Jericho (1937 film)

Jericho
A poster with the film's alternative title: Dark Sands
Directed byThornton Freeland
Written byGeorge Barraud
Walter Futter
Produced byWalter Futter
StarringPaul Robeson
CinematographyJohn W. Boyle
Edited byEdward B. Jarvis
Music byVan Phillips
Distributed byCapitol Films
Release dates
  • 23 August 1937 (1937-08-23) (UK)
  • 16 August 1938 (1938-08-16) (USA)
Running time
75 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Jericho is a 1937 British drama film directed by Thornton Freeland and starring Paul Robeson, Henry Wilcoxon and Wallace Ford. It was released in the US with the alternative title Dark Sands.

Paul Robeson considered Jericho one of his most positive accomplishments in projecting a screen image of a Black man with courage, honor, self-sacrifice and intelligence who achieves success and happiness. Robeson's first British film, Sanders of the River, ended up being an embarrassment for the actor, its story turning into a celebration of British colonialism. Robeson felt betrayed by the production team and sought without success to buy all circulating prints. As a result, Robeson demanded artistic control over the final cut of this film. For example, the ending was to be that Jericho, homesick, agrees to help clear the captain's name in the United States. After their plane crashes in the desert, Jericho dies trying to save Captain Mack. Instead, Robeson simply requested that the movie end with the captain flying off alone.