Public Domain Movies

Public Domain Movies

Classic Movies in the Public Domain

Menu
  • Home
  • Public Domain Movies list
    • Action movies
    • Cartoons
    • Comedy films
    • Drama movies
    • Film Noir movies
    • Horror movies
    • Propaganda films
    • Romantic movies
    • Sci-Fi movies
    • Thriller movies
    • Westerns movies
  • Subscriptions
  • Members
    • Sing up
    • Sign in
Home ∼ The Emperor Jones, 1933 starring Paul Roberson, first African-American screen star

The Emperor Jones, 1933 starring Paul Roberson, first African-American screen star

Published by PublicDomainMovies on May 15, 2023

The Emperor Jones is a 1933 American pre-Code film adaptation of the Eugene O’Neill play of the same title, was made outside of the Hollywood studio system, financed with private money from neophyte wealthy producers, and directed by iconoclast Dudley Murphy, who had sought O’Neill’s permission to film the play since its 1924 production in New York. He cast Paul Robeson in his first film role, Dudley Digges, Frank H. Wilson, and Fredi Washington. The screenplay was written by DuBose Heyward and filmed at Kaufman Astoria Studios with the beach scene shot at Jones beach Long Beach, New York. Robeson starred in the O’Neill play on stage, both in the United States and England, a role that had helped launch his career.

Background:
The film is based rather loosely on O’Neil’s play, but adds an entire backstory before O’Neill’s actual play begins, and includes several new characters that do not appear in it (such as Jones’ wife, and a friendly priest who advises him to give up his evil ways). Some people considered the movie to be just a vehicle for displaying Robeson’s famous musical talent (he sings a number of times in the film). However, the film does provide what may be Robeson’s greatest dramatic performance in a movie, considered by many to be worthy of an Oscar nomination that it did not receive.


Buy a subscription to watch this movie and hundreds more:

Ready to watch? Click to start your free trial.

Watch anywhere. Cancel anytime. Free trial.

Free trialMonthly SubscriptionYearly Subscription
Free$5/month$50/year

The Emperor Jones (1933 film)
Posted in Drama movies Tagged 1933, Dudley Digges, Dudley Murphy, Frank H. Wilson, Fredi Washington, Paul Robeson
← Previous Next →

Public Domain Movies

Classic Old Time Movies in the Public Domain. Best Classic Films - Full Movies.
Ready to watch 400+ full movies? Click HERE to start your FREE trial.

Members

Sign in

Movie genres

  • Action movies (rss) (42)
  • Adult films (rss) (5)
  • Cartoons (rss) (67)
  • Comedy films (rss) (82)
  • Documentary & Animation (rss) (12)
  • Drama movies (rss) (79)
  • Fantasy films (rss) (17)
  • Film Noir movies (rss) (27)
  • Horror movies (rss) (31)
  • Musicals (rss) (22)
  • Propaganda films (rss) (25)
  • Romantic movies (rss) (20)
  • Sci-Fi movies (rss) (27)
  • Thriller movies (rss) (23)
  • Westerns movies (rss) (33)

Search movie database:

Top Movies

She Shoulda Said No!, 1949 exploitation film
Day Dreams, 1922 featuring Buster Keaton
The Sadist, 1963 film
McLintock!, 1963 starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara
A Woman, 1915 film starring Charlie Chaplin
The Wizard of Oz, 1925
Cartoon: Robin Hood Makes Good, 1939
Buck Rogers in Planet Outlaws, 1953 (serial) All chapters
Royal Wedding, 1951 starring Fred Astaire and Jane Powell
Bloody Pit of Horror, 1965

Latest Movies

  • The Musketeers of Pig Alley, 1912 first gangster movie
  • Day Dreams, 1922 featuring Buster Keaton
  • A Woman, 1915 film starring Charlie Chaplin
  • Royal Wedding, 1951 starring Fred Astaire and Jane Powell
  • Cartoon: Robin Hood Makes Good, 1939
  • The Wizard of Oz, 1925
  • The Silent Command, 1923 featuring Bela Lugosi
  • The Adventurer, 1917
  • Target for Today, 1944
  • Misbehaving Husbands, 1940

Follow Us

  • Telegram
  • Reddit
  • Mastodon
  • RSS Feed
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
Mastodon

Search

Secondary Menu

  • Home
  • Public Domain Movies list
    • Action movies
    • Cartoons
    • Comedy films
    • Drama movies
    • Film Noir movies
    • Horror movies
    • Propaganda films
    • Romantic movies
    • Sci-Fi movies
    • Thriller movies
    • Westerns movies
  • Subscriptions
  • Members
    • Sing up
    • Sign in

Copyright © 2023 Public Domain Movies.

Back to Top

  • Contact
  • Best Public Domain Movies
  • All the actors
  • Privacy & Cookies
We use cookies. With “Accept”, you consent to the use of all the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
SettingsAccept
Privacy & Cookies

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT