According to reports, some censoring body objected to the portrayal of a minister as a villain, so producer/director Oscar Micheaux tacked on another ending, and maybe it satisfied a moronic censor, but it ruined the movie.
Since Oscar Micheaux was and is one of my motion-picture heroes, I would never say "don't watch." As I have noted before and will again, that he got to make movies at all is deserving of our admiration, and that they were all, or nearly all, flawed is secondary.
He had imagination and ability, and he had watched enough films by real masters, including D. W. Griffith, to know what to do. Alas, he never had the budget for good editing, or, apparently, for enough rehearsals. So his cutaway shots, his changes of angle, and other aspects of big-budget and skilled movie-making were too often missing.
Still, so what? He made movies!
He raised the money, usually wrote the original story and the script, hired the actors and crews ... and made movies!
In "Body and Soul," he had Paul Robeson. As I said to a friend, somewhat of a waste, using that magnificent voice in a silent film. Fortunately for us, Robeson went on to make talkies, and recordings, and gave many a live concert.
In "Body and Soul," Micheaux had some other talented actors, many of whom honestly deserved acclaim and a chance to perform more often. For whatever reasons, including ignorance on the part of establishment movie-makers, they didn't get that chance. Our loss, as well as the performers'.
This presentation, shown on TCM 20 February 2022, was further marred by an abrasive noise in place of a music score. It wasn't 1920s-era jazz, just percussive noise. Very distracting.
Never mind. Any time an Oscar Micheaux movie is available, I'll be watching, if at all possible. And I urge you to watch also.