PWNYCNY This movie is one of the great movies produced during the silent screen era. First, it features a great performance by Paul Robeson who plays a duo role as a con man posing as a preacher and his straight laced twin brother. Second, the movie provides a story in which African Americans are portrayed as complex characters, devoid of the stereotypical depictions typical of the movies of that time. In some respects this movie is a precursor to the 1960 movie Elmer Gantry, especially as it relates to the depiction of the corrupt clergy/con man and how appeals to religion is used to rip off a hapless and clueless public. Further, the story is complex, with a lot of interesting characters, and is well acted. All in all, it is a first class cinematic event.

MartinHafer Considering that this film was an all-black production with a very low budget, the results are surprisingly good. After all, many films made by the black community to be viewed by the black community were pretty dreadful affairs--mostly due to the incredibly poor production values. Here, however, Oscar Micheaux manages to make a film that is better than most mainstream films of the day. Part of is that he got a lot out of his cast and the money used to make the film and part of it is because the plot was so daring--and very ahead of its time.Paul Robeson (in his first film) plays a horrible man. He is a con-man and poses as a preacher to bilk decent people out of their money. And, on top of that, he's a hard-drinking man who is not above using and destroying women in the process. For much of the film, his evil ways go undetected and he's seen as a pillar of the community. However, late in the film he goes way too far and his actions result in the death of a woman who inexplicably loved him. He is confronted with his evil near the end and this was very exciting. Unfortunately, this very modern and cynical look at church charlatans ran afoul of censors and Micheaux unfortunately was forced to tack on a bad ending that detracted, a bit, from the impact of the overall film.Despite not getting a chance to hear Robeson's gorgeous voice since this is a silent, it did give him a great chance to show he could act--and act very well. In fact, of the many all-black productions I have watched, this has some of the best overall acting. Sure, there are a few silly characters here and there--but not many. Most are quite believable. There are a few minor quibbles about the film--apart from the ending. First, Robeson's character is not introduced well. Instead of seeing him live like the devil, the intertitle cards at the beginning tell about him--too much really. Second, the woman dying was clichéd. You don't just die of a broken heart and it could have been done in a much more believable manner--such as a suicide or having him beat her to death. Still, compared to all the films of the day, it was a wonderfully made film--and well worth seeing.

artroraback Body and Soul is an interesting film. Paul Robeson makes a powerful debut in this film about an escaped prisoner who blends into a small community as a beloved pastor. This film is an interesting period piece and was written, directed, and starred African-Americans in an era where that sort of thing wasn't done. Audiences today would be shocked at the stereotypical performances of the supporting cast and would be shocked that an African-American made this film. Well worth seeing for movie buffs. Robeson gives a great and powerful performance.

pcraft816 This film is about a Jack-Leg Preacher. A Jack-Leg Preacher is a crooked one. He drinks ands rapes women and then condemns people for his own gain. If that isn't Jack-Legged I don't know what is. Luckily for his the people that go to his church, the whole movie is just a dream, and he may not even be all too Jack-Legged. He may be a nice preacher.