Unscrupulously ambitious Brutus Jones escapes from jail after killing a guard and through bluff and bravado finds himself the emperor of a Caribbean island.Unscrupulously ambitious Brutus Jones escapes from jail after killing a guard and through bluff and bravado finds himself the emperor of a Caribbean island.Unscrupulously ambitious Brutus Jones escapes from jail after killing a guard and through bluff and bravado finds himself the emperor of a Caribbean island.
- Awards
- 1 win
- Jeff
- (as Frank Wilson)
- Lem
- (as George Stamper)
- Carrington
- (uncredited)
- Stick-man
- (uncredited)
- Extra in Nightclub Scene
- (uncredited)
- Court Crier
- (uncredited)
- Pianist
- (uncredited)
- Marcella
- (uncredited)
- Young Tap Dancer
- (uncredited)
- Treasurer
- (uncredited)
- Extra in Nightclub Scene
- (uncredited)
- Extra in Nightclub Scene
- (uncredited)
- Directors
- Dudley Murphy
- William C. de Mille(uncredited)
- Writers
- Eugene O'Neill
- DuBose Heyward(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaFredi Washington had to reshoot her scenes wearing dark make-up when the Hays Office deemed her as appearing too light-skinned in the first rushes. They feared audiences would think Paul Robeson was embracing a white actress.
- GoofsWhen Jones lands on a Caribbean island, there are prickly pear and San Pedro cacti on the beach, neither of which are found in the Caribbean.
- Quotes
Brutus Jones: I's got five lead bullets in this gun good enough for common bush niggers. And after that, I's got this silver bullet left to cheat 'em outta gettin' me. I tells 'em, when the time comes, I kills myself with it. That's 'cause I'm the only man in the world big enough to get me.
- Alternate versionsThe 72-minute version has different opening credits. In the original version, the title reads "The Emperor Jones" in uppercase (capital) letters. In later prints of this film, including the 72-minute version nearly always screened on TV, the title reads merely "Emperor Jones" , in lowercase letters.
- ConnectionsEdited into SanKofa Theater: The Emperor Jones (2022)
The original play has the white merchant character Smithers played here by Dudley Digges as the eyes of author O'Neill who narrates the first scene in flashback. Here we have a straight narrative with a backstory added. If you think that the backstory looks something like Porgy And Bess that's because the screenplay was written by Dubose Hayward the original author of that work before the Gershwin brothers set it to music.
Back in those days being a Pullman porter was a status symbol among black people, the first labor union organized that gained decent wages and collective bargaining rights for black people was the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. When Brutus Jones kills his friend in that crap game in a fight over a woman, he's not just a fugitive, he's lost a lot of standing among his peers. But in fleeing to that Caribbean island where the natives are descended from escaped slaves who still retained some animist beliefs from Africa, he's got it all over this crowd and reasserts himself with nerve, knowledge, and a little trickery and a bit of help from Dudley Digges's character.
Although he did not originate the role, Paul Robeson debuted with it on the London stage and the actor who Eugene O'Neill handpicked to originate the part, one Charles Gilpin faded into obscurity. Of course there's also no singing in O'Neill's Emperor Jones, but Robeson's bass/baritone gets a few good songs in as well, from hymns, to Negro spirituals, to some convict laments. Robeson was always a powerful performer no matter what you think of his politics.
This version of The Emperor Jones has as much Hayward as O'Neill, still what O'Neill was trying to convey comes out in a glorious triumphal performance by Paul Robeson.
- bkoganbing
- Nov 13, 2011
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- El emperador Jones
- Filming locations
- Eastern Service Studios, Astoria, Queens, New York City, New York, USA(Kaufman Astoria Studios since 1982)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $263,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 12 minutes
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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