Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
CLASSIC DEBUT, February 21, 2002
This review is from: Body & Soul [VHS] (VHS Tape)
Paul Robeson makes his debut on screen in this classic tale of a treacherous minister who takes advantage of a parishoner's daughter. Our premier actor does an admirable job in portraying this criminal cleric whose style and aura mesmerizes a flock which refuses to question his integrity. Oscar Micheaux, one of the pioneers of African-American cinematography, does an outstanding job in using his skills in dealing with the controversial subject of clerical deceit. Originally censored in New York, Micheaux was forced to make cuts to make sure this piece made it to the screen. The present film that you see right now is a restoration of those cuts that were in the original shooting. Although I enjoyed the film the technical problems stood out due to the restoration. Yet, this did not diminish the find performance of Robeson. As one who was not raised with silent films, Robeson's expressions and mannerisms fully conveyed the story. The fact of Robeson's playing two parts (the evil preacher and the good brother) bodes well for his verstility as an actor. This is a must have video for your collection of historical African-American silent film.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tells the Truth about an important subject, June 14, 2001
This review is from: Body & Soul [VHS] (VHS Tape)
This movie is excellent for a silent film. Paul Robeson is brilliant as the phony preacher who shamelessly takes advantage of the women in his congegation. The scene where Robeson rapes the daughter of his most devoted member is made all of the more horrfying by the look in Robeson's eyes as he approaches the young lady. The ugly fact is that there still are too may preachers like this in real life who exploit the faith of the less cynical, and Micheaux should have been commedned for telling the truth!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
I'm sure it started out much better, March 15, 2005
This review is from: Body & Soul [VHS] (VHS Tape)
This film is of interest not just for Robeson's film debut but also because there aren't enough early films representing the African-American community with fairness and accuracy, unafraid to tackle tough issues like corruption in the clergy, for example, even though that might have been considered by some to reflect poorly on their people, honest or not. Unfortunately, due to first the severe editing and then the reconstruction, the story doesn't hold together as well or as grippingly as I'm sure it must originally have in the nine-reel format Micheaux created before he was ordered to censor it down to just five reels. I thought it was just taking awhile for the story to build up steam and to establish what was going on, but I still couldn't make out much of a coherent storyline. What is the main plotline supposed to be, and which of the storylines was meant to be the subplot? Is it the corrupt reverend (who doesn't get enough screentime) or Isabelle and her mother? It was finally really picking up steam and getting really interesting when it's conveniently revealed that it was just a dream, which was probably just as lame in 1925 as it is today. It's a shame, since it seemed like a really interesting gripping story with lots of potential, just was badly censored and edited and then put back together improperly. There also weren't enough title cards in some scenes (again possibly due to the censorship and re-editing). Probably another issue that was the result of the editing was how Yello-Curly (one of the ugliest most repulsive-looking people I've ever laid eyes on) is introduced like he's going to be this really important significant character, but this nasty-looking human being and his criminal alliance with the crooked preacher who has gotten out of jail is never really explored, and he disappears without explanation rather early on, getting even less screentime than the preacher and his twin brother Sylvester. It's a refreshing change to see an old film where African-Americans are depicted honestly, accurately, as both good people and bad people instead of being "represented" by whites in blackface or as caricatured characters in serving positions like a maid, railway porter, or nanny, but it just doesn't come across as masterfully as it probably did before Micheaux was ordered to censor it.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
