Streamed online March 16–22, 2022
The iconic performer Paul Robeson’s debut screen performance, Body and Soul by the legendary director Oscar Micheaux is an example of an early “race film,” a genre produced in the first half of the 20th century by all–African American casts and crew specifically for Black audiences. Controversial upon release because of its portrayal of a swindler posing as a clergyman, Body and Soul is the only instance of Micheaux directing Robeson for the screen. With a new soundtrack by DJ Spooky (aka Paul Miller). (Oscar Micheaux, 1925, 75 minutes) Presented in conjunction with the exhibition James Van Der Zee’s Photographs: A Portrait of Harlem.
Click here to learn more about the Film Programs: Virtual Cinema at the National Gallery.
The Virtual Cinema at the National Gallery presents various programs of digitized films, video, and media art once a month online, free and accessible across the United States.