The Emperor Jones w/ Paul Robeson, Film

This is the 1933 “pre code” film version of the Eugene O’Neil play that many people now look on as a racist relic. It was the first mainstream movie starring an African American, Paul Robeson who reprises the role he played in the stage version. Mr. Robeson was a true renaissance man;actor, lawyer, singer, football player and social activist. It was his outspoken activism that brought him into conflict with the more conservative elements of the American government and got him blacklisted during the 1950’s.