1933  ·  United States  ·  Fiction

The Emperor Jones

STATUS: Released

The Emperor Jones

  • 1933
  • United States
  • Fiction
  • English
  • 105 mins
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Of all Paul Robeson's eleven starring film performances, by far his most iconic was his breakthrough in the big-screen adaptation of Eugene O'Neill's The Emperor Jones (1933). He was already a legend for his stage incarnation of Brutus Jones, a Pullman porter who powers his way to the rule of a Caribbean island, but with this, his first sound-era film role, his regal image was married to his booming voice for eternity. With The Emperor Jones, Robeson became the first African-American leading man in mainstream movies and, he said, gained a deeper understanding of cinema's potential to change racial misconceptions. Previously censored, The Emperor Jones is presented here in its most complete form.

Credits

Director
Dudley Murphy
Writer
DuBose Heyward
Producer
Gifford Cochran, John Krimsky

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