"Body and Soul" is a silent film independently produced by Oscar Micheaux, who also directed and wrote the screenplay. He was also the author of the novel that the film was based upon.
Only one actor in the film is white, and he has a very small role. The remaining cast is African-American, and the film was distributed only in segregated black communities. The crew was largely black as well, except for some white cameramen who could be hired cheaply as they were unable to get into the cinematographer's union. One of the film's supporting characters is white, played by a black in 'whiteface'. The only white actor is a character selling rancid meat, implying exploitation.
Although "Body and Soul" is a marginally good film, it is significant for marking the film debut of Paul Robeson. Robeson was already a successful stage performer, and his screen charisma and strong bass voice would make him a film star as well. His signature performance was "Old Man River" in "Showboat" from 1936. Communist sympathies would eventually undermine his career.
Robeson has a dual role. He plays an escaped convict and con man who imposters as a Reverend. He also plays the Reverend's brother, who is as moral as the Reverend is immoral. (The roles of good and evil twins apparently is as old as the craft of film-making.) Both Robesons have an interest in blank-faced young Mercedes Gilbert, whose mother Julia Theresa Russell unwisely trusts the Reverend and pushes him as a suitor.
The film's conclusion is a mess. There is a murder, or is there, which quickly becomes meaningless when the last half of the film is revealed to be just a dream. This hapless ending was a desperate measure for Micheaux, who had run out of money and was having trouble getting the film past the National Board of Review. The board objected to the miserably unhappy ending and the depiction of a reverend as a complete scoundrel.
If "Body and Soul" was a Hollywood production, it would be considered racist. The dialogue is an offensive dialect, and many of the supporting characters are foolish and even stereotypical. But then again, perhaps the very comparison of black characters with white characters is in itself sometimes racist.
The film's editing is amateurish and jarring at times. The technique of narrowing the picture to a small circle (an iris) is used to highlight a facial expression (with the rest of the screen darkened). An iris was also frequently employed in "Birth of a Nation", but the affectation largely went out with the silents.
Despite the film's technical, budgetary and censorship problems, "Body and Soul" is still an interesting film. Robeson is an impressive screen presence, and Micheaux clearly put everything he could into the film. (62/100)
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