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The Emperor Jones

  • 19331933
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 1h 12m
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
1.1K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Paul Robeson in The Emperor Jones (1933)
  • Drama
  • Music
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.
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
1.1K
YOUR RATING
  • Directors
    • Dudley Murphy
    • William C. de Mille(uncredited)
  • Writers
    • Eugene O'Neill(play "The Emperor Jones")
    • DuBose Heyward(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Paul Robeson
    • Dudley Digges
    • Frank H. Wilson
Top credits
  • Directors
    • Dudley Murphy
    • William C. de Mille(uncredited)
  • Writers
    • Eugene O'Neill(play "The Emperor Jones")
    • DuBose Heyward(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Paul Robeson
    • Dudley Digges
    • Frank H. Wilson
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 21User reviews
    • 23Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win

    Photos12

    "Emperor Jones" Paul Robeson 1933 United Artists **I.V.
    The Emperor Jones (1933)
    The Emperor Jones (1933)
    The Emperor Jones (1933)
    The Emperor Jones (1933)
    The Emperor Jones (1933)
    Paul Robeson in The Emperor Jones (1933)
    Paul Robeson in The Emperor Jones (1933)
    Paul Robeson in The Emperor Jones (1933)
    The Emperor Jones (1933)
    The Emperor Jones (1933)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Paul Robeson
    Paul Robeson
    • Brutus Jonesas Brutus Jones
    Dudley Digges
    Dudley Digges
    • Smithersas Smithers
    Frank H. Wilson
    • Jeffas Jeff
    Fredi Washington
    Fredi Washington
    • Undineas Undine
    Ruby Elzy
    • Dollyas Dolly
    George Haymid Stamper
    • Lemas Lem
    • (as George Stamper)
    Brandon Evans
    • Carringtonas Carrington
    • (uncredited)
    Taylor Gordon
    • Stick-manas Stick-man
    • (uncredited)
    Billie Holiday
    Billie Holiday
    • Extra in Nightclub Sceneas Extra in Nightclub Scene
    • (uncredited)
    Rex Ingram
    Rex Ingram
    • Court Crieras Court Crier
    • (uncredited)
    James P. Johnson
    • Pianistas Pianist
    • (uncredited)
    Moms Mabley
    Moms Mabley
    • Marcellaas Marcella
    • (uncredited)
    Harold Nicholas
    Harold Nicholas
    • Young Tap Danceras Young Tap Dancer
    • (uncredited)
    Blueboy O'Connor
    • Treasureras Treasurer
    • (uncredited)
    Fritz Pollard
    • Extra in Nightclub Sceneas Extra in Nightclub Scene
    • (uncredited)
    Lorenzo Tucker
    • Extra in Nightclub Sceneas Extra in Nightclub Scene
    • (uncredited)
    • Directors
      • Dudley Murphy
      • William C. de Mille(uncredited)
    • Writers
      • Eugene O'Neill(play "The Emperor Jones")
      • DuBose Heyward(screenplay) (additional scenes)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    At a Baptist prayer meeting, the preacher leads a prayer for Brutus Jones, who is leaving to become a railway porter. Jones joins the congregation in a spiritual. Once on the train, Jeff, a porter, shows Jones the ropes. Jones secretly takes up with Jeff's girl, Undine. He makes some money in a deal with a rich businessman on the train. Jones proves to be a cunning manipulator and a good liar. In a crap game, Jones stabs Jeff over a pair of loaded dice. Now doing hard labour, Jones kills a white prison guard and escapes. Shovelling coal on a ship in the Caribbean, Jones swims to an island. He is brought before the island's ruler, where Smithers, a crooked white trader, buys his freedom. Jones schemes his way into a partnership in Smithers' business, then finally control of the entire island through a touch of witchcraft, or so it seems. Brutus declares himself to be The Emperor Jones... Smithers reports on the unrest that Jones' rule is causing. One morning, the palace is empty of servants. As rebel drums beat, Jones flees into the forest where he is haunted by visions from his past... —David Steele
    • national film registry
    • caribbean island
    • train
    • escape
    • porter
    • 50 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Taglines
      • A Daring Drama of Harlem "Gals"..Gin ....Dice and Love! (Print Ad-Oakland Tribune, ((Oakland, Calif.)) 28 January 1934)
    • Genres
      • Drama
      • Music
    • Certificate
      • Not Rated
    • Parents guide
      • Add content advisory

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Fredi 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.
    • Goofs
      When 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: [With bravado] It takes a silver bullet to kill Brutus Jones.

    • Alternate versions
      The 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.
    • Connections
      Featured in Brother Can You Spare a Dime (1975)
    • Soundtracks
      Now Let Me Fly
      (uncredited)

      Traditional American spiritual

      Sung by the church patrons and Paul Robeson

    User reviews21

    Review
    Top review
    5/10
    An Interesting Failure
    Playwright Eugene O'Neill's early work often combined memorable characters and stories with social commentary and innovative theatrical concepts--and among his first great successes was THE EMPEROR JONES, which starred perhaps the single finest black actor of the 1920s and 1930s, the legendary Paul Robeson. When United Artists purchased the screen rights, Robeson went with the package, and this 1933 film was the result.

    The story concerns a black man of the depression era who lacks the moral stamina to resist the various temptations set before him, and who ultimately finds himself on a remote island where he uses his superior intellect and physically intimidating presence to set himself up as "Emperor." But his own past troubles have hardened him. Instead of ruling in justice, he uses his position to bleed the population--and they revolt against him.

    But regretfully, this film isn't half as good as it could have been or a quarter as good as it should have been. On the stage, THE EMPEROR JONES had tremendous irony, for in so crushing his subjects Brutus Jones has essentially recreated the white American society that crushed him. Moreover, the staging was uniquely powerful, with the vast majority of the story played out as Jones runs through the jungle in an effort to escape his revolting subjects, all the while recalling the various events of his life that led him to the present moment. But the film version pretty much throws all of this out the window, preferring to downplay O'Neill's social commentary and reducing Jone's race through the jungle to a few scenes at the film's conclusion.

    Robeson is a memorable actor, but he was still very new to the screen when this film was made, and although he is powerful his performance here is rather stagey in comparison with his later screen work. And while the film is occasionally interesting in a visual way, it simply doesn't have the courage to go all the way with O'Neil's original vision. Fans of Robeson, O'Neil, and early 1930s film will find it an interesting failure, but most others should give it a miss.

    Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer
    helpful•22
    11
    • gftbiloxi
    • Apr 12, 2005

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 29, 1933 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • El emperador Jones
    • Filming locations
      • Eastern Service Studios, Astoria, Queens, New York City, New York, USA
    • Production company
      • John Krimsky and Gifford Cochran Inc.
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $250,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 12 minutes
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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