Alfred Hitchcock's

Sanders of the River

DVD or VHS

(To order eMail CHAFIN@COMCAST.NET)

            (The Following Andre Sennwald review of "Sanders of the River" appeared in The New York Times June 27, 1935)

            Comissioner R.G. Sanders was a merciless administrator who controlled a quarter of a million warring cannibals in the interior jungles of Nigeria by flogging miscreants, sending them down the river in irons, or hanging them to convenient trees.  Based on the stories by Edgar Wallace.    

            "Sanders of the River" gets under way when Sanders (Leslie Banks) returns to the coast, bound for home and marriage.  Two rascally English traders promptly inflame the natives with gin and firearms and spread the story that the mighty Sanders is dead.  The drums hum through the jungles with the news.  A rebellious native king murders the new administrator and captures Bosambo (Paul Robeson), a native chieftain who has remained faithful to the English.  The film achieves a harrowingly weird climax in the episode in which the native king prepares to put Bosambo and his wife to the torture, the warriors whipping themselves to the pitch of blood madness as they dance before the staked captives. The chances are that you will be in possession of an acute case of the willies during the minute or two before Sandi chugs upstream to the rescue in his rickety side-wheeler and turns his machine-gun on the rebels.  

            Paul Robeson Sings several English arrangements of native war songs, which are stimulating to hear but a decided hindrance to his portrayal of the savage Bosambo. Similarly, the talented Nina Mae McKinney (Lilongo) is likely to impress you more as a Harlem night-club entertainer than a savage jungle beauty. To its various individual merits, the photoplay adds some splendid photography and an excellent atmospheric picture of the jungle country.  But "Sanders of the River" suffers from overproduction.

            Cast: Leslie Banks, Paul Robeson, Nina Mae McKinney, Martin Walker, Robert Cochran, Richard Grey, Tony Wane.  Jomo Kenyatta, who was President of Kenya from 1963 to 1978, had a bit part as a tribal chief. 

            Release date: 26 June 1935 98 minutes.  The film had originally started as a project Alexander Korda assigned to be directed by Alfred Hitchcock, called "Wings of the Jungle".  Hitchcock was only minimally involved in the earliest stages.  Writers: Lajos Biro, Jeffrey Dell. Director: Zoltan Korda.

            TRIVIA:  Paul Robeson disowned the picture, tell 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 fact.  Some of the wonderful looking shots of African river scenes were in fact filmed on the River Thames at Shepperton. 

            As noted above Alfred Hitchcock had minimal involvement with  Sanders of the River.  However, no serious collection of the works of the great director would be complete without it.  The cost of DVD or VHS is $29. + postage (Media shipping $2.23, Priority $4.80. Overseas $3.00 DVD).   This reproduction is sold collector to collector.  The seller owns no rights to this movie and no transfer of rights is given or implied.  Defective discs will be replaced with same title only.  No refunds.

            You may pay with your credit card through  PayPal  PayPal edress to use: chafin@comcast.net. 

   Or send Money Order or Check to:  Al Chafin, 116 Bay Hill Ct., Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082-3602.    

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