PAUL ROBESON: PORTRAITS OF/DVD

I was ask by Amazon.com to give my review for this video. This video is an Mr Robeson's excellent form of acting. It is so exciting to see beautiful Afro-American women dancing and singing in one of his movie. Mr Robeson,was before his time. Coming from a talented family,you can see were he getts his talent from.Robeson was born in Princeton, New Jersey. His father, William Drew Robeson I, ran away from a North Carolina plantation where he had been born a slave; he later graduated from Lincoln University (Pennsylvania) and became a church minister. His mother, Maria Louisa Bustill, came from an abolitionist Quaker family . Paul's four siblings included: William Drew Robeson, a physician who practiced in Washington, D.C.; Benjamin Robeson, a minister; Reeve Robeson (called Reed); and Marian Robeson, who lived in Philadelphia. In 1915, Paul graduated with honors from Somerville High School in Somerville, New Jersey, where he excelled academically and participated in singing, acting, and athletics.When you view his acting in this video you will see his inheritance of intelligence. I watched this video 4 times in a row. This is the best !Dr Ponchita Lopez

The film creaks with age. It's a low-budget project that probably had a small audience in its day, but here is a treasure. Letting the sound track and the fuzzy images get in your way will only rob the viewer of a great theatrical experience. And, to witness Paul Robson sing and perform at the height of his career only enriches the experience. Too bad a serious restoration of this film has not been undertaken.

What goes around....

This movie displays the artistry of Paul Robeson which shines through the stereotypes which make the movie hard to watch in today's world. It provides us a reminder of how Black actors had to suppress their talents to work in Hollywood of the 1930s.

Despite Robeson's singing, this DVD did not appeal to my taste. I did not feel there was anything to commend it. Even though It was mainly a drama, I suppose I was disappointed that Robeson did not sing more. I have seen hundreds of dramas that I would rate above it. Robeson acted well but the plot was depressing, and After it had finished I felt that I had gained nothing from it. I suppose I shall play it again in case I had been mistaken in my judgement.

the restored film,with the reinserted scenes,gave more flow to the play as written by o'neill. the digitization also added to the clarity and,gave more detail to scenes showing subtleties that i had missed previously. should be viewed as a time capsule of American history.

The discs are excellent. You feel like you are watching the films when they were brand new. Worth every penny.

ROBESON ISN'T VERY FAMOUS TO CHINA, HOWEVER, THE PEOPLE WHO LOVE FILMS WILL REMEMBER "JAZZ SINGER", AND BY THE WAY, THAT BLACK SUPERSTAR.

one of the best class of entertainers during his life time