THE EMPEROR JONES

Details

• Release Year: 1933
• Genre: Drama
• Plot: In the key role of his career, Paul Robeson repeats his powerful stage , portrayal of Brutus Jones, a railroad porter who becomes the ruler of a remote Caribbean island, a story loosely patterned after the life of * Haitian emperor Henri Christophe. The underlying 1920 Eugene O'Neill play was one of the first to portray the black man as an individual rather than as a stereotype. Jones deals with whites on his own terms — sometimes even contemptuously, as in his :VI '^B dialogue with the white trader superbly played by Dudley Digges. Jones' eventual downfall comes as the result of his own fears rather than any other cause. As in other sound films starring the acclaimed baritone, Robeson has two songs, 'Let Me Fly' and 'Water Boy.' This version of THE EMPEROR JONES, never before available on home video, has been newly restored by the Library of Congress using elements from several archives and collectors and includes a color sequence original to the film. As very brief sections of the image remain lost, this restoration includes short 'image drop-outs' in order that the complete soundtrack to the film may be presented.;
• Cast: Paul Robeson, Dudley Digges, Frank H. Wilson, Fredi Washington, Ruby Elzy, George Haymid Stamper, Brandon Evans, Taylor Gordon, Rex Ingram, Moms Mabley, Harold Nicholas, Blueboy O'Connor, Fritz Pollard, Lorenzo Tucker, Dudley Murphy
• Director: Dudley Murphy
• Runtime: 1:16
• Company: Imagine Entertainment
• Media Format: Movie