Body and Soul

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

Psychological Drama Psychological Thriller Crime Drama Thriller

A malevolent phony preacher plots to take advantage of a woman from his congregation who happens to be in love with his long-estranged identical twin brother.A malevolent phony preacher plots to take advantage of a woman from his congregation who happens to be in love with his long-estranged identical twin brother.A malevolent phony preacher plots to take advantage of a woman from his congregation who happens to be in love with his long-estranged identical twin brother.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.2/10

1.3K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 win total

Photos15

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Film debut of Paul Robeson.

Goofs
Mother Martha Jane looks through her Bible for the saved money to show it to the sisters, but it's missing. She leaves the book on the table and while searching through some drawers, three shots of the sisters show no book on the table. When the mother returns to the table, the book is back.

Quotes
Yello-Curley' Hinds - the Phony Reverend's Former Jailmate: I tell you that I was not seekin' you out, but dropped off here to find girls for 'Cotton Blossom's Shoulder Shakers' - - and this little Isabelle - - she appeals to muh!

Alternate versions
Raymond Rohauer, Inc. copyrighted a restored version in 1979 with a music track and new credits. The music was composed and performed by Lee Erwin and was recorded at Carnegie Hall Cinema, New York. It's running time is 83 minutes.

Connections
Featured in Black Shadows on a Silver Screen (1975)

User reviews24

Featured review

6/10

Can these old bones live?

Its nice to see there was a Black director (Micheaux) with the gumption to take on difficult themes (like a crooked preacher and sexual abuse). Unfortunately his mastery of technique wasn't very good; this movie resembles the sort of thing D.W. Griffith was doing in 1913, both in form and tone (cf. A Girl and her Trust). Cinema had evolved by 1925.

There is one great comic sequence that is worth the price of the movie, an over-the-top sermon (on the valley of dry bones) in which the whiskey-guzzling preacher has his congregation in such ecstasy that they do what looks suspiciously like break-dancing. Robeson, usually the good guy, here proves that he is equally adept at playing a sleazebag when required. There is a similar "sermon" in The Blues Brothers that was surely inspired by this one. The comical stereotypes would normally cause us to cry "racism", but this movie was made by and for blacks.

Body and Soul explores serious issues and has moments of great fun, but is mainly of historical interest.