<I>Body and Soul</I>
date: label: Date
content: 1925
name: label: Directed by
content: Oscar Micheaux, American, 1884 - 1951
label: Written by
content: Oscar Micheaux, American, 1884 - 1951
label: Produced by
content: Oscar Micheaux, American, 1884 - 1951
label: Distributed by
content: Micheaux Film and Book Company, American, 1918 - 1940
label: Subject of
content: Paul Robeson, American, 1898 - 1976
label: Subject of
content: Lawrence Chenault, American, 1877 - 1943
label: Subject of
content: Mercedes Gilbert, American, 1894 - 1952
label: Created by
content: Julia Theresa Russell, American, 1898 - 2000
label: Owned by
content: D.C. Public Library, American, founded 1896
notes: label: Caption
content: This film was a part of the Washington D.C. Public Library's circulating 16mm film collection housed at the Martin Luther King Jr. Central Library. The collection is particularly noted for the wide variety of African American and African diaspora content.
label: Description
content: Reel two of a 1925 silent film with the title Body and Soul. It consists of a single reel of 16mm black-and-white polyester film without a sound track.
label: Description
content: The film tells the story of an escaped prisoner on the run (played by Paul Robeson) who returns to his hometown, Tatesville, an African American town in the state of Georgia. Upon his return, the escapee assumes the identity of a clergyman, Reverend Isiah T. Jenkins, but continues attending the local juke joint surreptitiously, gambling and drinking with some frequency. On one occasion he happens upon Yellow-Curley Hinds (Lawrence Chenault), a former cellmate who recognizes him and the two conspire to rob some of the parishioners. Reverend Jenkins decides to rob Martha Jane (Mercedes Gilbert), one of the women in his congregation, of her life savings, while Martha Jane is intent on ensuring her daughter Isabelle (Julia Theresa Russell) marries the reverend. Isabelle, however, is not in love with Rev. Jenkins. Instead, her affection belongs to the reverend's estranged identical twin brother Sylvester (also played by Paul Robeson).
place: label: Place used
content: Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
label: Place depicted
content: Georgia, United States, North and Central America
title: label: Title
content: Reel 2 of the motion picture film Body and Soul
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Actors
label: Topic
content: Communities
label: Topic
content: Film
label: Topic
content: Race films
label: Topic
content: Religion
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Collection title
content: DC Public Library Film Collection
label: Classification
content: Time-based Media - Moving Images
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Transferred from the DC Public Library
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2017.55.80.1a
objectType: label: Type
content: silent films
label: Type
content: black-and-white films (visual works)
label: Type
content: 16mm (photographic film size)
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Restrictions likely apply. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: polyester film
label: Dimensions
content: Duration: 33 Minutes
label: Dimensions
content: Length (Film): 1200 Feet