GamerTab That was an excellent one.

Executscan Expected more

Derrick Gibbons An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Ella-May O'Brien Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

MartinHafer Considering that this film was an all-black production with a very low budget, the results are surprisingly good. After all, many films made by the black community to be viewed by the black community were pretty dreadful affairs--mostly due to the incredibly poor production values. Here, however, Oscar Micheaux manages to make a film that is better than most mainstream films of the day. Part of is that he got a lot out of his cast and the money used to make the film and part of it is because the plot was so daring--and very ahead of its time.Paul Robeson (in his first film) plays a horrible man. He is a con-man and poses as a preacher to bilk decent people out of their money. And, on top of that, he's a hard-drinking man who is not above using and destroying women in the process. For much of the film, his evil ways go undetected and he's seen as a pillar of the community. However, late in the film he goes way too far and his actions result in the death of a woman who inexplicably loved him. He is confronted with his evil near the end and this was very exciting. Unfortunately, this very modern and cynical look at church charlatans ran afoul of censors and Micheaux unfortunately was forced to tack on a bad ending that detracted, a bit, from the impact of the overall film.Despite not getting a chance to hear Robeson's gorgeous voice since this is a silent, it did give him a great chance to show he could act--and act very well. In fact, of the many all-black productions I have watched, this has some of the best overall acting. Sure, there are a few silly characters here and there--but not many. Most are quite believable. There are a few minor quibbles about the film--apart from the ending. First, Robeson's character is not introduced well. Instead of seeing him live like the devil, the intertitle cards at the beginning tell about him--too much really. Second, the woman dying was clichéd. You don't just die of a broken heart and it could have been done in a much more believable manner--such as a suicide or having him beat her to death. Still, compared to all the films of the day, it was a wonderfully made film--and well worth seeing.

tavm This silent Oscar Micheaux production is notable as the first film of Paul Robeson, later to gain fame in the Broadway and movie version of Showboat. He plays a convict posing as the Reverend Isaiah T. Jenkins and his brother Sylvester. Both are pursuing a woman named Isabelle played by Mercedes Gilbert, a native of Jacksonville, Fla. which is where I once lived in from 1987-2003. Her mother, Martha Jane, is played by Micheaux's sister-in-law, Julia Theresa Russell. Martha Jane is a fan of the reverend and is excited about his upcoming wedding with her daughter. Isabelle prefers Sylvester but he doesn't meet her mother's approval because he doesn't make enough money (I guess the fact Isaiah is a man of the "cloth" is an exception to the mother). When the mother briefly leaves the reverend and Isabelle alone, the reverend looks to threaten the daughter but Martha Jane seems to arrive before anything bad happens. A later flashback extends the scene and explains why the daughter is so afraid of him...This was a pretty effective depiction of a tragedy as performed by the three lead players especially in Robeson's various moods as the convict-reverend. Micheaux also subtly implies a later possible rape scene in a cabin and mines some humor out of the audience of a rousing sermon near the end. Because the New York censor board couldn't accept the tragic ending, however, the director, with barely any more funds to shoot multiple changes simply had the whole thing be the dream of the mother with a happy ending for Isabelle and Sylvester. It does, however, show us both the good and bad sides of Robeson in playing dual roles to a black audience that could not have afforded to see him on Broadway at the time. So to anyone interested in early black cinema, Body and Soul comes highly recommended.

mojo2004 A very moving film for its time.I'm a big Paul Robeson fan and I'm glad TCM shows a lot of films with all Black casts.I think it should be shown along with the 1929 film "Hallelujah".It also has an all Black cast and has religion as its theme but it's not a silent film.This film ran a little too long but I never stopped watching.Touchy subject matter even today.Right on point even today!Even though Robeson found fame who knows what talent the others had that skin color stopped from them also becoming well known.That's why I love these films.The Black Church must have shunned this type of film back them and the actors couldn't have had an easy time of it.I'd call this a silent soap opera.The mother really loved her daughter a whole lot.Mercy!The daughter was the ultimate tragic figure.The Minister.One word-Sinister!

tbarnettjr This was a good movie! I just saw it for the first time. I've never ever really sat down to watch a silent movie not to mention a "race film" made by a black producer back in the 1920's. I was impressed yet at the same time distraught by the stereotypical overtones. Being a man born in the 50's the written dialog was a bit challenging to decipher. However, I did enjoy the chance to interpret what I was seeing and not be forced to feel or react to things like most films do today.I enjoy films made by black producers because they often carry historical inferences but sadly still adorned with stereotypes. Nowadays it seems to be all about special effects, graphical imagery and money. Micheaux's "Body and Soul" doubtless was also about money because he had to pay bills too, but it's obvious he was into his craft. You can see this from the acting and storytelling. It emanated the typical and cynical parody of life which has manifested throughout generations. This film didn't need special effects to be appreciated or tell the story. The emotional acting of Isabelle (Mercedes Gilbert), the daughter, was impressive and a major faction of the film. The animated deceitful behavior of the reverend (Paul Robeson) along with well emphasized facial expressions was very entertaining. The mother's acting (Julia Theresa Russell) was descent. The ending was questionable. It moved the film into a completely different direction? Can't figure that one out? Maybe it was Micheaux's mind working the "What If?" factor.Micheaux, obviously no Alfred Hicthcock, I can see had to avoid subversive film-making to implore the white film industry with their vision of blacks. I'm sure if he were alive today I'd say, "Oscar, there's no reason for you to feel shame or disgrace having to produce films that way because things aren't so different now. They may seem to be, but still the same."