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]

Souls of Sin
Directed byPowell Lindsay
Written byPowell Lindsay
Produced byWilliam D. Alexander
StarringSavannah Churchill
Jimmy Wright
Billie Allen
CinematographyLouis Andres
Edited byWalter Kruder
Production
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Release date
  • January 1949 (1949-01)
Running time
64 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

One of the last of its kind, Souls of Sin has been described as a landmark film of the genre.[9][10] Generally regarded as the last all-black film with a black producer,[11] 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).[4]

Plot

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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

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Music

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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

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Souls of Sin screened at the 1989 Galveston Film Festival.[8]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Souls of Sin (1949)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on February 11, 2018. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Souls of Sin". Library of Congress. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
  3. ^ "Souls of Sin". Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c "Souls of Sin". Southern Methodist University Libraries. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
  5. ^ "Souls of Sin". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
  6. ^ "Powell Lindsay Directs Film". The New York Age. January 8, 1949. Retrieved March 28, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Drama to Be Filmed". California Eagle. January 20, 1949. Retrieved March 28, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ a b Hyde, Paul (March 9, 1989). "Black films highlight opening day of film festival". The Galveston Daily News. Retrieved March 28, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Zack, Jessica (August 8, 2018). "Ishmael Reed: 1980 film 'Personal Problems' still feels groundbreaking". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
  10. ^ Johnson, G. Allen (March 6, 2019). "Ishmael Reed talks Bill Gunn, 'Personal Problems' and indie black cinema". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
  11. ^ Black, Louis (July 25, 2014). "The Racial Divide in Movies". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
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