The Emperor Jones (1933) User Reviews

Eugene O'Neill Breaking Another Taboo.

[theowinthrop · 7/10 · 20 October 2005]

In the 1920s American's greatest dramatist arrived on Broadway in the person of Eugene O'Neill. The son of a well remembered Shakespearean and Romantic actor (the nightmare relationship of Eugene, his father James, his mother, and his older brother is the subject of his last play A LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT), O'Neill was not afraid to tackle subjects that were not usually discussed in American drama: incest in DESIRE UNDER THE ELMS for instance. He experimented with different styles of acting, copying the Greek trilogy of Aschylus in MOURNING BECOMES ELECTRA, and using masked actors in THE GREAT GOD BROWN. But he also created the first modern drama of importance with a central figure who was an African American. This was THE EMPEROR JONES (1925).

Brutus Jones is a tremendous step forward in American dramaturgy because he is the central figure. Than said O'Neill's play still maintains stereotyping. Brutus is a porter on a train, who frequently plays craps, and who has an argument with his friend Jeff and kills him in a fight with razors. He flees to a foreign island, and he soon discovers that he has leadership qualities there that enable him to set up a monarchy there with himself as Emperor. He even sets up a court with uniformed courtiers. But the moment he gives orders to destroy a village for not showing proper deference to him, his reign begins to fall apart. And soon from being Emperor he becomes a hunted animal.

The stereotyping continues, with Brutus slowly losing his bearings and balance due to the incessant drums beating in the forest surrounding him. He hallucinates and sees the ghost of Jeff. He has always spread the word of his invincibility by saying only silver bullets could kill him. So his pursuers melt silver down to make the bullets they use to hunt him down and kill him.

As was pointed out on another discussion of the film on this thread, O'Neill based the fall of Jones on that of Haitian Emperor Henri I (Henri Christophe), except that he committed suicide with a silver bullet when he was about to be captured and executed.

The play was successful, and would be one of the first triumphs in Paul Robeson's career. He did not originate the role (as he did not originate the role of Joe in the stage production of SHOWBOAT). But he became identified with the role - to the point that he made this independent, somewhat defective production of the film in 1933. Except for Dudley Digges, as the one white man in Jones' kingdom (and Jones' occasional intimate), the cast is pretty forgettable. But it is watching Robeson in his one major lead role that holds our attention. He is a commanding figure in the film and fits the role of a man who loses his throne and power and sanity and life in one evil night. Still, one really wishes that the film's production values could have been better - some of the special effects (the appearance of the ghost of Jeff for example) are quite weak.

With it's defects it is a measure of watching Robeson at his best that I'd rate it a "7" out of "10".

Rated X By An...

[gavin6942 · 7/10 · 26 July 2016]

Unscrupulously ambitious Brutus Jones escapes from jail after killing a guard and through bluff and bravado finds himself the emperor of a Caribbean island.

Apparently, when this film came out it was controversial in black communities because of the use of the n-word, and even Paul Robeson went on to say he "regretted" the picture. Strange that today (2016) we celebrate the film as a great achievement.

Indeed, regardless of any racism or stereotypes, we have to marvel at the achievement of making a film with strong black characters in 1933. Has any other film even come close to this around the same time? I don't think so. Black actors were still largely used for comic relief up through the 1940s!

An Interesting Failure

[gftbiloxi · 5/10 · 12 April 2005]

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

Paul Robeson is the whole show in this version of The Emperor Jones

[tavm · 7/10 · 4 February 2011]

It's Black History Month, so I'm reviewing African-Americans on film in chronological order. It's now 1933 when actor/singer Paul Robeson accepted an offer to reprise his role as Brutus Jones in a film version of Eugene O'Neill's play. His character goes from porter, to convict, to emperor of an island in possibly too quick time during the movie though some of the dialogue does sometimes explain how much time has passed when those transitions occur. No matter, since Robeson is the whole show here and manages to be a very compelling presence whether singing or talking a long streak. And there are many good supporting turns by Frank Wilson as Jeff-a fellow porter who shows Brutus the ropes, Ruby Elzy as Dolly-Jones' first girlfriend at home, Fredi Washington as Undine-Jeff's girl who Brutus steals, and Dudley Digges as Smithers-a white trader Jones eventually partners with. Then there are cameos by the likes of Billie Holiday, Rex Ingram, Moms Mabley, and Harold Nicholas-who as usual dances here-that should provide some extra enjoyment for anyone curious about that sort of thing. While, like I said, transitions may not seem completely natural, this version of The Emperor Jones is worth seeing for Robeson's presence alone.

Oddly, the O'Neill Climax Is Not As Effective As Heyward's Prologue

[JohnHowardReid · 7/10 · 14 July 2008]

Not a great deal of the O'Neill play is retained in this adaptation, and I thought that climax was the least effective portion of the film despite its tinted visuals and stereo sound effects. The preceding 45 minutes, enhanced by Robeson's virile presence and his superlative singing, were much more impressive. Just about every scene took place at night where Haller's noirish photography contributed to the fascinating atmosphere.

Once we arrive on the island, however, and are confronted by Dudley Digges as a stage Cockney and other theatrical contrivances, the narrative's admirably headlong pace not only slows down considerably, but the movie itself starts to fall apart—although we still have some great moments as the vain Jones takes over the kingship and attempts to bleed the natives white.

Good Leading Performance Makes Up for Ludicrous Plot

[Snow Leopard · 23 July 2001]

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.

Superstar Robeson rises above thrifty production.

[st-shot · 7/10 · 8 July 2008]

As charismatic and talented as any star of the era, Paul Robeson's filmography is mostly low rent productions made on the cheap. Eugene O'Neil's short play, The Emperor Jones, made by an independent New York company, was shot entirely in New York and while it does an admirable job with it's bare bones sets and limited amount of takes it does not do justice to the bravura larger than life presence of Robeson who gives an awe inspiring performance as he goes from Brutus Jones, Pullman porter to chain gang prisoner to Emperor of his own Caribbean Island.

The sound quality is poor (an abominable affront to Robeson's magnificent baritone singing Waterboy) and director Dudley Murphy for the most part keeps his camera static with uninspired composition as Robeson electrifies from scene to scene. Whether brimming with confidence or desperately trapped he is a man in full. It is painstakingly evident that this enormous talent deserved MGM treatment and his loss is ours as well. Uglier things were happening in America back then in terms of institutional racism but the shabby handling of this man's incredible abilities is a clear example of prejudice in another form.

While Robeson holds the center if not all the film, Frank Wilson as Jeff, a veteran porter that shows Brutus the ropes spars well with him especially in one of the film's better ensemble scenes in a juke joint crap game down South. Dudley Diggs as Smithers the surly white trader he outsmarts has some decent lines but for the most part is pure English vaudeville.

The Emperor Jones may be a rickety production but it remains valuable in displaying the qualities of a mighty talent, tragically wasted by the "American Way" of the times.

Cited as Paul Robeson's Best Performance Recorded on Film

[springfieldrental · 7/10 · 10 February 2023]

The first major movie to have an African-American as a lead since King Vidor's 1929 "Hallelujah" was September 1933's "The Emperor Jones," starring Paul Robeson. Critics claim this role was Robeson's greatest performance on the screen. Film reviewer Lisa Bowman wrote Robeson "gives a powerful and empathetic performance." The United Artist movie was based on Eugene O'Neill's 1920 play of the same name. O'Neill examined the United States' 1915 occupation of Haiti by the U. S. Marines, spurred on by Jean Vilbrun Sam, leader of rebel troops, who usurped the sitting Haitian president and ruled for a brief five months before being assassinated. O'Neill reconstituted the historic facts in his play to make an African-American porter the one who ruled a Caribbean Island before meeting his own fate.

Unlike the play, the Dudley Murphy-directed film recreated the backstory of Brutus Jones, from the opening of a Baptist church's congregation praying for its member to make good as a porter. The Dubose Heyward screenplay describes Jones as an opportunist who's determined to get ahead, lessons he learned from his dealings with white folk, shown in several vignettes, before his bold plan to take over an island's population. Heyward, whose novel 'Porgy' was made into a 1927 play consisting of an entire black cast, reworked the O'Neill play to demonstrate how a porter was capable of ruling over a large group of islanders.

O'Neill sold his play's film rights to two young wealthy backers for $30,000, rights that included the writer's insistence Robeson play the lead. Robeson accepted the offer, with the stipulation that none of "The Emperor Jones'" scenes be filmed south of the Mason Dixon Line, especially the swamp sequences. Instead, most of the filming was inside the former Paramount studios in Astoria, Queens, New York.

Born in Princeton, New Jersey, to a former slave, Robeson excelled in high school sports and academia, becoming the first black to be admitted to Rutgers College, and was valedictorian in his senior year. His football skills attracted the NFL while he attended Yale University, where he played the sport for a season before getting his law degree at Columbia Law School. Robeson turned to acting and was immediately hired for a number of plays, among them as 'Joe' in 1927's "Showboat," and in Shakespeare's 'Othello,' the first African-American to play the Bard's character. Robeson left film work in the early 1940s disappointed at the roles offered to him, even though England dangled more prominent opportunities than in Hollywood. He leaves a legacy of forceful acting in "The Emperor Jones." Film reviewer Danny Reid noted, "The film is a showcase for Robeson's incredible spark and sexual magnetism, as well as for representing the ways he pushed back against the racist structures of America nearly a century ago. It's an imperfect work but exciting all the same."

Paul Robeson's Triumph

[Ron Oliver · 10/10 · 27 October 2003]

By murder & guile, a black Pullman conductor becomes THE EMPEROR JONES on an impoverished Caribbean isle.

Eugene O'Neill's allegorical fable comes alive in this unique and intriguing film, recently restored by the Library of Congress. The legendary Paul Robeson dominates the film as a man who abandons his wife & Baptist upbringing to worship himself, wallowing gleefully in sin & violence as long as it furthers his goal for power & riches - the chance to become an emperor of his own tiny domain is merely the latest opportunity in a serendipitous sequence to be exploited.

Robeson's athletic physique, magnificent singing voice, accomplished acting skills and over-sized personality make him the ideal choice for the complex role. Whether leading chained prisoners in song, using brains & bravado to seize his little kingdom, or slyly peering at himself in a succession of mirrors as he enters his throne room in full military regalia, Robeson is never less than fully entertaining.

Fredi Washington shines in her small role as Robeson's faithful wife. Dudley Digges is appropriately unsavory as the white trader with whom Robeson must do business in order to keep his throne.

Movie mavens will recognize a young Moms Mabley as the owner of a New York City nightclub; an even younger Harold Nicholas (of the Nicholas Brothers) as a boy tap dancer & the wonderful Rex Ingram as Robeson's Court Crier - all uncredited.

This film should be considered as a product of its times; it makes no pretensions towards political correctness.

***********************

O'Neill's play is obviously based on the historical Henri Christophe (1767-1820), the former slave who, after being involved in the bloody revolution against the French and the assassination of his predecessor, became president of northern Haiti in 1807 and its self-proclaimed king in 1811. Despotic & brilliant, King Henri enjoyed a reign of enormous brutality and opulence. He built for himself 6 châteaux, 8 palaces and the massive Citadelle Laferrière, still considered one of the wonders of the age. Christophe supported himself with a fabricated nobility consisting of 4 princes, 8 dukes, 22 counts, 37 barons & 14 knights. After a paralytic stroke left him disabled, the people rose in revolt and Christophe‘s followers fled. Naturally reluctant to face the wrath of his former subjects, Christophe shot himself with a silver bullet.

kind of from O'Neill story

[ksf-2 · 7/10 · 30 August 2021]

Based on a Eugene Oneill story. Although the trivia tells us the story was changed considerably. Stars Paul Robeson, Dudley Digges, Frank Wilson. Brutus Jones ( Robeson) has been sent to jail for murder. He escapes, and heads to the islands. Through brains and trickery, he ends up emperor. But is being emperor such a good thing? Will his past catch up to him? It's quite good, in spite of all the derogatory names for african americans being thrown around. It certainly was a reflection of the times. Co-stars Fredi Washington, who is probably best known as Delilah's daughter in Imitation of Life (the good one, from 1934.) and imdb lists Billie Holiday and Jackie Mably in the cast as extras, uncredited. Harold Nicholas is the young tap dancer in the club, about 15 minutes in. Directed by Dudley Murphy and Bill DeMille (the older brother!)

emp jones

[mossgrymk · 4/10 · 26 September 2021]

As an actor Paul Robeson makes a damn fine singer. That's better than the other lousy actors in this poor film.

The Emperor Porgy

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 13 November 2011]

Although purist fans of Eugene O'Neill will not be happy, a great deal of the spirit of The Emperor Jones is captured in this rather abbreviated version with an additional backstory added about how one Brutus Jones, former Pullman porter in the USA got to be the ruler of a Caribbean island and The Emperor Jones.

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.

Solid

[Cosmoeticadotcom · 6/10 · 21 June 2012]

ugene O'Neill's play, The Emperor Jones, is one of those works that is very easy to misconstrue as simply racist or simple-minded Freudianism. It's neither, but the 1933 film adaptation of said play, starring Paul Robeson in the role of Brutus Jones, suffers from many of the same misconceptions, as well as a few of its own, due to the breaks the film makes from its source material- both pro and con. And these breaks owe all of their power to the screenplay by DuBose Heyward, and the interpretation of it by film director Dudley Murphy, one of the earliest 'lost' avant-garde filmmakers, who films it all in a very quick, modern style, as opposed to the then dominant style of extended master shots.

The film's narrative does not already start on the unnamed tropical Caribbean Island that the play does; rather the film takes a chronological approach, and fleshes out more of Jones' background. In this, though, the 76 minute film suffers, for the play is a direct examination of a man's mind (however stereotyped one may argue it was rendered). The film neuters this innovative approach, but to Heyward's and Murphy's credit, the film compensates by expanding the tale of Jones with incidents not in the play. Plus, Murphy allows Robeson to physically change the tenor of scenes with a smile or a wink, or a knowing bow. To those who claim that Robeson was not a great actor, this is true only insofar as his acting style was not naturally cinematic- he was clearly theater and stage trained, but he does make a rather dated play still come alive, as a film, in the 21st Century. And, of course, the film has a number of musical interludes that the play lacks because, well, when one has Robeson, one of the 3 or 4 greatest male voices ever recorded, you show off the wares.

Worth Watching For Paul Robeson's Performance

[sddavis63 · 5/10 · 25 October 2010]

Paul Robeson was a very fine early black actor whose career was rather limited because he generally refused the types of servile and undignified roles that tended to be the lot of black actors in the 30's and 40's (not to mention the fact that he developed some associations that led him - rightly or wrongly - to be associated with the communist movement and further limited his career potential.) In this adaptation of Eugene O'Neill's famous play "The Emperor Jones," Robeson plays Brutus Jones, a man in prison in the United States, who escapes and finds his way to a lonely Caribbean island, where he succeeds in setting himself up as dictator, and an increasingly brutal one, more interested in his own power and glory than in the well-being of his "subjects." Robeson's portrayal of Jones was quite convincing, particularly in the latter few scenes of the movie as he shows Jones losing touch with reality as he races through the jungle, trying to escape from his former subjects who are now in revolt.

Robeson's performance aside, though, I found this to be an unfortunate disappointment. The first problem was that the version I watched had some issues - particularly in the quality of the sound. It was often difficult to make out some of the dialogue. The story also seemed to move too rapidly through events. There wasn't sufficient development of the plot, which often was disconcerting as one tried to find some logic to the course of events.

I first became familiar with O'Neill's play way back in high school. Some of the adaptations made in transferring this to the screen didn't work well. In particular, there's far less emphasis in the movie on Jones' race through the jungle (which is, as I noted, the highlight of the movie) than there is in the play. O'Neill might not be overly pleased with this particular adaptation of his work. For Robeson's performance alone, though, this is definitely worth watching, even if it isn't great.

Very stagy but quite good...

[planktonrules · 18 August 2011]

"The Emperor Jones" was first a play by Eugene O'Neill. While Paul Robeson was not the first stage actor to play the lead, he did this a decade before ultimately making this movie. While it's a very good movie, viewers will easily notice the stagy quality of the film. Too often, Jones (Robeson) talks as if he's giving a speech or talking to the audience--especially at the end of the movie. The net result is a fine display of his acting but this takes a hit on the realism of the film as NO ONE talks like this in real life! The film begins with Brutus Jones going to church and bidding the congregation goodbye. It seems he's got a new job on the Pullman train, but his friends don't realize what sort of a base character he really is. Once there, he connives and tricks his way to fast riches--and he hangs with a low crowd. It's not surprise, then, that when gambling with other riff-raff that he gets into trouble and is sent to prison. Once in prison, for the first time you feel sorry for him as he and the other prisoners are terribly mistreated. Seeing an overseer beating a fellow prisoner (possibly to death), Brutus rises up and kills the guard--and makes an escape. Soon he ends up on a steamer and then jumps overboard--and finds himself on a Caribbean island.

The island is very primitive and the black locals are a superstitious lot. After sizing up the situation, Jones takes advantage of this and makes it appear as if he has magic--and makes himself the emperor of the island. While this is dishonest, what happens next is much worse as the Emperor Jones is a cruel despot--who bleeds his people dry. And, in an ironic twist, he's pretty become much like the guard Jones killed! Finally, after back-breaking oppression by Jones, his people are sick and tired and ready to revolt. What comes next is the low-point of the film--Jones going off on an extended soliloquy and the film ends on a bit of a low note.

The first 90% of the film is great--with a fine performance by Robeson and an interesting plot. While some might object to the frequent use of the dreaded 'N' word (!!!!!) and the fact that the Jones character is not particularly noble or nice, it is very compelling viewing. The last 10% I mentioned above. It's stagy and overdone. I think if this portion had less scenery chewing, the film might have earned a 10. As is, it's still well worth seeing but merits a still above average score of 8.

Finally, this is not a criticism of this film alone, but it is quite sad that this and his other performances were of uneducated guys. As a result, he had to talk like a rather illiterate man--despite graduating at the top of his class at Rutgers, graduating from Columbia Law and knowing and speaking many languages! I guess audiences of the day weren't ready for a man like Robeson!

A badly mutilated version of a mediocre play, but

[larcher-2 · 7/10 · 3 August 1999]

A badly mutilated version of a mediocre play, but it still gives a taste of Paul Robeson, and this alone makes it worth watching. Anybody who doubts either Robeson's ability or the destructive effect of racism should see this film; here's an actor, who, but for racism, would have outdone practically all of the conventional white leading men of the 30's.

I Wanted to Love it

[view_and_review · 6/10 · 1 February 2024]

I wanted to like "The Emperor Jones." Let me take that back. I wanted to LOVE "The Emperor Jones." This was a movie with a primarily Black cast in 1933 and the leading man, even if a little crooked and morally askew, was clever, bold, and commanding. I didn't even know such a movie existed back then, or such roles. If only he and Dudley Digges could've dispensed with the copious usage of the racial pejorative that begins with the letter N. The main character, Brutus Jones (Paul Robeson), was the main offender. He made some rappers look tame by comparison. It was wholly unnecessary and only succeeded in being a distraction.

Brutus was a southerner who got a job as a Pullman Porter. That was one of the most respectable jobs back then for Black men. Quickly, we are apprised that Brutus is no good. He was a gambler who cheated on his wife--a far cry from the seemingly good Baptist we saw singing in the church at the very beginning.

His cheating and gambling got him in hot water with a slickster named Jeff (Frank H. Wilson). The two tussled over a knife in a gambling house and Jeff was killed. Brutus went to the chain gang as a result but didn't stay long. He killed a particularly brutal guard with a shovel and made a break. He boarded a ship for an anonymous Caribbean island where he became their self-proclaimed emperor.

Brutus Jones wasn't exactly the type of main character I wanted to see, but he was still a welcome break from the maids, butlers, and servants that Black people played back then.

***Sidebar***

Why did they go out of their way to make most African-American female maids overweight? I'm sure that's why Louise Beavers had so many roles, because she fit that stereotype. It's a patently false narrative. It was as if they wanted to depict Black women as unattractively as possible. It was such a popular trope that Mae West had FOUR overweight maids at one time in "I'm No Angel." I sure would've loved to see more Theresa Harris. She was thin, beautiful, and could sing.

***End sidebar***

"The Emperor Jones" should've been much better. Even though it was written by the acclaimed Eugene O'Neill (winner of four Pulitzer Prizes for Drama), I think he was out of his element. The only other Eugene O'Neill project I'd seen was "Strange Interlude" (1932) starring Clark Gable and Norma Shearer, and I thought that movie was abysmal. I'll give him another try though.

Watched on Max.

Paul Robeson leads

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 3 February 2024]

The community celebrates Brutus Jones (Paul Robeson) leaving his small town to be a train porter. Jeff shows him the ropes but he starts turning to the dark side. He ends up killing Jeff over a crooked craps game. He escapes from a prison work camp and onto a boat to the Caribbean where he cons his way to become the emperor of an island.

This is a pre-Code black film based on a play. Paul Robeson is showing out. The towering acting force is dominating. I would like to like the character more. Brutus is always going to be this way and I have very little sympathy for him. I do like the journey.

Paul Robeson's Unforgettable Tour-De-Force Performance!

[Sylviastel · 8/10 · 31 December 2010]

Before there was Denzel and Sidney Poitier, there was Paul Robeson, the pioneering African American actor whose talents were amazing. His rich, deep voice and presence in this unforgettable performance as Brutus Jones depicts his brilliance as an actor in what would be a forgettable film. The film was filmed in the 1930s in the height of the Great Depression. Even though it wasn't filmed in the South, it does give the impression that it was. His character Brutus Jones starts off as an honorable man until he gets a porter/pull-man job on the trains going from the heart of Georgia to New York City. Brutus slowly engages in shady activities which leads to prison and his escape twice to a foreign land where he becomes Emperor Jones but he's not a black and white character or an easy villain. Robeson's performance as Brutus Jones slowly unwinds and develops over the film. It's a film based on Eugene O'Neill's play of the same name. He should have been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance.

Difficult to watch

[zetes · 5/10 · 29 April 2011]

This Paul Robeson vehicle is based on a Eugene O'Neill play that I'm guessing is rarely performed nowadays. It might have been progressive at the time, but nowadays the entire thing comes off as unbearably racist. All black people do is fight, gamble and murder each other while repeatedly uttering the word "gwyne" (as in the sentence "I'm gwyne to roll me some craps!"). So I have to admit to really liking King Vidor's Hallelujah from four years earlier. It contains all of the same stereotypes, yet it works for me. I can't say why this one felt so much more cringe-worthy. Perhaps it was the fact that I could only understand about 25% of the dialogue, as the soundtrack doesn't seem to have survived very well. Or perhaps I just know Robeson has more in him than this. It's mostly only worthwhile when Robeson sings, which is, as always, majestic.

I should say that the version I saw was the public domain one on Netflix Instant, not the Criterion DVD, which might improve the film. For the record, I very much like Robeson in Jericho and King Solomon's Mine, and would highly recommend them.

robeson

[valwilmer · 10/10 · 31 March 2004]

A chance to see perhaps the greatest singing actor of all time. Robeson is robust, young and strong in this picture and the second he is on the screen the film is illuminating and great. Not to be missed. You can feel that robeson was a great athlete in the way he moves around. A combination of Marlon Brando and Otis Redding. Just ridiculous-- the talent, the craftsmanship in his singing, the meticulous way he picks up props. Also, it's wonderful to see him interact with others. There is something so soft, gentle and compassionate-- even in his acting.

The Incomplete Jones.

[Son_of_Mansfield · 5/10 · 5 April 2007]

Paul Robeson would have been a great cornerstone in a movie adaptation of Eugene O'Neill's play, but this is a pathetic version of the play. Almost all of the substance has been taken out to make it more palatable for it's audience. The change that sticks out the most in my mind is the deletion of almost all the instances of the word ni**er. It is used in the play as a distinction that Brutus Jones, an African American, uses to describe those beneath him. There is only one usage of it in the movie, no doubt to shock. A lot of the impact of Jones' hypocrisy is lost without the word and the racial tension that it brings. The back story of Jones is inserted so, I imagine, that they could have Robeson sing and dance for us. It's a mild and somewhat offensive version of The Emperor Jones.

Dated, but Interesting

[dougdoepke · 26 August 2008]

Despite the many flaws (stagey in the extreme), the movie remains a Paul Robeson showcase since he appears in almost every scene. And what a commanding figure he is. There's no difficulty believing his character's ability to rise to the top of any endeavor. The trouble is that Jones (Robeson) is both black and egotistical, a risky combination in Jim Crow America of the time. As a black, the best Jones can hope for is a menial position somewhere in the president's retinue, which he fantasizes about. As a proud and talented man, he remains ambitious, but with the normal avenues closed off.

Thus, when he gets the opportunity to seize one-man rule over a poor black Caribbean island, he grabs it. Unfortunately, his central character flaw rises to the surface in that even in a position of authority he thinks only of himself. That's been apparent from the outset in the way he treats women. So now that he actually has a measure of power, he abuses it. Instead of using his talents to improve the lives of his subjects, ie. "the bush n____s" (prohibited word), he glorifies himself and collaborates with the sly white trader to further exploit the natives until they finally rebel.

I don't know how much of the screenplay was in the original Eugene O'Neill stage play. Nonetheless, this movie version can be viewed as a negative commentary on the capacity of black people to govern themselves, and in that sense, the movie serves to reinforce popular stereotypes whether or not that was intended. In short, Jones proves just as abusive in his misrule as any white colonialist, even replicating a European royal court in burlesque fashion. Note, however, that Jones never threatens the position of the white produce trader (Dudley Digges). In fact, Digges' connections are never clarified-- does he represent a foreign government, a commercial company, or what. I take this to be a revealing omission since a clarification would raise the whole subject of colonial control and its presence on the island as the real power behind the throne.

Notice too, the powerful depiction of the Baptist church at the film's beginning, even if it is caricatured in "Praise de Lawd" fashion. There's a real sense of communal solidarity in those scenes. Thus, it's not surprising that in real life the catalyst for social equality would come from a community-based effort such as the church instead of from talented individuals like Emperor Jones. In that sense, the movie can be taken as a parable on the pitfalls of black emancipation.

At times the movie itself is hard to watch because of the relentless staginess, especially in the final forrest scenes. Robeson over-acts, to say the least. Too bad, since he doesn't need to. The sheer power of his resounding voice and physical presence is enough to command the screen like few others. But perhaps the producers wanted an element of caricature to make his character less threatening to white audiences. However that may be, Robeson presents a stark contrast to the submissive roles typically assigned black actors of the day, an indication of how much talent there was on the other side of the color line. All in all, the movie may be dated and forgettable, but Robeson is not.

Historical Myopia

[apocryphos · 10/10 · 2 October 2016]

As an 83 year old who passed Mr. Robeson in the hall of our quasi tenement dwelling in the early 50s, I still remember his broad shoulders and gracious smile bestowed on a scruffy white kid! Little did I know that as the first "authentic" Othello, on Broadway, he had seduced Uta Hagen/ Desdemona while leaving Jose Ferrer/Iago in the lurch. All the while fending off the H.U.A.C. lynch party! His embrace of Stalinist Russia was more than understandable: he was accorded respect by Uncle Joe! Anent the filmic "values." The East Coast obsolete filmic facilities were on a par with Hollywood "Poverty Row" productions.Oscar Michaux was adept on cobbling features from celluloid leavings of the studios. Anyone who deems Othello as technically "primitive" might take a gander at "Les Enfants du Paradis" produced under the nose of the Nazis or other "Continental" productions. The fact that forty lynchings followed the release attests to fact that somebody was "getting the Message"! Perhaps suspension of "disbelief" ought to be encouraged at University 101s! "Jeunes filles Rouges toujours plus belles! 'Nuff said!

Smashing.

[gkeith_1 · 10/10 · 27 February 2024]

Spoilers. Opinions. Reflections. Observations.

Brutus Jones gets sent off to his new career by his church congregation. They are happy. It is prestigious to be a train porter.

Brutus, a Baptist, falls in with gambling and violence, and goes to prison for evil deeds. He escapes, working as a coal shoveler on a ship bound for exotic locales. He hears about an obscure island, and hilariously jumps ship and swims ashore.

He runs into an authoritarian regime, after being rescued by thugs who find him exhausted on the beach. Brutus worms his way into the dictatorship, acting aristocratic and abusive.

He "puts his religion on the shelf", blending his obnoxious personality with the island religions, superstitions and witch doctors. Brutus gets very mean and cruel. You could see this coming a mile away -- people you abused are going to pay you back.

The islanders stage a revolution, hiding in the jungle. Brutus thinks he has mastered the forest's nooks and crannies, but his subjects are descendants of peoples who have lived there for thousands of years. Brutus, you are doomed.

I have studied film censorship at university. This film is pre-code.

There is a lot of racial name-calling. I feel that the script reflected the times. This film was made during The Great Depression in 1933, when there were lots of song and dance films made -- as a contrast to Brutus' shenanigans. My degree is in History.