| Souls of Sin | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Powell Lindsay |
| Written by | Powell Lindsay |
| Produced by | William D. Alexander |
| Starring | Savannah Churchill Jimmy Wright Billie Allen |
| Cinematography | Louis Andres |
| Edited by | Walter Kruder |
| Production company | Alexander Productions |
| Release date |
|
| Running time | 64 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Souls of Sin is a 1949 American race film written and directed by Powell Lindsay, and produced by William D. Alexander.
One of the last of its kind, Souls of Sin has been described as a landmark film of the genre. Generally regarded as the last all-black film with a black producer, it was producer Alexander's final feature before his move to London, where he began making documentaries (he produced one further film with The Klansman in the 1970s).
Plot
Dollar Bill Burton, a gambler, lives in a Harlem basement apartment with Roberts, a hard-luck writer, and Alabama, a talented guitarist-singer. At a local bar, Bill is hired by Bad Boy George to sell stolen jewelry and takes an interest in Regina, George's girlfriend who helps Alabama get a break in television. Bill dies of gunshot wounds, but the other characters realize personal success.
— Southern Methodist University Libraries
Cast
- Savannah Churchill as Regina
- Powell Lindsay as Bad Boy George
- William Greaves as Isaiah "Alabama" Lee
- Jimmy Wright as Dollar Bill
- Emery Richardson as Roberts
- Billie Allen as Etta
- Louise Jackson as Mrs. Sands
- Charley Macrae as Mac
Music
Songs featured in the film include:
- "The Things You Do to Me" – Savannah Churchill and Henry Glover
- "Disappointment Blues” – William Greaves
- “Lonesome Blues” – William Greaves
Release
Souls of Sin screened at the 1989 Galveston Film Festival.
References
- ^ "Souls of Sin (1949)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on February 11, 2018. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
- ^ "Souls of Sin". Library of Congress. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
- "Souls of Sin". Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
- ^ "Souls of Sin". Southern Methodist University Libraries. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
- "Souls of Sin". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
- "Powell Lindsay Directs Film". The New York Age. January 8, 1949. Retrieved March 28, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Drama to Be Filmed". California Eagle. January 20, 1949. Retrieved March 28, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Hyde, Paul (March 9, 1989). "Black films highlight opening day of film festival". The Galveston Daily News. Retrieved March 28, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- Zack, Jessica (August 8, 2018). "Ishmael Reed: 1980 film 'Personal Problems' still feels groundbreaking". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
- Johnson, G. Allen (March 6, 2019). "Ishmael Reed talks Bill Gunn, 'Personal Problems' and indie black cinema". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
- Black, Louis (July 25, 2014). "The Racial Divide in Movies". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
External links
- Souls of Sin (1949), IMDb
- Souls of Sin at the TCM Movie Database
- Souls of Sin at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
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