AllMovie

Show Boat lacks the production values and color cinematography of the 1951 remake, but it more than compensates with great performances and the remarkable work of director James Whale. Working with Universal at a time when the studio was severely short of cash, Whale uses a variety of camera tricks to keep the film visually interesting. The two best scenes both involve Paul Robeson's towering performance as Joe. First is the "Ol' Man River" sequence, in which Whale creates compact, non-linear storytelling techniques that would wait nearly fifty years to be rediscovered in the era of the music video. The second is the remarkably straightforward musical scene with Robeson and Hattie McDaniel, which, unlike "Ol' Man River", is wholly linear and uses non-intrusive, fixed location camera shots. The evolution of Show Boat from Edna Ferber's novel to a history-making Broadway play to its several film versions is among the most important milestones in 20th century U.S. culture. This was the first widely popular play (and/or motion picture) to depict African-American performers whose characters were as important as those of the white actors.