Directed by
Murphy, Dudley, American, 1897 - 1968
Subject of
Robeson, Paul, American, 1898 - 1976
Written by
O'Neill, Eugene, American, 1888 - 1953
Subject of
Digges, Dudley, Irish, 1879 - 1947
Wilson, Frank Henry, American, 1886 - 1956
Washington, Fredi, American, 1903 - 1994
Elzy, Ruby, American, 1908 - 1943
Owned by
D.C. Public Library, American, founded 1896
Date
1933
Medium
acetate film
Dimensions
Duration (Reel 1): 26 Minutes
Length (Film): 950 Feet
Duration (Reel 2):
Length (Film):
Caption
The Emperor Jones tells the story of Brutus Jones and his rise to prominence as a Pullman Porter, and later a self-proclaimed Emperor. Unfortunately due to his own greed and carelessness, Jones is later forced to escape the village he once ruled out of fear for his life. By the film’s end, Jones is so haunted by his past that he becomes manic and is subsequently killed by his former guards. Directed by Dudley Murphy in 1933, The Emperor Jones was originally written as a play by Eugene O’Neill and marks the motion picture debut of Paul Robeson.
This film was a part of the Washington D.C. Public Library's circulating 16mm film collection housed at the Martin Luther King Jr. Central Library. The collection is particularly noted for the wide variety of African American and African diaspora content.
Description
A feature film with the title The Emperor Jones. It consists of two (2) reels of black-and-white 16mm acetate film with optical sound.
The film follows Brutus Jones (Paul Robeson) who was recently hired as a Pullman porter. After inadvertently killing another man, Jones is imprisoned where he kills a guard for attacking another inmate. Brutus then flees to the Caribbean on a steam ship and settles on one of the islands where he befriends a local merchant, Smithers (Dudley Diggers).
Place used
Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
Place filmed
Astoria, Queens, New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
Place depicted
Surrey, Jamaica, Caribbean, North and Central America
Collection title
DC Public Library Film Collection
Classification
Time-based Media - Moving Images
Movement
Harlem Renaissance (New Negro Movement)
Type
sound films
black-and-white films (visual works)
16mm (photographic film size)
Topic
Actors
Film
Pullman Porters
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2017.55.74.1ab
Restrictions & Rights
Restrictions likely apply. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5bd11c69b-deec-4442-b062-e0f618913129

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

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