The Emperor Jones

Released Sep 29, 1933

1h 20m

Drama

List

67%

Tomatometer

9 Reviews

50%

Audience Score

250+ Ratings

A black congregation prays for the wily and ambitious Brutus Jones (Paul Robeson), who is off to work on the railway. Jones is conscripted to a chain gang after killing a fellow gambler, and escapes by clubbing a guard. On the run, he gets a job shoveling coal on a ship in the Caribbean, and jumps off when they pass an island. When he is captured by the natives, his freedom is bought by a white trader (Dudley Digges). Jones tricks the tribe and becomes emperor, but is outrun by his own magic.

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Mordaunt Hall

New York Times

It is a distinguished offering, resolute and firm, with a most compelling portrayal by Paul Robeson.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 16, 2007

Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

Paul Robeson gives one of his greatest film performances in this arty, dated, but interesting 1933 adaptation of Eugene O'Neill's play.

Oct 16, 2007

Full Review

Vere E. Johns

New York Age

Both the photography sound are excellent and the direction by Dudley Murphy is well done.

Dec 2, 2020

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J.A. Rogers

Pittsburgh Courier

It pretends to be art, [but it] is commercialism of the worst sort.

Dec 2, 2020

Full Review

Pare Lorentz

Vanity Fair

The result, to my amazement, was an unexciting and indifferent motion picture.

Jun 4, 2019

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

A great performance from the legendary African-American singer Paul Robeson.

Rated: B+

Jan 21, 2008

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joe m

OK, yet dated, "The Emperor Jones" is more interesting as a period piece and for historical reference than as a good film that stands up to the test of time. Most compelling to see the great Paul Robeson for his magnetic personality and his magnificent singing voice.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This tale of a despot's rise and fall is well-acted and well-written, but it feels rushed. The film would have benefited from a longer run time.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/25/23

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Audience Member

In this cinematic adaption of the Eugene O'Neil play, Paul Robeson is remarkable as the conniving and commanding Brutus Jones. Most of the movie explores the backstory the play only mentioned, including his journey from womanizing and gambling railroad porter to murderer to Emperor of a Caribbean island. The movie also adds many opportunities for Robeson to showcase his admittedly incredible singing voice. The final half hour of the movie is the bulk of the play itself, as Emperor Jones finds out he has pushed the people of his domain too far. I found myself confused at first by Jones, mostly because Robeson is so likable in the role and it was hard to tell that he was depicting a not so honorable man. It becomes much more clear who the character really is after a crap game gone wrong. There are several differences between the play and the movie, including new characters and situations in the backstory, and an abbreviated version of his encounters in the woods, including a particularly conspicuous cut scene. The reverse recapitulation of the history of Africans and their descendents in the Americas is less apparent in the movie because of this and I think it makes Jones a little less sympathetic. One of the advantages of the play only referencing what happened to him in the past is the limiting of set pieces to his palace and the island woods. The first hour of the movie greatly expands on the set pieces. Without dramatizing the backstory, the movie would have been much, much shorter, but I think this dramatization causes the story to lose some of its urgency. However, once Emperor Jones finally embarked on his journey in the woods, the movie came alive for me, and it was very similar to how I visualized it when reading the play.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/16/23

Full Review

Audience Member

An interesting film, mainly for Paul Robeson's excellent performance in an otherwise unbelievable film. Look closely and you'll spot an uncredited Billie Holiday in a nightclub scene.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/24/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Paul Robeson gives one of his greatest film performances in this arty, dated, but interesting 1933 adaptation of Eugene O'Neill's play.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A good movie for its time and Robeson played a big, broad sexual black man (He had numerous scenes when he took his shirt off) in the 1930s in this wild tale.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/19/23

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Dudley Murphy

Director

Paul Robeson

Brutus Jones

Dudley Digges

Smithers

Frank H. Wilson

Jeff

Fredi Washington

Undine

Ruby Elzy

Dolly

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Synopsis

A black congregation prays for the wily and ambitious Brutus Jones (Paul Robeson), who is off to work on the railway. Jones is conscripted to a chain gang after killing a fellow gambler, and escapes by clubbing a guard. On the run, he gets a job shoveling coal on a ship in the Caribbean, and jumps off when they pass an island. When he is captured by the natives, his freedom is bought by a white trader (Dudley Digges). Jones tricks the tribe and becomes emperor, but is outrun by his own magic.

Director: Dudley Murphy
Screenwriter: Eugene O'Neill, DuBose Heyward
Distributor: Criterion Collection, United Artists, Reel Media International [us]
Production Co: John Krimsky and Gifford Cochran Inc.
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 29, 1933, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 30, 2016
Runtime: 1h 20m
Sound Mix: Mono

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