''Big Fella'' is a 1937 British

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwo ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super- ...

directed by J. Elder Wills and starring

Paul Robeson Paul Leroy Robeson ( ; April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976) was an American bass-baritone concert artist, stage and film actor, professional American football, football player, and activist who became famous both for his cultural accomplish ...

Elisabeth Welch Elisabeth Margaret Welch (February 27, 1904July 15, 2003) was an American singer, actress, and entertainer, whose career spanned seven decades. Her best-known songs were " Stormy Weather", " Love for Sale" and "Far Away in Shanty Town". She was ...

and

Roy Emerton Roy Emerton (9 October 1892 – 30 November 1944) was a British film actor. Earlier in his life, he was a sailor, stoker, docker, railway worker, and miner and served in the First World War. He played in a great number of popular London stage p ...

. It is loosely based on the novel ''Banjo'' by

Harlem Renaissance The Harlem Renaissance was an intellectual and cultural revival of African American music, dance, art, fashion, literature, theater, politics and scholarship centered in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, spanning the 1920s and 1930s. At the t ...

writer

Claude McKay Festus Claudius "Claude" McKay Order of Jamaica, OJ (September 15, 1890See Wayne F. Cooper, ''Claude McKay, Rebel Sojourner In The Harlem Renaissance (New York, Schocken, 1987) p. 377 n. 19. As Cooper's authoritative biography explains, McKay's ...

Plot

''Big Fella'' is set on the docks and streets of

Marseilles Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...

stars in the leading role, as a street-wise but honest dockworker who struggles with deep issues of integrity and human values.

plays opposite him as a café singer in love with him. Robeson's wife,

Eslanda Robeson Eslanda "Essie" Cardozo Goode Robeson (December 15, 1895 – December 13, 1965) was an American anthropologist, author, actress, and civil rights activist. She was the wife and business manager of performer Paul Robeson. Biography Early y ...

, appears as the café owner.

Reception

The movie received praise, particularly for the music, featuring Robeson and Welch, and for Robeson's performance.

Cast

as Banjo *

as Amanda 'Manda' *

as Spike * James Hayter as Chuck * Lawrence Brown as Corney * Eldon Gorst as Gerald Oliphant * Marcelle Rogez as Marietta * Eric Cowley as Ferdy Oliphant *

Joyce Kennedy Joyce Kennedy (1898–1943) was a British stage and film actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such ...

as Mrs. Oliphant *

Dino Galvani Dino Galvani (born Candido Galvanoni; 27 October 189014 September 1960) was an Italian-British actor, who made his career in Britain on stage and radio and in films. He is remembered for his role in the popular BBC radio comedy series '' ITMA'' ...

as Gendarme * Anthony Holles as Gendarme * Margaret Rutherford as Nanny

References

External links

* 1937 films British musical drama films 1930s musical drama films British black-and-white films Films set in France Films based on American novels Films directed by J. Elder Wills Films shot at Beaconsfield Studios Films scored by Jack Beaver 1937 drama films 1930s English-language films 1930s British films {{1930s-UK-film-stub