User reviews

Although no-one could call this a great movie, it is of compelling historical interest. At a time when Black people in the movies were servants or scoundrels, Paul Robeson portrayed a London dock-worker who is discovered by an impresario and launches a great singing career; after that, he goes to Africa to bring education and enlightenment to the tribespeople.

It's easy to be harsh on this movie; it shows the people of Africa as benighted savages in need of guidance (only this time they get it from Robeson, playing an Afro-cockney). The whole second half plays in tropical-adventure mode, with all the clichés of the 1930s.

But you have to realize that the film's sympathies are with the London dock-workers, black and white; it goes to great lengths to show them treating each other with friendship and respect, and this is the most notable part of the story. Everyone else is a caricature - the impresario, the aristocratic explorer, the witch-doctor, and so on.

Anyone who has a tolerance for 1930s films will quickly realize that this is much better than most of them, and is worth a look for many reasons, not the least is the opportunity to hear Robeson's great singing voice. One curious fact is that this is from Hammer Studios, which later became identified with horror films.

A must see for anyone interested in cinema.

This Hammer Studio, from London, England which is famous for its horror films surprised me with this great film from 1936 starring Paul Robeson, (John Zinga) who works as a London dock worker and sings songs all the time besides having a great bass voice for the opera and is discovered by a great opera director and producer from London, England. John is always wanting to go to Africa where he came from, but he does not know exactly where he was born, but he still remembers a song which he heard when he was very young. One day John happens to sing this song on stage in an opera performance and this song is recognized by an Englishman who tells him where it comes from and also a charm which John wears around his neck which helped determine its origin. John also has a wife and they both visit this Island and try to introduce themselves to these people and that is when the story gets very interesting. Don't miss this great film from the past, it is a gem in the rough. Enjoy

It's sad that this sort of film simply could not have been made in Paul Robeson's home country at the time due to racism. Instead, Robeson went to the UK and made a few films--too few. I say this because he had a wonderful screen presence and his singing was gorgeous.

Robeson plays 'John Zinga'--a London dockworker descended from royalty back in Africa. Oddly, he lacks a British accent (while Robeson was a brilliant and multi-talented man, apparently a British accent was beyond him) and he has a weird sort of consciousness of his people and Africa within him. It goes far deeper than his interest in his cultural homeland--Robeson's character is fixated on the place and seems to have bits and pieces in the back of his mind about his homeland--though no one apparently ever told him about this--at least as far as he can remember. So, after becoming a huge singing star and learning more about the exact place in Africa where his forebears came from, he takes off for the place to get in touch with his roots.

The second portion of the film takes place an Zananga, Africa. There, Robeson is eventually recognized as a descendant of kings and brings culture, medicine and western civilization to these people--but it is a hard fight to get them to abandon their ineffective ways. It's nice that it's NOT a case of whites bringing this to these 'dark' people but a black man bringing this knowledge to them--making it seem a little less paternalistic. In many ways, this portion of the film seems like a call to other black men and women to return and contribute to their ancestral lands.

Overall, while the film might seem a bit old fashioned today, it really is a remarkable film in many ways. The most obvious is because of its unusual subject mater, but more important aspects should not be lost on the viewer. To have a mainstream film starring a strong and talented black man was very progressive for its day. And, seeing Robeson liked and respected by all as a person--even by his white co-workers. In many ways the film comes off as a bit overly ideal--absent is racism and in this film a good black man can achieve practically anything--a message that must have resonated in the black communities in the UK as well as back home in the States. A daring film and a great chance to see and hear an amazingly gifted man. For more on this, read his biography on IMDb--you'll see what I mean.

Sure, the movie is dated in both technique and appearance. But it does have the great Paul Robeson in the central role as a dockworker and social equal of his white work mates. This is at a time when Blacks in American movies were reduced to either menials or buffoons. In terms of stereotypes, Robeson's non-demeaning role takes some getting used to. But try imagining that powerful presence and commanding voice in anything other than a dignified role. No wonder he was widely viewed as a threat to Jim Crow stereotypes.

Perhaps the film's most interesting aspect is what the Westernized Robeson can do for his benighted tribe of ancestors once he returns to them, uninvited. Sure, he can bring those sanitation and medical advances that will improve their collective health. The movie does a pretty good job of dramatizing that aspect, and we're all rooting for him to win out over the tribe's non-scientific methods and the witch- doctor power structure keeping them in place. But what happens after that. Of course, the movie stops at that point, so we don't know. But we do know another area of the continent has been opened to Western presence. The question then is whether Robeson will also bring in Western commercial interests, of much more dubious benefit than the proved health benefits, as history shows. After all, penicillin is one thing, Chevron is another. This remains a point to ponder now that the movie has set up the initial stage.

Despite its shortcomings (the outrageously fey Donizetti, for one), the movie remains an interesting artifact of its time, especially for Robeson's and other Blacks' acceptance into the white working class of London's docks. I'm sure the leftist Robeson found that labor- solidarity aspect particularly appealing. Then too, Elisabeth Welch delivers a fine natural performance as Robeson's loyal wife. We root for the two of them just as we would root for a courageous white couple. Above all, however, the film remains a chance to view one of America's noblest forgotten figures—the great Paul Robeson.

Greetings And Salutations, and welcome to my review of Song Of Freedom. Before we get into it, here are my ratings:

Story - 1.50 Direction - 1.25 Pace - 1.25 Acting - 1.25 Enjoyment - 1.25

TOTAL - 6.5 out of 10

Song Of Freedom surprised me by putting a smile on my face and a warmth in my heart. For a 1936 film about one African man's dream to find himself and help his people, I wasn't expecting much. Blissfully, I received so much more. The story is well written, intelligent, and finely structured. And not only does it address a couple of major issues it did so at a time other writers, directors, and producers would have steered clear of the subject matter. For one, it's the story of a black man, and Paul Robeson plays the part of John Zinga perfectly. Though it's not only this issue that's highlighted. John has a wife, Ruth, who is portrayed forcefully by Elisabeth Welch. Ruth is a powerful outspoken woman who speaks her mind. In 1936 this was pretty much unheard of, a strong female lead. And, she is a lead. Ruth, being finely constructed, works superbly alongside her husband, John. When they are on the screen together, they demand your attention. It's an ideal pairing of an actor and actress with their characters.

But my delight didn't stop there. The director does an admirable job in putting the tale onto celluloid. Even the stock shots of crowded theatres fit in the movie without drawing undue thoughts. He uses light and shade sublimely to build the tension and unease, especially in the night sequences and imprisonment scenes. But don't get me wrong, it's not perfect. As was the standard back then, whenever there was a chase scene - in Song it's on foot at the start - they speed the film up, giving the segment a Keystone Cops feel, which is terrible. However, it's only a slight thing, so it's easy to accept it and still enjoy the picture.

But, by and far, one of the most pleasurable things about Song Of Freedom is the cast. These actors and actresses are brilliant, and there are no small parts. In one scene, John has invited one of his dockworking buddies to watch his on-stage performance as he's made it as a famous singer. He's talking to him and his wife when he's interrupted by a Lord who may know the secret to the mysterious song that John keeps singing. The dockworker and his wife depart, but not before doffing his cap to the lord and giving an awkward curtsey - the look on the wife's face is outstanding. These trivial elements add depth and believability to the film.

Though I'm not a great fan of musicals, Song is not a typical musical. The music is not integrated into the telling of the story. The music is there because John Zinga is a singer. And a bloody good one at that. Though I will say, Robeson does sound better at acapella than with accompaniment. I would highly recommend Song Of Freedom to anyone who enjoys this style of drama. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will be revisiting it soon.

Please feel free to visit my Dramatisation Of Life to see where I ranked Song Of Freedom.

Take Care & Stay Well.

If you can possibly see The Song Of Freedom by all means do so. It's a chance to see Paul Robeson sing and give a fine acting performance in a story set partially in Africa. It's a mini-version of the famous American mini-series Roots. Paul in fact carries his roots with him both in a song that's been with him since birth and a medallion handed down to him from an ancestor who was sold into slavery and who was king of his people. That's all dealt with in a short prologue.

Fast forward to 1936 and Robeson is working on the London docks and also provides a bit of entertainment for his fellow stevedores. Impresario Esme Percy discovers him and turns Robeson into a concert/opera singer. But one night a backstage visitor tells Robeson that this melody which he has engraved in his soul is the chief's song from a particular tribe in Africa. Robeson and wife Elisabeth Welch go to that part of Africa where he attempts to reassert his royal prerogatives.

As a colonizing power in Africa, the British picked up knowledge about the place that Americans only gleaned from Edgar Rice Burroughs and other such pulp fiction authors. And in these years prior to World War II did film a lot of stories on location there such as The Four Feathers in the Sudan. Song Of Freedom was shot on location in Sierra Leone for the African part of the story. It's light years more real than anything you would get from Hollywood.

Incidentally the gambit of the 'lost song' may very well have been lifted from the Victor Herbert operetta Naughty Marietta. No matter, it's well done and provides Robeson with a number.

Elisabeth Welch who was a fine singer in her own right gets to do Sleepy Rivers. I wish she had been given more to do.

Seeing both Paul Robeson and a glimpse of the real Africa is a chance no one should pass up.

The second episode of the "House of Hammer" podcast covered the 1936 Musical "Song of Freedom". In their second year of production, Hammer tried to catch on the trend of musical films that were popular during that decade and landing the legendary Paul Robeson to play the lead was another coup, but the film itself is one of two halves. The second jarringly different to the first.

Johnny Zinga (Paul Robeson) lives a happy life as a London Dockworker. Zinga's singing voice makes him popular amongst his friends and neighbours and eventually catches the ear of Impresario Gabriel Donozetti (Esme Percy). Now wealthy and successful, circumstances allow Zinga to head to the African Island nation that his family originate from. There he finds a culture based on myth and magic and bluntly tries to teach them what he knows of modern Western living.

As with "Phantom Ship" I watched this film on Youtube, so I'm reliant on the versions that have been uploaded and with that in mind, despite only being a year later "Song of Freedom" looks much more like a contemporary movie of the time than "Phantom Ship" did. The performances are better, the audio is much more perceptible, and the editing is much less brutal. It was not, for me, a better film though. The first half was, with a couple of songs from Robeson and a story that made sense and was progressing nicely. I liked the odd mannerism of Donozetti's assistant and his embarrassed feelings for his secretary. The relationships on the docks were engaging (if perhaps, probably not realistic for the time).

It just falls apart for me when the story moves to Casinga. Zinga goes far too quickly from wanting to see his homeland, to demanding that they change. Which puts him at odds with the Witch Doctor, who is the de facto ruler at the moment and played by James Solomon. Everything in this second half felt rushed, and the character of Johnny notably changed from the one I feel I was introduced to in the first half.

Though Robeson's performance is strong, the second half of the film really lets it down, to the point I don't think I could honestly recommend it.

This was a fairly good film dating back to 1936 from Hammer Productions in Britain. Starring Paul Robeson, whose extraordinary vocal talents are properly utilized. It's the story of a African-Briton living in England after slavery has been abolished in the European nation. He works on the docks and his one dream in life to discover his ancestry in Africa. His interest is fueled by a song that he sings often, be it to his wife or during his job on the docks. A song that he never learned, but as he would put it, was always inside of him. His amazing bass singing voice is over-heard by a theater yuppie and he is quickly recruited to the stage appearing in theatrical productions while utilizing his singing talents. After creating a fan following and with the help of some knowledge from a theater-goer, he decides to finally take the trip to Africa to find his "roots." Overall, the film is good, if not a bit too idealistic. But it doesn't harm the film's integrity and Robeson's great talent as both an actor and singer. Seeing how this film is not known well, I would recommend it. It's not a very long picture; it runs just under and hour and twenty minutes. So take some the time, and find this movie. If not for the film, then do it for Robeson's incredible vocal talents.***

Paul Robeson had a wonderful voice, but one expects more from a movie than that. With the possible exception of Marcus Garvey, I can't see how anyone could praise it.

In reviewing movies starring people of color in chronological order for Black History Month, we're now in 1936 when singer/actor Paul Robeson has one of his strongest roles yet on film. In this one, he's Johnny Zinga, a London dockworker whose constant singing during break time gets him the attention of impresario Gabriel Donozetti (Esme Percy) who offers him a chance to entertain in various concerts. He becomes successful but something pulls him back to his ancestral homeland in Africa and when someone confirms his heritage, he chucks his career to bring himself and his wife, Ruth (Elisabeth Welch) along with servant Monty (Robert Adams), there to claim his inherited royalty. But the native leader (James Solomon) there doubts him along with the rest of the tribe with the exception of Mandingo (Ecce Homo Toto). I'll stop there and just say this was dramatically satisfying from beginning to end and Robeson really carries the film on his own shoulders whether singing or reciting his lines. Ms. Welch herself has a nice singing voice as shown near the end. Some humor is also appreciated whenever Donozetti teaches some lessons to Johnny and since Monty is the same race as his superiors, his stereotypical antics is not as offensive as it would be with a Caucasian as his boss. So in summation, Song of Freedom is one of the most compelling films in Paul Robeson's career. P.S. One of his numbers is from the operatic version of "The Emperor Jones" as adopted musically by Louis Gruenberg. If you know about Mr. Robeson, you know his previous portrayal in the title role when it was originally a play and then later a movie.

This movie is about how sheer chance and pure luck and can lead to fame and fortune. Paul Robeson is wonderful. His singing is comparable to that in the 1936 Show Boat, arguably the greatest musical ever made by Hollywood. Paul Robeson is such a commanding presence in this movie that without him this movie could not be made. Also the story is compelling as a man has a chance to fulfill his dream and in the process learn more about himself and his roots. Anyone who gives any thought to their own roots can relate to this movie. It's about a man's quest for cultural and spiritual fulfillment which this movie mots effectively portrays. Also impressive is Elizabeth Welch who plays Mr. Robeson's wife. A good story, well acted, excellent, inspirational songs, all combined to create a great movie.

This film made Paul Robeson proud, and it also garnered high approval from leading black intellectuals at the time, such as Langston Hughes. In its first half it's very easy to see why. The story is far-fetched, but it shows black people as regular folks amongst the working-class of London, without stereotypes, and the desire on the part of one of them (Robeson) to find out where his ancestors were from. In flashing through a couple of centuries, it also showed a sample of some of the horrors of slavery, and we see a clear link to how that caused Robeson's character to be tragically disconnected from his past.

Hearing Robeson perform six songs was quite a treat, and 5-stars on its own. The second, "Sleepy River," which we see with a montage of people listening to his wonderful voice at night, is particularly stirring. Meanwhile, Elisabeth Welch is such a cutey pie as his wife, and more importantly, she's also a real person and not some mammy/servant stereotype. We even get to hear her reprise the song "Sleepy River" at the end, which was wonderful.

The film falters a bit in its second half when Robeson's character makes his way back to his ancestral island, and discovers it run by superstitious, backward people. The characterization felt troublesome, particularly since Robeson seeks to improve their life with the advances he's learned growing up in a European culture, one the film shows to be superior in every respect. On the other hand, at least it's a black man who has come to do this, and a strong, talented, intelligent black man at that. There is something moving at the heart of wanting to find your ancestral land, and to help the people living there.

I might have knocked my rating down a bit because of the problematic bits, or because the interaction Robeson has with the Africans seemed so implausible, but I kept in mind the film was made in 1936. The contrast of Robeson and Welch's characters to what was being spewed out in Hollywood at the time for African-Americans is striking, and undeniable. I enjoyed watching them here, and for the film's musical numbers and the progress it represented, was glad I saw this.

This is an extraordinary British film, featuring six songs in the glorious voice of Paul Robeson, a performer ahead of his time. The story line is a bit preposterous, but it is also a peek into the times during which the movie was made. Robeson plays a black British dockworker named Johnny Zinga who becomes a famous singer but learns that he is the rightful king of the African island of Casanga, to which he returns.