Tamango

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.