Tamango (1958) User Reviews

Factually based tale of slave revolt

[goblinhairedguy · 7/10 · 17 November 2005]

"Tamango" is a rousing and intelligent tale of a slave ship revolt in the 18th century. It strives to avoid transparent moralizing and overt stereotypes, particularly by placing the gorgeous Dorothy Dandridge in the pivotal role of the Captain's mistress. She must decide whether to send him to his certain demise among her fellow Africans (as Leonard Maltin avers, it's way ahead of its time). Perhaps this even-handedness is not all that surprising given the fact that it was directed by the blacklisted John Berry, who found refuge in France after helming several sensitive films noirs about the urban American underclass.

Most references give the film's literary source as a novella by French author Prosper Merimée. However, I recently stumbled upon an article in the "New York Times" (August 24, 2005) concerning a South African archaeologist who is combing a beach off Cape Horn for the wreck of a Dutch slave ship named the Meermin. The history given of this particular ship is pretty much a blow-by-blow description of this film (apart from the miscegenation), even down to the very details of how the slaves were given their chance, and how the surviving crew foiled them at one point. I can't remember if the film acknowledges any true-to-life origins, but this shivery narrative certainly lends the movie even more credence.

A very bold effort for its era

[goleafsgo27 · 7/10 · 27 July 2018]

I was quite impressed with this film, mostly for the incredible strides forward it made in portraying the horrors of the slave trade and horrific abuse of the kidnapped and enslaved Africans. The epic miniseries Roots, two decades later, and Spielberg's Amistad some 40 years after this film offer more detail and arguably higher production values, but Tamango is well worth watching, especially for those keen on either film or world history. Like another reviewer, I found the acting a little flat, despite the presence of the talented Curd Jurgens and Dorothy Dandridge. But the performances of all were engaging enough for me to want to stick with it to see the resolution of the conflicts. I was also very impressed to see the relationship between CJ's and DD's characters, at a time in the US when white mobs were trying to prevent children of different colors from going to school together, and a decade before the US Loving case forced states to accept marriages between people of different colors.

An interesting moment in film history

[runamokprods · 7/10 · 16 June 2014]

Arguably more interesting as a social document and a step forward in mainstreams films dealing with race, than as a drama.

On a slave ship carrying Africans from their homeland to slavery in the American south, a charismatic young warrior attempts to organize a revolt. Meanwhile, Dorothy Dandridge plays captain Curt Jurgens' mistress, featuring interracial kissing and sexuality at a time very few American films would go near the subject. Add in the complexity that Dandridge's subjugated Lucy is a far more empathetic figure than any white character, and that Tamango and his fellow captives are show to be in every way – morally, strategically as well as physically better than their white captors, and you have a film that was way ahead of it's time.

That said there is odd flat quality in the drama and less than thrilling acting and film-making that keep the actual story from living up to it's potential. But it's still pretty involving, and worth seeing at least as a part of films' maturing around racial issues.

Interestingly, blacklisted director John Berry, went on to direct another racially 'ahead of it's time' film; 1974's "Claudine", one of the first mainstream American films to try and intelligently deal with the struggles of poor urban African Americans without falling into exploitation, violence or cliché.

Dorothy Dandrige:Mérimée again.

[dbdumonteil · 5 June 2006]

The precedent user is right:it's based on a famous short story from Prosper Mérimée.It's strange that the writer's name does not appear in the credits on the IMDb page.Dorothy Dandrige had already been in "Carmen Jones " ,a Bizet opera based on another famous short story by...Prosper Mérimée.

"Tamango" was a failure when it was released and during the sixties,John Berry ,who had made a film noir chef d'oeuvre in the fifties ,"He ran all the way" was relegated to direct French pop star Johnny Hallyday in a forgotten turkey "A Tout Casser" .

"Tamango" is a well-made movie but it is icily impersonal.Aisha's character's evolution is predictable.On the other hand ,there's a good use of the wide screen (cinemascope ) particularly effective when it comes to depict the hold where the slaves cram.The documentary side is the most successful,and "Tamango" can be looked upon as the granddaddy of the "Roots " series in the seventies.Tamango himself is close to Kunta in that 1977 Marvin Chomsky's work.

What's up with that ending?

[yklink · 6/10 · 26 July 2018]

Wouldn't the cannon ball roll out of the cannon at that angle?. If it could fire at that angle would it not sink the ship? Only if the ball actually hit you would it injure you so at most it may have killed 3 or 4 slaves. Other wise enjoyed the images and story.

Very trivial detail: accidental fleeting nudity ?

[legentillucide · 6/10 · 21 January 2008]

Prosper Mérimée is considered a classic French writer and this adaptation of his short story «Le Vit envié de l'esclave» (also known as «Colomba») is rightly described as a forerunner of «Roots». Alex Cressan, in the title role, is a famous French athlete and wrestler who never appeared in another film. According to critic Franço Moriac, Mr Cressan wanted his part to be so «true to life» that he insisted upon not wearing any undergarments and be just clad in a minute and very loose loincloth. This detail is apparent in his dance (voodoo?) sequence when he ends up by falling on the deck of the ship. I was too busy admiring the beauty of the late Miss Dandridge when this happened. But my wife was not...

"Brothers in life, Brothers in death"

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 21 September 2020]

It's ironic to me that in the late 50s when the civil rights movement was getting into high gear it was a French film that talked about slavery. Very few films were made about the slave trade in studio era Hollywood. Offhand I can think of only two, Paramount's Souls At Sea and MGM's Stand Up And Fight.

Tamango was a French film and the title role is played by one Alex Cressan who made this and no other film. He is captured and sold to Dutch slavers and bound for Havana with others in a ship captained by Curt Jurgens.

Jurgens who does a lot of his thinking from south of the border has a bit of comfort in the bewitching Dorothy Dandridge. She's resigned herself to her life as a concubine, but has some concerns for her fellow Africans.

Herein is the problem with Tamango, A really good film about the brutality of the slave trade is spoiled by a personal story that seems almost soap operish. The cargo also carries woman slaves as well and no doubt the crew took and the captain could have availed himself there and I'm sure many did. It was the same criticism I made about All The Brothers Were Valiant where Robert Taylor has Ann Blyth aboard. You just didn't bring women on board back in those days. Too many problems with the crew's morale.

In any event the revolt of the cargo of slaves was well done and truly inspirational. Could be compared with Amistead which was about a true incident of a slave revolt.

A good film that falls just short of greatness is Tamango.

Very good...but the vague ending might put off some.

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 10 November 2022]

"Tamango" is a film which surprised me, as I didn't expect to see such a strong film back in 1958. After all, in some parts of the USA, even in 1958, they would have hesitated to show a film where black men fight and kill their oppressors. It's a shame, as it's a dandy film.

The story begins in West Africa. A tribe is selling their conquered foes to a Dutch slaver (Curd Jurgens). However, among the slaves is a warrior...who also is a charismatic leader. He's determined NOT to make it to where ever the boat is headed and he insists on freeing himself from bondage. Eventually, he and his co-conspirators rise up against the crew and fight for their freedom.

The film is not perfect. I think it actually made the slave ship seem NICE compared to how hellish such boats often were. The same with the cruelty. While severe, I am sure many slave ships treated their 'cargo' much worse. But on the other hand, it's a strong indictment against this evil and is a great film about the human spirit. Well worth seeing...even if the ending is a bit weak.

Mutiny on the Esperanza

[EdgarST · 8/10 · 3 November 2015]

When I was 7 years old I saw the ads of «Tamango» in the press and posters in cinemas as I passed them by, but when I was old enough to see it (it was classified "for adults only") it had vanished from sight. Now that I finally watched it, when it was finished I was in awe. What a good film! Of course it does help that the final 10 minutes are simultaneously tense and poetic leading to a highly dramatic ending. But six decades after its original release, it is still a motion picture of strong content and great visual impact (although the copy I saw is not in the original 2.35:1 aspect ratio and the colors have faded). Released in 1958 it is an adaptation of Prosper Mérimée's 1829 homonymous novella (before he wrote his most famous «Carmen»). Significant changes were made for this screen version, but the final plot is also set in the early 19th century. In the coast of Guinea, warrior Tamango (Alex Cressan) and a sizable group of men and women have been sold to Reinker, a Dutch slave trader (Curt Jürgens) and they board the ship Esperanza that sets sails to Cuba, where they will be sold again, this time in the slave market. On route the violent conflict between the Caucasian sailors and the black slaves intensifies, the interracial sexual liaison between Reinker and a beautiful African woman named Ayché (Dorothy Dandridge) breaks, and Tamango leads a mutiny against the slavers. In the final script that went through significant re-writing due to Dandridge's insistence (who also refused to wear costumes that were offensive to the African woman, as designed by a Parisian designer), Ayché and Tamango are no longer lovers, he does not sell her but the two are victimized, and instead of surviving in Kingston the warrior fights until the end. These script changes turn Tamango and Ayché into icons of racial struggle, while the sincere, intense passion Reinker feels for Ayché is one of the first screen recognitions of many Europeans' love or lust for Africans. In the time it was made «Tamango» must have been some kind of a political and educational «audiovisual pamphlet», invaluable for those who were involved in the fight for the civil rights of Afro-descendants in the United States and elsewhere. No wonder it was banned in a few countries, and surely not only for the Reinker-Ayché relationship. I saw the English-spoken version: it becomes a bit hard in the first scenes to accept Dandridge as an African girl, with her American accent, but one gets used to it and thankfully she only has the necessary dialogue. Cressan, a medical student from Martinique that only made this film, is a magnificent emblem of African male beauty; and Jürgens, as usual, is fine as the villain with a soft heart. Director Berry was black-listed during the witch-hunting craze led by Senator Joseph McCarthy, and, after directing the cult film «He Ran All the Way», he went to Europe as Joseph Losey, Cy Endfield and Charles Chaplin. Berry also directed the romantic comedy «Claudine» about a couple of African-American workers, but he remained in France until his death.

tamango

[mossgrymk · 6/10 · 7 October 2020]

While undeniably cutting edge in its treatment of black/white relations, especially the more intimate kind, (i.e. small wonder this French/Eng. production was given limited release in the Hayes Office dominated United states in 1958!) and while the violence is properly graphic, as befits a slave revolt movie, and the ending was definitely not what I expected there is an unconscious racism that plays throughout this film that, to say the least, undermines its central theme of the evil of putting one race above another. I'm referring of course to the fact that the white characters, specifically Curt Jurgens' slave ship captain and Jean Servais' cynical drunken ship's doctor, are the only persons aboard the ship who are given any depth or complexity of characterization. They are also the only ones who are given any humor! The characters of color, by contrast, are all presented as The Noble Oppressed and stiffly declaim rather than talk, kind of like Native Americans in westerns of the time. I'm sure this was done by director John Berry for only the highest of motives. After all, you don't want to present the slave as in any way flawed. Alas, the result is that Tamango and his cohorts are all placed upon pedestals for the admiration of the audience as if they were objects in a History Of Virtue exhibit at the Museum Of The Politically Correct. And by placing the slave above the master Berry is doing the exact same thing, only in reverse, as a better director, DW Griffith, did 43 years earlier. So, let's give this well intentioned, occasionally powerful but ultimately self defeating film a C plus. PS...Dorothy Dandridge is best when sexy.

Tomanga

[luckyshar777 · 1/10 · 9 June 2006]

For the time period, I did like the photography/cinematography rather. I thought it was very basic and boring. It did remind me of roots but the accents were a bit weak and unbelievable. I needed to see more tension and romance. I thought that Dorothy was a lowsy actress in this film but she looked very cute but I didn't believe one minute she was from Africa or the jungle. Nobody that watches it will believe her for one minute. I think they should have made her look a bit more like a native girl and less Hollywood actress with nice diction. I thought these people were pretending. However, some of those guys looked pretty hot in those big loin cloths but that's not the point. The ACTING was lowsy. I fault the director on that. I bought this film on DVD and was glad because its hard to find. Glad that I got a copy it took me months to find. Finally I got it and I'm like OH this is horrible work.

But for its time it was a risk and I bet there was a lot they had to edit and a lot they couldn't show so based on that. I thought it was good

A very good film, that deserves to be better known

[gbill-74877 · 8/10 · 20 October 2018]

A movie that, in 1958, at last began to approach the real horror of slavery, and gives us a suspenseful story besides. A group of Africans is taken aboard a Dutch slave ship in 1820, and their leader, Tamango (Alex Cressan) begins planning a rebellion, at first rather quietly, with what is practically civil disobedience - not eating the food. The film does a fantastic job at humanizing the Africans, and we see their reactions to be what any other captive group's would be, covering a wide range - despair, fear, submission, bravery, and intelligent scheming. We see the outright cruelty on the part of the slavers - throwing a man overboard to make an example to the group, hanging another, and leaving Tamango out in the sun as punishment - but to director John Berry's credit, it's not overdone, and we see the human side of these people as well, in their conversations and little moments. Far more insidious is the pervading view of racial superiority, so that underneath what is apparent civility is a monster, one that views others as property, and of no more value than that.

To those who cringe because Dorothy Dandridge is a "mistress" or is involved in an "interracial romance" because they believe it takes away from the central message of the film, I ask that you look again - she's a slave, owned by the captain of the ship, and forced to have sex with him. She makes what she really thinks of him very clear when he dupes her into thinking he's written out orders for her freedom. I think it does the film a disservice to see her involvement with the man as willing, and it does Dandridge one as well, since the actress fought for changes to the script to make this point clear. It's ironic that the miscegenation that got the film banned by conservatives in the United States upon its release in France, is today decried by liberals as a weakness, when neither group seem to fully recognize the main point of the film, and what Dandridge's (admittedly conflicted) role was.

With that said, there is something a little off about the film as a whole - probably the dialogue, which seems a little stilted at times (even allowing it the shortcut of not showing the usage of translators between languages, and has everyone speaking English). The acting itself is fine, and it's well cast. It's a shame that this was Alex Cressan's only performance, because he has such strong presence. Dandridge was at the height of her powers, and while that sadly had very little roles coming her way even after her fantastic performance four years earlier in 'Carmen Jones', she's a joy to behold here. Curd Jürgens is great as well as the captain, and the staging about the ship is reasonably realistic as well.

If you look at a list of films which portray slavery sorted by year, you'll see 'Tamango' is one of the earliest to show it honestly, and for that, it deserves respect. The film feels ahead of its time, and I admire blacklisted director John Berry's courage. He went to Europe and made a film that certainly didn't make him more loved in America because of its scenes with Dandridge and Jürgens kissing, and because of its realistic portrayal of slavery - something Hollywood and America were still having a hard time coming to terms with. Not perfect, but a very good film, and deserves to be better known.

Lust and Freedom

[higherall7 · 6/10 · 24 November 2020]

This is an interesting film that treads all the familiar tropes of Freedom and Bondage. Curd Jergens as Captain Reiker, a Dutch Sea Captain, works out a deal with Habib Benglia, the local African Chief to acquire some African Slave product. Once he has his captured booty and a little somethin'-somethin' on the side in the way of the gorgeous Dorothy Dandridge, it's off to Cuba for riches, molasses and rum.

Throughout the course of the story, Dandridge as the slave girl Aiche' explains to the rebellious slave Tamango that she would rather be above deck rather than below deck in the hold for graphically obvious reasons. Nothing much separates this piece of cinema from MANDINGO and DRUM as written by Kyle Onstott and later made into feature length films until we come to the ending. The manner in which Aiche' chooses honor and dignity over a life of privilege as a kept woman is stirring in spite of the limitations of other parts of the film.

Directed by John Berry, this film was banned by France in its West African Colonies as it was feared it would foment unrest. It also did not receive nationwide distribution in the United States because the interracial love scenes between Aiche' and Captain Reiker broke the Hays Code regarding its section on race-mixing or miscegenation. Nowadays, this seems silly and ridiculous, except to those who still harbor a penchant for dominating and controlling others and treating them like objects of commerce to be shuttled about in a state of terror.

Alex Cressan does a great job as Tamango, the leader of the Slave Revolt against Reiker, but oddly enough, I'm not surprised that he never did another role in film after this. After all, what other roles would he play in the future? Leaders of successful slave revolts where those in bondage actually won their freedom? Somehow, I don't think that was in the cards in the 1950s, although examples of this historical phenomena do indeed abound. No, save the Hollywood Happy endings for the White Folks and let the Colored Folks play the doomed nobly oppressed.

That's probably my only real complaint about TAMANGO. You already know where its going before they start the first reel. The White Slave Master in the end is going to have his way, because he possesses superior technology and superior firepower. No amount of singing and praying and spirited resistance is going to change that. Even though there are plenty of instances in history where this actually occurred; i.e., values and ideas triumphed over the forces of commercial interest. While watching this film, I was reminded of the novella BENITO CERENO by Herman Melville. This is another slave ship narrative that would make a fine film, somewhat in the manner of Steven Spielberg's AMISTAD (1997).

I am heartened by the fact that Dorothy Dandridge actually did have a respectable albeit truncated career as a Hollywood Actress, and TAMANGO is a worthy tribute to her memory. It's a long way from BRIGHT ROAD (1953), but does serve to showcase her versatility as a major star. We'll have to create more roles for actresses of her stature in the future, and thankfully all this is changing now in that direction.

Not very enjoyable to watch

[HotToastyRag · 3/10 · 27 March 2023]

Unfortunately, American audiences were given a bad first impression of Curd Jurgens, who had already played great, meaty roles in Europe. In Bitter Victory, The Enemy Below, and Me and the Colonel, he played soldiers with less than admirable qualities, in This Happy Feeling, he played a middle-aged man enamored with a teeny-bopper, and in Tamango, he played a racist slave trader with a black mistress. I won't spoil things by telling you the awful things his character does throughout the movie, but he's just about as villainous as it gets. He makes Messala from Ben-Hur look like the hero. He didn't stand a chance!

Since I've seen him in other roles, I was able to take this one with a grain of salt. I figured that America still saw any German as a Nazi (no matter his personal background) and Curd (or Curt, as Hollywood billed him to make him more accessible) would just have to play villains or go back to Europe - which he eventually did. On the slave ship he captains, there's a rebellious man, Alex Cressan, who constantly causes trouble and gets punished for it. Dorothy Dandridge is Curd's mistress; she receives certain perks even though she's still a slave, and she figures his protection is better than nothing. The rest of the ship calls her "white man's trash", and when she lets loose and tells Curd that she thinks he's the real trash, you can imagine it doesn't go well. He thought they were in love; he thought it was sexy and romantic to hold her in bed (yes, there was actually a scene where they're in bed together partially clothed - in 1958!) and say, "I own you!"

Unless the plot interests you or you really love Dorothy, you don't have to watch this movie. It's not very enjoyable to watch a movie whose entire point is, "look how racist this evil white guy is." Dorothy doesn't even give a very good performance, and she comes across as very contemporary. She also seems tired, like she'd already done twenty takes and just wanted to go home.

DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. Since the entirety of the movie takes place on a ship, there are some bobbing and weaving camera movements, especially during the storm sequence, and that will make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"

Ahead of Its Time Way Before Roots, Amistand

[carlosctt-57 · 10/10 · 6 May 2019]

Love this film from a kid growing up in NJ I would watch this on Channel 9. Dorothy Dandridge was great as the mulatto girl who is lusted after by Curt Jurgens. The way the slaves were chained below was heartbreaking to watch and the mistreatment and the final outcome. Alex Cressen is Tamango a former chief now slave bent on freedom. This film was hard to distribute in its heyday but now it is on DVD. One of Ms Dandridge best later film roles before her tragic death. When you watch Roots you can see the similarities of the conditions on the slave ship.

ahead of its time

[SnoopyStyle · 8/10 · 21 September 2020]

Captain Reiker (Curd Jürgens) loads a new shipment of slaves destine for Cuba. Tamango (Alex Cressan), the lion hunter, tries to lead a revolt but most slaves are only farmers. Aiché (Dorothy Dandridge) is a slave owned by the Captain. Doctor Corot (Jean Servais) is a Frenchman conflicted about slavery.

It's a black empowerment movie. There is a fascinating scene with Reiker haggling with the chief over his payment. The actors are all terrific. I do question about escaping into the cargo hold. If there are fewer escaped slaves, then a quick retreat may make more sense. While the final ending makes poetic sense, it's not the most action-filled possible. Aiché is still great and her decision is extremely powerful. The most impressive part may be when this movie was released. It's in the era of Sydney Poitier, the heroic but non-threatening black. This is different and that's great.