Body and Soul

A seminal work in Black independent cinema and a silent classic, Body And Soul, by Oscar Micheaux — considered the first great African American filmmaker — marked the film debut of acclaimed stage actor Paul Robeson, in a double role that demonstrated his versatility and charisma. This powerful drama, whose robust social critique explores themes of morality and racial inequality, centres on an ex-convict who takes on the identity of a corrupt minister in a small African American community in the American South. The film, which celebrates its centenary this year, has been noted as a response to stereotyped representations of the African American experience, as seen in earlier films like Birth of a Nation (1915), by D.W. Griffith. The version being screened is a 4K restoration by George Eastman Museum with a soundtrack by DJ Spooky.