Sanders of the River (1935)

British District Officer in Nigeria in the 1930's rules his area strictly but justly, and struggles with gun-runners and slavers with the aid of a loyal native chief.

Director:

Zoltan Korda

Writers:

Lajos Biró (adaptation), Jeffrey Dell (adaptation),

Stars:

Paul Robeson, Leslie Banks, Nina Mae McKinney

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Paul Robeson	...	Bosambo
Leslie Banks	...	Commissioner R.G. Sanders
Nina Mae McKinney	...	Lilongo
Robert Cochran	...	Lieutenant Tibbets (as Robert Cochrane)
Martin Walker	...	J. Ferguson
Richard Grey	...	Captain Hamilton
Tony Wane	...	King Mofolaba
Marqués De Portago	...	Farini (as Marquis De Portago)
Eric Maturin	...	Smith
Allan Jeayes	...	Father O'Leary
Charles Carson	...	Governor of the Territory
Luao	...	Chief of the Wagenia [Congo] Tribe
Kilongalonga	...	Chief of the Wagenia [Congo] Tribe
Oboja	...	Chief of the Acholi Tribe
Members of Acholi Tribe	...	Themselves (as Members of the Acholi Tribe)

Storyline

British District Officer in Nigeria in the 1930's rules his area strictly but justly, and struggles with gun-runners and slavers with the aid of a loyal native chief.

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Plot Keywords:

africa | murder | slavery | colonialism | ethnological | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 June 1935 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bosambo

Filming Locations:

Africa

Company Credits

Production Co:

London Film Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Paul Robeson disowned this picture, telling journalists that it was the only one of his films to have been screened in Italy and Germany. However, his claim to have walked out of the premiere in disgust was a re-invention of history.

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Goofs

Although the film is nominally set in Nigeria (as shown on the map in Sanders' office), the aerial wildlife shots seem to have been taken in East Africa (e.g. Kenya, Uganda, Tanganyika). Given the presence of Jomo Kenyatta as an extra in the cast, it is likely that the African scenes were shot on the eastern coast of Africa rather than in Nigeria.

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Connections

Featured in That's Black Entertainment (1990)

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Soundtracks

"The Song of the Spear"
Music by Mischa Spoliansky
Lyrics by Arthur Wimperis
Sung by Paul Robeson

User Reviews

Interesting museum piece

"Sanders of the River" is trapped in the time of its creation like an insect in amber, but it's worth seeing if only to understand the expectations of that time.

The British characters are supposed to be the heroes of the tale, but they are wooden and unsympathetic, even interchangeable. It is impossible to care about them. They even chase animals from a plane Just For Fun.

Africans are portrayed as simple minded, but they are also clearly loyal, brave, loving individuals with some (limited) depth to them, which is more than can be said of the cardboard cut-out white characters. In fact, the real rotters of the tale are trouble-making whites.