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Body and Soul

Play trailer Poster for Body and Soul Released Nov 9, 1925 1h 15m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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86% Tomatometer 7 Reviews 55% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
A gospel preacher (Paul Robeson) sinks in sin and corruption.

Critics Reviews

View All (7) Critics Reviews
Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader 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 sound pictures, he was stylistically assured as a silent director. Feb 9, 2007 Full Review Stephen Holden New York Times Robeson radiates the roguish charm and dangerous looming ferocity of a master con man with a scary streak of violence. Like his singing, Robeson's acting has stature. It is larger than life. Rated: 5/5 Mar 25, 2006 Full Review Cole Smithey ColeSmithey.com "Body and Soul" is not a small cinematic gem; it is a magnificent diamond. Rated: FIVE STARS Apr 24, 2022 Full Review Maybelle Chew Baltimore Afro-American Body and Soul is a picture of great emotional appeal, indeed... The picture was well acted, especially the part of the minister, which was played by Paul Robeson. Jul 27, 2020 Full Review Phil Hall Film Snobbery Body and Soul has neither body nor soul. Rated: 2/5 May 25, 2011 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 3/5 Jun 30, 2005 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (12) audience reviews
Audience Member Paul Robeson stars as an escaped con posing as a preacher in his screen debut. He's a drunk and a gambler, and he rapes the daughter of one of his parishioners and blackmails her into stealing all her mother's money and giving it to him. The daughter comes clean to her mother right before dying and she blows the whistle on Robeson. When you think of Robeson, you think mainly on his amazing voice, so it's a bit disconcerting to see him in a silent film. He is excellent and really carries this film. Like many of Micheaux's films, it has some puzzling plot elements that serve to muddle it's clarity without really adding anything to the main narrative. Robeson has a second role as his own estranged twin brother, and this plot thread really amounts to nothing. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Audience Member Narratively ... weird. Interesting performances, even for a 1920's silent film. Robeson possesses an oddly contemporary swagger (I haven't seen his other films, yet). Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/18/23 Full Review Audience Member I love silent films, though this one heralding the first film performance of Paul Robeson is simply good or decent, not great or essential. Robeson's performance is excellent in an otherwise average melodrama, and it's clear he's going to be a star of the silver screen. In her only cinematic appearance, Julia Theresa Russell, who was the director's sister-in-law, deserves mention, however. She's gorgeous and her acting wasn't bad at all. The jazz/blues/spiritual score on the Criterion Collection release, I believe by Wycliffe Gordon, is outstanding. Recommended if you like either silent films or Paul Robeson. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Audience Member I love silent films, though this one heralding the first film performance of Paul Robeson is simply good or decent, not great or essential. Robeson's performance is excellent in an otherwise average melodrama, and it's clear he's going to be a star of the silver screen. In her only cinematic appearance, Julia Theresa Russell, who was the director's sister-in-law, deserves mention, however. She's gorgeous and her acting wasn't bad at all. The jazz/blues/spiritual score on the Criterion Collection release, I believe by Wycliffe Gordon, is outstanding. Recommended if you like either silent films or Paul Robeson. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Audience Member One of the more talked about Oscar Michaeux films that was the feature film debut of African American Actor Paul Robeson. Although this film had major budget restraints & left the film with many holes its the story is of two brothers both played by Paul Robeson one a gentle man the other a convict posing as a priest. Both are after Isabelle & she mainly likes the gentleman but mother pushes her to Priest who is a violent, dishonest & criminal man in actuality. The film is filled with some confronting flashback especially the rape scene which was done with just shots of the feet. A confronting film ahead of its time & Oscar Micheaux was not only a pioneer of Early Black Cinema but a figurehead in cinema alone, well worth a watch. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review bill t A movie that has a great reputation ahead of being a great movie (this was one of the first "all black" movies ever made). If there was one reason to see this movie, that would be for the great Paul Robeson, who just outshines everyone here with his acting ability. As a matter of fact, when everyone is emoting, emoting, emoting, Robeson is more natural, and therefore more believable. Speaking of believable, the story is pretty hoary, with a cheat ending of course. Not the greatest movie. But what do you expect from Michaux? Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Body and Soul

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis A gospel preacher (Paul Robeson) sinks in sin and corruption.
Director
Oscar Micheaux
Producer
Oscar Micheaux
Screenwriter
Oscar Micheaux
Distributor
Micheaux Film
Production Co
Micheaux Film Corporation
Genre
Drama
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 9, 1925, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Feb 8, 2017
Runtime
1h 15m