Songs Of Freedom is more than a showcase for the great voice of Paul Robeson. It exposes the desperate attempts of the FBI and other secret services in America to stop his playing and to discredit him. It reveals that for a while in the 50's his actual life was in danger as long as he continued along the path of friendship with the Soviet Union and the cause of international socialism. Robeson never compromised and it put an end to his domestic career. Abroad, he was a hero. This documentary threads his songs and political rallies and speeches in a way that throws light on 50 years of black activism in America; from the Depression years to the assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. Interviews include Henry Winston, Bayard Rustin, Paul Robeson Jr., Dr. John Henrik Clarke, and Professors Naison, Garrow and Duberman.

52 minutes