Body and Soul

Paul Robeson's remarkable film debut, the star playing dual roles in this key work of African American cinema from pioneering filmmaker Oscar Micheaux

The great Paul Robeson – American stage star, activist, and later a key presence in British cinema – made his film debut in this landmark work by pioneering Black filmmaker Oscar Micheaux. Body and Soul features an all-Black cast, with Robeson in a remarkable dual role: a ruthless escaped convict posing as a reverend to exploit his congregation, and the preacher’s upright long-lost twin brother.

One of a series of “race films” made for segregated African American audiences, Body and Soul engages with familiar themes of morality, respectability, and community, but Micheaux gives them striking urgency. The film’s power is heightened by Robeson’s magnetic screen presence, while its unusual narrative structure—shaped by memory and dreams—deepens its exploration of violence, corruption, and redemption. Micheaux’s original cut was nine-reels long, but he was forced to cut footage after complaints about the story’s supposed sacrilegious elements. The five-reel version is the one that survives today. This digital restoration is presented here with a new score by Paul D. Miller, aka DJ Spooky.