Paul Robeson - Here I Stand [DVD]

Robeson was an amazing renaissance man who left his indelible mark on not only on American (and world) 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 personal dark sides, and career 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 as no other American artist of color did 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 Crow 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 at home.The only thing lacking for me was a some of the emotion behind this great and sad life. By the end 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.

The most incredible person in history - IGNORED. Robeson spoke over 12 languages fluently and was conversant in at least 20. Historians leave that out. He also got into a shouting match with President Truman in the White House for not passing the anti-lynching law and using his executive powers.Paul Robeson is my favorite history biography to study. I have read every book on him I could find, and have all the documentaries.There are SOOOO many interesting stories about him, I could share. He was close friends with everyone from the King of Sweden, to Bumpy Johnson to the Politburo of the Kremlin. His son, Paul Jr. went to school in Russia with Stalin's kid. He was also the first black person in the world allowed to play Othello.He also played PRO FOOTBALL while attending Columbia University Law School. He was the 2nd pro black football player, after Fritz Pollard - Not to mention, at Rutgers he lettered 14 times in 4 Varsity sports.

This program, produced by PBS, does an excellent job of telling us the story of Paul Robeson, a man who, despite many obstacles thrown in his path, became a star athelete, a scholar, a singer and a force for good in the United States and the world.

about one of the most gifted individuals who ever lived. Yes, he had a blindspot about the Soviet Union and Stalin, but that has to be viewed in the context of racial injustice as it existed in the United States in Robeson's time.

This DVD was an excellent biography but nearly every song Paul Robeson sang was curtailed. This was extremely disappointing. While it was necessary to tell his story, I already knew all of it. Snippets do not satisfy. Perhaps if I had watched this DVD before I bought it I should not have done so. Yet, having said that, It is now a prized possession. It is true that most of the scenes involving Robeson's persecution served well to draw attention to the contemptible American practice of denigrating its most world-renowned Afro-American citizens, but because the subject is Paul Robeson, That is reason enough to buy this DVD.

Very few of the younger generation knew who Paul Robeson was. What he was was a great humanitarian who was prosecuted for his political beliefs. The life story of Paul Robeson is a story of a dark time in American history that none of us should ever forget.

I'll never understand why more people do not know who Paul Robeson was. His steadfast adherence to the principles that make the promise of America so great made him one of the great unsung american heroes of the 20th century. This DVD has interviews, pictures, film clips, and audio excerpts that bring the memory of this great man alive. It's a must for anyone who understands or wants to understand the principles behind equality of justice and opportunity, and how one person really can make a difference in the pursuit of these lofty goals.

Great production

Needs complete songs, not scraps

This is a great portrait of a great man, partly moving. You might want complete songs from movies and concerts instead of quotations only, but - alas - that's the usual procedure in documentaries of this kind. Anyway, I recommend it.