The Yale Film Study Center will mark Black History Month with a classic film starring one of the greatest African-American stars in history.
“The Emperor Jones” stars Paul Robeson as Brutus Jones, a Pullman porter who schemes to become the leader of a small Caribbean island.
The 1933 film was adapted from the play by Eugene O’Neill, a friend of Robeson’s from the Provincetown Players. O’Neill had cast Robeson in the role of Jones when the play was performed on Broadway in 1925. O’Neill also cast Robeson in “All God’s Chillun Got Wings” in 1924 and “The Hairy Ape” in 1931. “The Emperor Jones” will be shown Wednesday, Feb. 14, at 7 p.m. at Whitney Humanities Center, 53 Wall St. in New Haven. Admission is free. whc.yale.edu/films-whitney.
