Body and Soul (1925)

A minister is malevolent and sinister behind his righteous facade. He consorts with, and later extorts from, the owner of a gambling house, and betrays an honest girl, eventually driving ... See full summary »

Director:

Oscar Micheaux

Writers:

Oscar Micheaux (novel), Oscar Micheaux (screenplay)

Stars:

Paul Robeson, Marshall Rogers, Lawrence Chenault

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Paul Robeson	...	Rev. Isaiah T. Jenkins / His Brother Sylvester
Marshall Rogers	...	Speakeasy Proprietor (as Marshall Rodgers)
Lawrence Chenault	...	Yello-Curley' Hinds - the Phony Reverend's Former Jailmate
Chester A. Alexander	...	Deacon Simpkins - a Church Elder
Walter Cornick	...	Brother Amos - a Church Elder
Lillian Johnson	...	'Sis' Caline - a Pious Lady
Madame Robinson	...	'Sis' Lucy - a Pious Lady

Storyline

A minister is malevolent and sinister behind his righteous facade. He consorts with, and later extorts from, the owner of a gambling house, and betrays an honest girl, eventually driving them both to ruin.

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Plot Keywords:

gambling | runaway | african american | church | convict | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 November 1925 (USA)

Also Known As:

En cuerpo y alma

Filming Locations:

Bronx, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Micheaux Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min 102 min (TCM print)

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The board censors initially had strong objections to the dark and sinister portrayal of a man of the cloth. But with no money left for reshoots, producer Oscar Micheaux shot a quick ending which makes most of the film's action a dream of the heroine's.

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Connections

Featured in Black Shadows on the Silver Screen (1975)

User Reviews

Worth watching !

A very moving film for its time.I'm a big Paul Robeson fan and I'm glad TCM shows a lot of films with all Black casts.I think it should be shown along with the 1929 film "Hallelujah".It also has an all Black cast and has religion as its theme but it's not a silent film.This film ran a little too long but I never stopped watching.Touchy subject matter even today.Right on point even today!Even though Robeson found fame who knows what talent the others had that skin color stopped from them also becoming well known.That's why I love these films.The Black Church must have shunned this type of film back them and the actors couldn't have had an easy time of it.I'd call this a silent soap opera.The mother really loved her daughter a whole lot.Mercy!The daughter was the ultimate tragic figure.The Minister.One word-Sinister!