Virtual Friday Night Films at the Wende: Paul Robeson Spotlight

This week’s Virtual Friday Night Film selections are inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement and spotlight Paul Robeson, a prominent Civil Rights activist and American actor with strong connections to the Cold War period. In his youth, Robeson was an All-American football player, a graduate from Rutgers University and Columbia Law School. A renowned bass-baritone concert artist and film actor, Robeson became famous both for his cultural accomplishments and for his political activism. Robeson advocated for civil rights in the United States and abroad, was sympathetic to the revolutionary ideals and conceived lack of racial prejudice in the Soviet Union. In part due to his association with international communist circles, and in part due to his prominent cultural and political role, the US government targeted Robeson in a McCarthyist attempt to silence him. He ultimately sacrificed his career for his beliefs and fight against injustice.

Paul Robeson’s silent film screen debut, Body and Soul tells the story of a convict masquerading as a preacher in small-town Georgia, directed by pioneering African-American filmmaker Oscar Micheaux.

Watch on Kanopy or Criterion Collection. The Criterion Collection is currently streaming this film free, no subscription required. Kanopy films are free to watch with a library card. Get immediate access to a LAPL e-card or LA County Library Digital Card.

Saul J. Turell’s Academy Award-winning documentary short Paul Robeson: Tribute to an Artist, narrated by Sidney Poitier, traces his career through his activism and his socially charged performances of his signature song, “Ol’ Man River.”

Watch on Criterion Channel.

Songs Of Freedom exposes the attempts of the FBI and other secret services in America to stop Robeson’s rising popularity and their ongoing efforts to discredit his activism. The film reveals that Robeson’s life was in danger as long as he continued along the path of international socialism.

Watch on Kanopy. Kanopy films are free to watch with a library card. Get immediate access to a LAPL e-card or LA County Library Digital Card.

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Virtual Film Picks are inspired by the in-person Friday Night Films at the Wende program series. This selection is part of a curated list of weekly movie suggestions that can be watched at home, in conjunction with #WendeOnline.