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The Emperor Jones (1933)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
29 September 1933 (USA)
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Plot:
At a Baptist prayer meeting, the preacher leads a prayer for Brutus Jones, who is leaving to become a railway porter...
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Awards:
1 win
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NewsDesk:
(2 articles)
Emperor Jones Extends Through 12/6 At The Irish Repertory Theatre
(From BroadwayWorld.com. 2 November 2009, 11:47 AM, PST)
Davis, Deliz, Harris, Heron and Mitchell Join Thompson and Foucheux In Irish Rep's The Emperor Jones
(From BroadwayWorld.com. 30 September 2009, 11:26 AM, PDT)
(From BroadwayWorld.com. 2 November 2009, 11:47 AM, PST)
Davis, Deliz, Harris, Heron and Mitchell Join Thompson and Foucheux In Irish Rep's The Emperor Jones
(From BroadwayWorld.com. 30 September 2009, 11:26 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
Good Leading Performance Makes Up for Ludicrous Plot
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Cast
(Complete credited cast) | Paul Robeson | ... | Brutus Jones |
| Dudley Digges | ... | Smithers |
| Frank H. Wilson | ... | Jeff (as Frank Wilson) |
| Fredi Washington | ... | Undine |
| Ruby Elzy | ... | Dolly |
| George Haymid Stamper | ... | Lem (as George Stamper) |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
72 min | 76 min (2003 restored version) | USA:80 min (original version)
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Sound System)
Certification:
UK:A |
Canada:G (Ontario) |
USA:Approved (PCA #1316-R, 29 August 1935 for re-release) |
USA:Passed (National Board of Review) |
Finland:(Banned) (1934) |
Finland:K-16 (1936)
Filming Locations:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Because of the objection to the word "nigger", United Artists deleted it from prints to be shown in Negro theaters. Still, the United Negro Improvement Association condemned the film.
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Movie Connections:
Featured in "American Masters: Paul Robeson: Here I Stand" (1999)
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Soundtrack:
I'm Travelin'
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A good lead performance by Paul Robeson makes "The Emperor Jones" worth watching despite a lack of any other outstanding characteristics. The plot, which can be blamed on playwright Eugene O'Neill, is ludicrously bad, managing to have a complete lack of credibility while being overly melodramatic at the same time. And yet it affords Robeson a chance to show what he can do with a difficult character.
The basic idea is that Brutus Jones, by a very improbable chain of events, goes from being a railway porter to a convict to the 'emperor' of a Caribbean island. The production is mediocre, and most of the other characters are routine, although the cast is fairly good under the circumstances. Robeson keeps it from falling apart by being convincing in the many different stages of his character's life - he shows quite a range of acting abilities in a short film.
And he is basically the only reason to watch. The talented Robeson apparently never had many chances at really good roles (whether that was because of his race, or for some other reason), and it's too bad that he never got the chance to show what he could do in a quality film, since he does quite a good job here without much to work with.