Sanders of the River

1935 British film by Zoltán Korda

Sanders of the River
Alternate title: Bosambo

Film poster

Directed by| Zoltán Korda
Alfred Hitchcock (uncredited)
Written by| Lajos Bíró
Jeffrey Dell
Edgar Wallace
Arthur Wimperis
Produced by| Alexander Korda
Starring| Leslie Banks
Paul Robeson
Cinematography| Osmond Borradaile
Louis Page
Georges Périnal
Edited by| Charles Crichton
Music by| Michael Spolianski

Production
company

London Films

Distributed by| United Artists

Release date

* 8 April 1935 (1935-04-08)

Running time

| 98 minutes
Country| United Kingdom
Language| English

Sanders of the River is a 1935 British film directed by the Hungarian-British director, Zoltán Korda, based on the stories of Edgar Wallace. It is set in Colonial Nigeria. The lead Nigerian characters were played by African Americans Paul Robeson and Nina Mae McKinney. The film proved a significant commercial and critical success, giving Korda the first of his four nominations for Best Film at the Venice Film Festival.

## Plot

[edit]

Sanders (Leslie Banks) is a colonial District Commissioner in the Colonial Nigeria. He tries to administer his province fairly, including the various tribes comprising the Peoples of the River. He is regarded with respect by some and with fear by others, among whom he is referred to as "Sandi" and "Lord Sandi". He has an ally in Bosambo, a literate and educated tribal chief (played by the African-American actor Paul Robeson).

When Sanders goes on leave, another chief, King Mofolaba, starts a rumour that Sanders has died. Inter-tribal war seems inevitable, and the situation is made worse by gun-runners and slavers. His relief, Ferguson (known to the Nigerians as Lord Ferguson), is unequal to the task; he is captured and killed by King Mofolaba. Sanders returns to restore peace. When Bosambo's wife Lilongo (Nina Mae McKinney) is kidnapped, the chief tracks down her kidnappers. Captured by them, he is saved by a relief force commanded by Sanders. Bosambo kills King Mofolaba and is subsequently named by Sanders as the King of the Peoples of the River.

## Cast

[edit]

* Leslie Banks as Commissioner R.G. Sanders
* Paul Robeson as Bosambo
* Orlando Martins as K'Lova
* Nina Mae McKinney as Lilongo
* Martin Walker as J. Ferguson
* Robert Cochran as Lieutenant Tibbets (as Robert Cochrane)
* Richard Grey as Captain Hamilton
* Toto Ware as King Mofolaba
* Marqués De Portago as Farini
* Eric Maturin as Smith
* Allan Jeayes as Father O'Leary
* Charles Carson as Sir John
* Jomo Kenyatta as Tribal Leader

Colonial administrator Sir B. Bourdillon is credited as an adviser.

## Paul Robeson's reaction to the film

[edit]

Actor Paul Robeson and actress Irén Ágay on the set of Sanders of the River, London, 1934

The African-American singer and actor Paul Robeson, a civil rights activist, accepted the role of Bosambo while living in London. At the time, he was studying the roots of pan-African culture through studies of language and music. Robeson felt that if he could portray the Nigerian leader Bosambo with cultural accuracy and dignity, he could help audiences—especially Black audiences—to understand and respect the roots of Black culture. He took the role on the condition that the film would portray Africans positively.[1]

The filmmakers took an unusual step towards authenticity by sending a film crew on a four-month voyage into remote areas of Africa. They recorded traditional African dances and ceremonies, with the intention of using this footage integrated with scenes shot in the studio that included the future President and Prime Minister of Kenya Jomo Kenyatta as one of the extras.[2]

After the filming, Robeson was asked to return to the studio for retakes of some scenes. He discovered that the film's message had been changed during editing; it seemed to support the continuation of colonial rule in Africa, a message with which Robeson disagreed. The finished film was dedicated to "the handful of white men whose everyday work is an unsung saga of courage and efficiency".[3]

Robeson also discovered his character, Bosambo, had been changed during the editing process from a proud leader to a servile lackey of the colonial administration. He said:

> The imperialist plot had been placed in the plot during the last days five days of shooting...I was roped into the picture because I wanted to portray the culture of the African people and I committed a faux pas which convinced me that I had failed to weigh the problems of 150,000,000 native Africans...I hate the picture.[4]

In 1938, Robeson added disparagingly: "It is the only film of mine that can be shown in Italy or Germany, for it shows the negro as Fascist states desire him – savage and childish."[5] Robeson was so disillusioned by the picture that he attempted, but failed, to buy all the prints to prevent it from being shown.[6]

## Reception

[edit]

It was the 11th most popular film at the British box office in 1935–36.[7]

## Other versions

[edit]

The film was parodied in Will Hay's 1938 film Old Bones of the River. This comedy featured characters named Commissioner Sanders, Captain Hamilton and Bosambo.[8]

In 1963, producer Harry Alan Towers made a German/British international co-production small-scale version of the film, Death Drums Along the River, set in the modern day, only using some of the names of the characters. It spawned a sequel, Coast of Skeletons (1965).

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Duguid, Mark. "Sanders of the River (1935)". BFI Screenonline. British Film Institute. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
2. ^ Neame, Ronald, with Barbara Roisman Cooper, Straight from the Horse's Mouth: Ronald Neame, an Autobiography, Scarecrow Press, 27 September 2003, pp. 199–200.
3. ^ "Korda and Empire", BFI screenonline page.
4. ^ Duberman, Martin, Paul Robeson: The Discovery of Africa, 1989, p. 182.
5. ^ Duberman (1989), Paul Robeson, p. 180.
6. ^ Robeson, Susan, A Pictorial Biography of Paul Robeson: The Whole World in His Hands, 1981, p. 73.
7. ^ "The Film Business in the United States and Britain during the 1930s" by John Sedgwick and Michael Pokorny, The Economic History Review New Series, Vol. 58, No. 1 (February 2005), pp. 79–112.
8. ^ Collinson, Gavin. "Old Bones of the River (1938)". BFI Screenonline. British Film Institute. Retrieved 9 July 2017.

## External links

[edit]

* Sanders of the River at IMDb
* Sanders of the River at the TCM Movie Database
* Sanders of the River at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films

* v
* t
* e

Films directed by Zoltan Korda

* The Eleven Devils (1927)
* Men of Tomorrow (1932)
* Cash (1933)
* Sanders of the River (1935)
* Conquest of the Air (1936)
* Forget Me Not (1936)
* Elephant Boy (1937)
* The Drum (1938)
* The Four Feathers (1939)
* Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book (1942)
* Sahara (1943)
* Counter-Attack (1945)
* The Macomber Affair (1947)
* A Woman's Vengeance (1948)
* Cry, the Beloved Country (1952)
* Storm Over the Nile (1955)

* v
* t
* e

Films by Alexander Korda

As director|

* Watchhouse in the Carpathians (1914)
* The Duped Journalist (1914)
* Tutyu and Totyo (1914)
* Lyon Lea (1915)
* The Officer's Swordknot (1915)
* White Nights (1916)
* The Grandmother (1916)
* Tales of the Typewriter (1916)
* The Man with Two Hearts (1916)
* The One Million Pound Note (1916)
* Cyclamen (1916)
* Struggling Hearts (1916)
* The Laughing Saskia (1916)
* Miska the Magnate (1916)
* St. Peter's Umbrella (1917)
* The Stork Caliph (1917)
* Magic (1917)
* Harrison and Barrison (1917)
* Faun (1918)
* The Man with the Golden Touch (1918)
* Mary Ann (1918)
* Ave Caesar! (1919)
* White Rose (1919)
* Yamata (1919)
* Man of Gold (1919)
* Neither at Home or Abroad (1919)
* Number 111 (1919)
* The Prince and the Pauper (1920)
* Masters of the Sea (1922)
* A Vanished World (1922)
* Samson and Delilah (1922)
* The Unknown Tomorrow (1923)
* Everybody's Woman (1924)
* Tragedy in the House of Habsburg (1924)
* Dancing Mad (1925)
* Madame Wants No Children (1926)
* A Modern Dubarry (1927)
* The Stolen Bride (1927)
* The Private Life of Helen of Troy (1927)
* Yellow Lily (1928)
* Night Watch (1928)
* Love and the Devil (1929)
* The Squall (1929)
* Her Private Life (1929)
* Lilies of the Field (1930)
* Women Everywhere (1930)
* The Princess and the Plumber (1930)
* The Men Around Lucy (1931)
* Rive gauche (1931)
* Marius (1931)
* Longing for the Sea (1931)
* The Golden Anchor (1932)
* Service for Ladies (1932)
* Wedding Rehearsal (1932)
* The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933)
* La dame de chez Maxim's (1933)
* The Girl from Maxim's (1933)
* The Private Life of Don Juan (1934)
* Rembrandt (1936)
* That Hamilton Woman (1941)
* Perfect Strangers (1945)
* An Ideal Husband (1947)

As producer only|

* Men of Tomorrow (1932)
* That Night in London (1932)
* Women Who Play (1932)
* Strange Evidence (1933)
* Counsel's Opinion (1933)
* Cash (1933)
* Catherine the Great (1934)
* The Private Life of the Gannets (1934) (short)
* The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934)
* Things Are Looking Up (1935)
* Sanders of the River (1935)
* The Ghost Goes West (1935)
* Things to Come (1936)
* I Stand Condemned (1936)
* Men Are Not Gods (1936)
* Forget Me Not (1936)
* The Man Who Could Work Miracles (1936)
* Fire Over England (1937)
* I, Claudius (1937) (unfinished)
* Dark Journey (1937)
* Elephant Boy (1937)
* Farewell Again (1937)
* Storm in a Teacup (1937)
* Knight Without Armour (1937)
* The Squeaker (1937)
* Paradise for Two (1937)
* The Divorce of Lady X (1938)
* South Riding (1938)
* The Challenge (1938)
* Prison Without Bars (1938)
* Q Planes (1939)
* The Four Feathers (1939)
* The Rebel Son (1939)
* The Spy in Black (1939)
* The Lion Has Wings (1939)
* Over the Moon (1939)
* 21 Days (1940)
* Conquest of the Air (1940)
* The Thief of Bagdad (1940)
* Old Bill and Son (1941)
* Lydia (1941)
* To Be or Not to Be (1942)
* Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book (1942)
* The Shop at Sly Corner (1947)
* A Man About the House (1947)
* Mine Own Executioner (1947)
* Night Beat (1948)
* Anna Karenina (1948)
* The Winslow Boy (1948)
* The Fallen Idol (1948)
* Bonnie Prince Charlie (1948)
* That Dangerous Age (1949)
* The Last Days of Dolwyn (1949)
* Saints and Sinners (1949)
* The Third Man (1949)
* The Man Who Loved Redheads (1955)
* A Kid for Two Farthings (1955)
* The Deep Blue Sea (1955)
* Storm Over the Nile (1955)
* Richard III (1955)
* Smiley (1956)

* v
* t
* e

Edgar Wallace

Novels|

* The Four Just Men (1905)
* Angel Esquire (1908)
* The Council of Justice (1908)
* Captain Tatham (1909)
* The Duke in the Suburbs (1909)
* The Nine Bears (1910)
* Private Selby (1912)
* The Fourth Plague (1913)
* Grey Timothy (1913)
* The River of Stars (1913)
* The Man Who Bought London (1915)
* The Melody of Death (1915)
* A Debt Discharged (1916)
* The Tomb of Ts'in (1916)
* The Just Men of Cordova (1917)
* The Secret House (1917)
* The Clue of the Twisted Candle (1918)
* Down Under Donovan (1918)
* The Man Who Knew (1918)
* Those Folk of Bulboro (1918)
* The Green Rust (1919)
* Kate Plus Ten (1919)
* The Daffodil Mystery (1920)
* Jack O'Judgment (1920)
* The Book of All Power (1921)
* The Law of the Four Just Men (1921)
* The Angel of Terror (1922)
* The Crimson Circle (1922)
* The Flying Fifty-Five (1922)
* Mr. Justice Maxell (1922)
* The Valley of Ghosts (1922)
* The Clue of the New Pin (1923)
* The Green Archer (1923)
* The Missing Million (1923)
* The Dark Eyes of London (1924)
* Double Dan (1924)
* The Face in the Night (1924)
* Room 13 (1924)
* The Sinister Man (1924)
* The Three Oak Mystery (1924)
* Blue Hand (1925)
* The Fellowship of the Frog (1925)
* The Mind of Mr. J. G. Reeder (1925)
* The Strange Countess (1925)
* The Three Just Men (1925)
* The Avenger (1926)
* Barbara on Her Own (1926)
* The Black Abbot (1926)
* The Northing Tramp (1926)
* The Terrible People (1926)
* The Yellow Snake (1926)
* The Big Foot (1927)
* Terror Keep (1927)
* The Traitor's Gate (1927)
* The Squeaker (1927)
* The Forger (1927)
* Again the Three (1928)
* The Gunner (1928)
* Four Square Jane (1929)
* The Green Ribbon (1929)
* The India-Rubber Men (1929)
* The Calendar (1930)
* The Clue of the Silver Key (1930)
* The Lady of Ascot (1930)
* The Man at the Carlton (1931)
* The Guv'nor and Other Short Stories (1932)

Plays|

* An African Millionaire (1904)
* M'Lady (1921)
* Double Dan (1927)
* The Terror (1927)
* The Man Who Changed His Name (1928)
* The Calendar (1929)
* Persons Unknown (1929)
* On the Spot (1930)
* The Mouthpiece (1930)
* Smoky Cell (1930)
* The Old Man (1931)

Screenplays|

* The Valley of Ghosts (1928)
* The Hound of the Baskervilles (1932)
* King Kong (1933)

Adaptations|

| J. G. Reeder|

* Mr. Reeder in Room 13 (1938)
* The Mind of Mr. Reeder (1939)
* The Missing People (1940)
* The Mind of Mr. J.G. Reeder (1969, TV series)

|

The Four Just Men|

* The Four Just Men (1921)
* The Four Just Men (1939)
* The Four Just Men (1959, TV series)

Edgar Wallace Mysteries|

* Urge to Kill (1960)
* Clue of the Twisted Candle (1960)
* The Malpas Mystery (1960)
* Marriage of Convenience (1960)
* The Clue of the New Pin (1961)
* Man at the Carlton Tower (1961)
* The Fourth Square (1961)
* Man Detained (1961)
* Attempt to Kill (1961)
* Clue of the Silver Key (1961)
* Never Back Losers (1961)
* Partners in Crime (1961)
* The Sinister Man (1961)
* Time to Remember (1962)
* Playback (1962)
* Solo for Sparrow (1962)
* Locker Sixty-Nine (1962)
* Incident at Midnight (1963)
* Return to Sender (1963)
* Ricochet (1963)
* Accidental Death (1963)
* Five to One (1963)
* The Verdict (1964)
* We Shall See (1964)
* Act of Murder (1964)
* Change Partners (1965)

Rialto Films|

* Der Frosch mit der Maske (1959)
* The Crimson Circle (1960)
* The Avenger (1960)
* The Terrible People (1960)
* The Green Archer (1961)
* The Dead Eyes of London (1961)
* The Devil's Daffodil (1961)
* The Forger of London (1961)
* The Strange Countess (1961)
* The Puzzle of the Red Orchid (1962)
* The Door with Seven Locks (1962)
* The Inn on the River (1962)
* The Curse of the Yellow Snake (1963)
* The Squeaker (1963)
* The Black Abbot (1963)
* The Indian Scarf (1963)
* Room 13 (1964)
* The Curse of the Hidden Vault (1964)
* Der Hexer (1964)
* The Traitor's Gate (1964)
* Neues vom Hexer (1965)
* The Sinister Monk (1965)
* The Hunchback of Soho (1966)
* The Trygon Factor (1966)
* Creature with the Blue Hand (1967)
* The Monk with the Whip (1967)
* The Hound of Blackwood Castle (1968)
* Im Banne des Unheimlichen (1968)
* The Gorilla of Soho (1968)
* Double Face (1969)
* The Man with the Glass Eye (1969)
* The Body in the Thames (1971)

Other|

* The Man Who Bought London (1916)
* The Green Terror (1919)
* Pallard the Punter (1919)
* Angel Esquire (1919)
* Wanted at Headquarters (1920)
* The River of Stars (1921)
* The Crimson Circle (1922)
* Down Under Donovan (1922)
* Melody of Death (1922)
* The Diamond Man (1924)
* The Flying Fifty-Five (1924)
* The Green Archer (1925 serial)
* The Great Unknown (1927)
* The Terror (1928)
* Mark of the Frog (1928 serial)
* Chick (1928)
* The Forger (1928)
* The Terrible People (1928 serial)
* The Ringer (1928)
* The Man Who Changed His Name (1928)
* The Flying Squad (1929)
* The Crimson Circle (1929)
* The Clue of the New Pin (1929)
* Red Aces (1930)
* The Squeaker (1930)
* The Yellow Mask (1930)
* The Ringer (1931)
* To Oblige a Lady (1931)
* The Calendar (1931)
* The Old Man (1931)
* The Squeaker (1931)
* The Flying Squad (1932)
* The Frightened Lady (1932)
* The Ringer (1932)
* The Menace (1932)
* White Face (1932)
* Giallo (1933)
* The Jewel (1933)
* Before Dawn (1933)
* The Double (1934)
* Mystery Liner (1934)
* The Green Pack (1934)
* The Feathered Serpent (1934)
* The Lad (1935)
* Sanders of the River (1935)
* Born to Gamble (1935)
* Chick (1936)
* Educated Evans (1936)
* The Crimson Circle (1936)
* Prison Breaker (1936)
* Strangers on Honeymoon (1936)
* The Frog (1937)
* The Squeaker (1937)
* The Gaunt Stranger (1938)
* Dangerous to Know (1938)
* Kate Plus Ten (1938)
* Thank Evans (1938)
* The Terror (1938)
* The Return of the Frog (1938)
* Flying Fifty-Five (1939)
* The Dark Eyes of London (1939)
* The Case of the Frightened Lady (1940)
* The Door with Seven Locks (1940)
* The Flying Squad (1940)
* The Green Archer (1940 serial)
* The Missing Million (1942)
* The Calendar (1948)
* The Ringer (1952)
* The Avenger (1960)
* Death Drums Along the River (1963)
* Coast of Skeletons (1964)
* Circus of Fear (1966)
* Five Golden Dragons (1967)
* The Devil Came from Akasava (1970)
* The Bloodstained Butterfly (1971)
* What Have You Done to Solange? (1972)
* Seven Blood-Stained Orchids (1972)

Television|

* Educated Evans (1957–58)

Parodies and pastiches|

* Der Wixxer (2004)

Family|

* Mary Jane Richards (mother)
* Marriott Edgar (half-brother)
* Bryan Edgar Wallace (son)

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