Paul Robeson: Here I Stand

American Masters: Paul Robeson - Here I Stand (1999)

**** (out of 4)

Excellent documentary taking a look at the life, career, highs and lows of Paul Robeson, a multi-talented man whose career would eventually fall apart due to some controversial comments. Clocking in a few minutes of two-hours, this documentary really does a superb job in regards to telling one just about everything they'd want to know about Robeson. There's no question that this man led a full life, which included playing football, becoming a lawyer, finding success on the stage, film and in concert halls before it all went away and he spent ten years not being able to make a dime before an eventual comeback. Outside of his movies and music, I really wasn't fully aware of everything that Robeson had done in his life. There were some terrific stories told here including the abuse that he took when he tried to join an all-white Rutgers football team and it's amazing to hear what the man did to finally break through. There's also some great stuff about why he quit his law firm and of course his big breakthrough into showbiz. Robeson's movie career gets quite a bit of the running time as the debate really heats up on the type of roles that blacks were offered back in the day. Some didn't like seeing the type of roles Robeson was playing in movies like SHOWBOAT but apparently the money was great. The majority of the second half deals with his controversial comments about WWII, his support of Russia and the eventual trouble it got him into where he pretty much lost everything and couldn't play a concert anywhere. Fans of Robeson should really enjoy hearing all of these stories and we get audio clips of his music, clips of his movies as well as an archival interview from the man himself. Harry Belafonte, Lloyd Brown (Robeson bio), William Rhodes (sports writer), Paul Robeson, Jr., William Greaves, Lloyd Richards and Pete Seeger are just a few of the people interviewed.

Paul had it all: looks, singing, acting, brains. If he had been white, he'd of been bigger than Gable or Wayne. But he was Black, and supported communism. Ignore his politics if you must, just appreciate his art and his love for other people: his smile would make you feel loved just by seeing it on TV. This documentary emphasizes his political history. See it for its information, and then try to see "Jericho", his most enjoyable film.

Robeson was an amazing renaissance man who left his indelible mark on not only on U.S. film, theater and music (his singing voice is one of the most powerful and resonant I have ever heard), but also on U.S. politics and the African-American struggle in the middle of the 20th century. (Not to mention he was also a lawyer and world class athlete!)

The film doesn't shy away from Robeson''s dark sides, and miss-steps (for example, choices of film roles that surprisingly sometimes fed into black stereotypes) -- but in the end tells the story of a true tragic hero. A great artist who tried to lift his race onto his shoulders, and ended up blacklisted and hardly able to work in his own country, while being blocked from traveling abroad.

After scaling the heights in the 1930s, Robeson's career was doomed in the post WWII communist paranoia of the 40s and 50s when he expressed admiration for the way the Soviet Union treated him as a visiting black man, and advocated rapprochement nuclear disarmament and world peace instead of confrontation with the Soviets. One can argue whether he was correct about the Russians, but his miss-trust of the U.S. certainly can be understood in the light of rampant Jim Crowe racism oppressing his people, and the way Robeson himself was turned on when he dared speak out. His passport stripped, the government wouldn't even let this international star leave to earn a living elsewhere even as it stopped him from working here.

The only thing lacking for me was a some of the emotion behind this great and sad life. By the end there I found myself choked up (it would be almost impossible not to be moved by some of what Robeson went through, and his own growth through it all) but the film can feel a bit academic at moments. However, that's a small flaw measured against its many accomplishments.

This would be a good film for young people, who likely sadly know little if anything about Robeson -- one of the most important and influential U.S, artists of the 20th century.

"Paul Robeson: Here I Stand" is a two hour and seven minute biography, featuring rare, compiled newsreel footage mixed with live interviews.

The documentary does a fine job of summarizing an amazing life and career of a supremely gifted lawyer, athlete, singer, actor, and socio-politicial activist.

Above all, Robeson's humanitarian quest emerges clearly, first being widely lauded, then vilified, then embraced again.

Such notables as Harry Belafonte and Uta Hagen share their impressions and personal experiences with Robeson, and the subject's own voice is heard explaining his position on his beliefs and actions.

Everywhere the press was on his tail, sometimes reporting accurately, sometimes inaccurately--but always there was a towering, powerful presence at the center. This bio gives due time to Robeson's extensive film career, his voice recitals, and his record-breaking Broadway run in the title role of "Othello." It puts into perspective Robeson's intentions, juxtaposed with the finished products. The disparity is particularly notable in his European film stint, in which the final editing undercut and altered what Robeson had understood the films would be.

For myself, it showed the tremendous challenge of "stardom" at the highest level. With great fame and fortune come the downside: the sacrifices, disappointments, and challenges. Few international public figures escape the bitter with the sweet, and Robeson was no exception.

Behind it all resided a man who sought to aid humanity and down injustice. It wasn't an easy road, but Paul took the journey with dignity. This TV doc fairly and comprehensively presents the agony and ecstasy of an extraordinary life.

The first documentary which really seemed to try to capture the essence of Paul with accuracy.

I was actually filmed and interviewed as a part of the documentary.

The project was special to me because it was the first, and thus far only to acknowledge that ALL the things for which Robeson was famous for accomplishing were first seen in Somerville, New Jersey. Not to disparage Princeton (it was after all his birthplace, and remains magical and central to the "Robeson Story"), but to ignore those critical early years in Somerville (1910-1919) is actually cheating history. Someone, after all these years had to have asked where he got his start, and for nearly a century, the question has either been unanswered or answered inaccurately. Nice to see the record being set straight.