Bozambo

This British release from 1935 gets a mixed review from me.

On one hand, it is wonderful to see Paul Roberson in a film role, but that enjoyment is tainted somewhat by the way the film portrays native Africans. Sanders is the white man in charge of the district. He treats all of the tribal chiefs and their subjects as if they were his black "children". This theme is repeated so frequently in the film that it seems the filmmakers were--rather defensively--trying to make a point. On the other hand, such arrogant hogwash is routinely part of colonialism wherever it is manifest, so the film's depiction of such racism is accurate.

In my opinion, the best part of the film are the many shots of native life, especially native dances and rituals. We also see various African animals in their natural habitats, even if they are sometimes being stampeded by low-flying aircraft.

The plot of this film was not very engaging. But it is worth noting that the real villains of the film are two white men who wish to stir up the tribes by giving them gin and rifles--apparently just because their only goal in life is to stir up trouble.

The African chiefs and kings seem too Anglicized, and Robeson sings some songs that feel out of place in the mouth of a chief. But I found enjoyment in pieces of this film, if not in the whole.

The lines are often unintentionally funny ("My king -of England - is the greatest king on Earth!" "I'm sending you to Sandi" ) and the movie is Tarzanesque,with its evil chief rubbing his hands before killing a good guy .The natives are big irresponsible children who desperately need the help of the white men and above all Lord -Sandi-Sanders.When he's away (they say he's dead),there's no law anymore;but when he's back,so is the law.It speaks volumes about the paternalistic side of this obsolete work:English colonizers are here to bring justice,peace,love and understanding,their intentions are so pure their black protégés (the good ones that is) cannot make up their minds without Father Sandi's piece of advice.

The good chief's songs are closer to Negro spirituals than to African folklore .And the lullaby his wife sings to her little black dove would fit nicely in a Disney cartoon,such as "the Lion King" .

I have mixed feelings about this film. First off, like one reviewer, I was surprised at the topless natives. I would have thought the censors would have cut that out. Paul Robeson played a man who made himself a chief so he could run a tribe. In the movie, only the British could authorize a man to become a Chief. I guess the natives were not authorized to make their own Chief--I thought that was strange! Even stranger, a British authorized Chief had to be given a medal on a chain to wear around his neck--kind of what a rapper would wear today. This medal indicated an authorized Chief. Sandy did try to rule in a fair manner, learned native customs, and learned some native languages. I did dislike how the natives had to call the British Lord and to act like children. The British treated the natives like children. The part that Robeson played was of an extremely smart man. Everything the British told him to do after making him Chief he had already thought of and done on his own. The look on Robeson's face was of a man purposely acting like a child while all the time he was ten jumps ahead of the white man. The look on the British was he knew Robeson was smart and Robeson knew the British knew but each had to play their own part. I thought the movie was worth watching.

Paul Robeson is the star in this Ripping Yarn, with the British keeping the 'picaninnies' under control in Nigeria.

A number of pastoral African scenes of the National Geographic variety (if you know what I mean) are included in this story of the conflict between two tribes in the African heartland.

Don't believe the undergraduate comments here - this is nowhere near as racist as the B grade American films made in the same era ("The Jazz Singer" for instance, and it's ilk), or TV series of the fifties - the Africans are dead glamorous and brave, and the British characters wooden and two-dimensional.

In reviewing films involving African-Americans in chronological order for Black History Month, it's now 1935 when singer/actor Paul Robeson has gone to England for this movie produced by Alexander Korda's London Films with direction by Korda's brother Zoltan. It takes place and is partially filmed in Africa and concerns a British colonialist (Leslie Banks) who places Robeson in charge of keeping peace among various tribes especially when the tribal king (Tony Wane) seems intent on abusing his power. Later on, Robeson meets Nina Mae McKinney and makes her his wife and they have a couple of kids. I'll stop there and just say despite some questionable politics that permeate the film, this was quite a rousing adventure to watch what with many of the wonderful scenery along the countryside with various beautiful animal shots not to mention the wonderful singing voices of Robeson and, in one instance, Ms. McKinney. And the sequences of the tribes, whether chanting or going into battle, bring plenty of excitement to bear. So on that note, Sanders of the River is at the very least, well worth a look.