// Workers AI · dad joke modeDo "Souls of Sin" go to bars? They're always damned to drink.
| Souls of Sin | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Collage-style "window card" poster for the original theatrical release | |
| 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 | |
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.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]
Generally regarded as the last race film (all-black film of the pre-Civil Rights era) with either a Black director[9] or producer,[10] Souls of Sin has been described as a landmark film of the genre.[11][12] The film was producer Alexander's final feature before his move to London, where he began making documentaries (he produced one further film, The Klansman, in the 1970s).[4]
Plot
[edit]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[4]
Cast
[edit]- Savannah Churchill as Regina[1]
- Powell Lindsay as Bad Boy George[1]
- William Greaves as Isaiah "Alabama" Lee[1]
- Jimmy Wright as Dollar Bill[1]
- Emery Richardson as Roberts[1]
- Billie Allen as Etta[1]
- Louise Jackson as Mrs. Sands[1]
- Charley Macrae as Mac[1]
Music
[edit]Songs featured in the film include:[2]
- "The Things You Do to Me" – Savannah Churchill and Henry Glover
- "Disappointment Blues” – William Greaves
- “Lonesome Blues” – William Greaves
Release
[edit]Souls of Sin screened at the 1989 Galveston Film Festival.[8]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Souls of Sin (1949)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on February 11, 2018. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
- 1 2 "Souls of Sin". Library of Congress. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
- ↑ "Souls of Sin". Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
- 1 2 3 "Souls of Sin". Southern Methodist University Libraries. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
- ↑ "Souls of Sin". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on October 5, 2012. 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.
- 1 2 Hyde, Paul (March 9, 1989). "Black films highlight opening day of film festival". The Galveston Daily News. Retrieved March 28, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Act Black: Posters from Black American Stage & Screen - Poster House Access". Poster House. 2026. Retrieved September 8, 2026.
considered the last race film created by a Black director (Powell Lindsay)
- ↑ Black, Louis (July 25, 2014). "The Racial Divide in Movies". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
- ↑ 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.
External links
[edit]- Souls of Sin (1949), IMDb
- Souls of Sin at the TCM Movie Database (archived)
- Souls of Sin at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
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