censorship trouble the moment it came out. Censors cut it to 72 minutes, which was the only one available until the Library of Congress restored it to 76 minutes in 2002. A full version has yet to be found, and would seem to be gone forever.
What I Don't Like: Let's discuss the dialogue that left the censors - and many black audiences - in an uproar. The N-word is bandied around quite a bit in this movie, both in the US and the tropical island, and has been restored in the current Criterion print. It'll be even rougher on the ears of many current audience members. This is also a very violent movie, between Jones killing his friend over gambling and women, beating the prison guard, and then getting run down by his own people on the island. No one's performances come anywhere near Robeson's. Digges tries too hard to be comic relief; all of the other actors fade into the woodwork. There's also some brief topless dancers under the credits in the opening.
The Big Finale: There's no movie quite like The Emperor Jones. If you're a fan of Robeson and want to see what he can do with a leading role, or are interested in the history of black cinema and can handle the violence and language, hop a steamer and check it out.
Home Media: This is one time you'll want to spring for the DVD. If you love Robeson, Criterion has a whole set devoted to his work. It includes this one as fully restored as it's likely to get at this point, with the original blue tints in the last 20 minutes intact. Avoid all of the inferior public domain streaming and DVD copies that use an older, unrestored print.
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