SANDERS OF THE RIVER

UK, 1936, 98 minutes, Black and white.
Leslie Banks, Paul Robeson, Nina Mae McKinney?.
Directed by Zoltan Korda.

A production by Alexander Korda of the mid-thirties and was directed by his brother Zoltan Korda. They were responsible for many quality films for the British industry during this period like Four Feathers.

The film is significant for having Paul Robeson in the central role of Bosambo. He has a strong presence, confident and, of course, a great singer. Leslie Banks is rather colourless as Sanders. Looking at times very much like a silent film or an imitation of a Robert Flaherty documentary, the film reflects very strongly the colonial atmosphere of the thirties and the decades before and concepts of Empire run by the British civil servants. Its attitude towards Africa and the Africans would be strongly questioned in succeeding decades. It reflects the atmosphere of the times. The film was based on a story by Edgar Wallace. This was adapted and used as the basis for a thriller about diamond smuggling in the 60's and was called Coast of Skeletons, starring Richard Todd. It does not compare with the original.

1. An entertaining African story? Historical interest, reflecting the British Empire attitudes of the times - towards Empire, towards the native Africans, towards government and rule?

2. The conventions of the African adventure? The white rulers, the African Chief, the villains, presentations of primitive life, warfare? Dangers and crises? Conventional material - the styles of the thirties? How do they seem now?

3. The black and white photography, the use of African locations and atmosphere? The importance of the score? the songs and the song about Sandi, and the battle song? Paul Robson's singing?

4. How does the plot seem in retrospect? The picture of the presence of the British in Africa, the public servants and their administration, their view of themselves as rulers and administrators with rights over the Africans? The benign aspects of this? Bad aspects? Patronizing aspects? The relationship between blacks and whites? The presentation of the black tribes under this administration, their way of life, presented as primitive? Warfare? The hero and the background of his being in prison, his being acceptable to the administration and becoming Chief? Marriage, child? Working for the British? The kidnapping of his wife and his final heroism? How contrived, how realistic?

5. Paul Robeson and his presence on the screen, personality, singing? Credible as an African prisoner turned Chieftain? His impact with Sanders and the white administration? Their making him King, his establishing himself, enmities, service of the British? The significance of his song in praise of Sanders? His heroism, ordinary life, training his young son? Love of his wife? His York for Sanders and helping him at the end but moving towards his vife? The rescue and the happy ending? How credible a character was Bosambo - a hero of fiction rather than real lift?

6. Lilango and her presence, love for Bosambo, marriage, training of her child, attitude towards the white administration, her kidnapping, heroism, rescue?

7. Sanders as hero? The film and its praise of the white administration? His attitudes, treatment of Bosambo, relationship with his colleagues, with the Africans, his illness and the rumours with the destructive consequences, his reappearance, his going to the rescue of Lilango? Sanders as hero?

8. The white administration with their strengths and weaknesses? The African Chieftains and their aims and purposes?

9. The scenes of warfare? Bosambo and his rousing his men with his song? The old Chieftain and his men? The clashes? The torture and the deaths at the end?

10. The style of the film? echoes of the silent treatments: the captions and introductions, the episodic nature of the film? How satisfying was the overall presentation, the happy ending?

11. The presentation of colonial and empire attitudes and their being taken for granted in the thirties? The strengths and weaknesses of this system? The assumptions of the British, the treatment of the Africans? How has this changed in the succeeding decades? For the better? Or not?