Tamango

2311. TAMANGO (1957-France). COLOR. With DOROTHY DANDRIDGE, CURT JURGENS. Directed by JOHN BERRY. Here is a film which is rare for its time: a harrowing and uncompromisÂing depiction of black Africans who remain proud and separate from whites even as they are being indentured into slavery. The time is the early 19th-century. The setting is a slave ship returning to Cuba after its ruthless captain (played with just the right amount of swagger by Curt Jurgens) has traded rum and rifles to African tribal chiefs for human flesh. The newly enslaved blacks are woman and children as well as men. Proud and heroic Tamango refuses to accept the status that has been thrust upon him. He vows that the captain ‘will never make me a slave” and remains determined to instigate revolt among his comrades. Add to the mix the beautiful and sultry Aiche, a light-skinned slave who is the captain’s mistress. “Any man who tries to disobey his master is a fool,” she says. However, the determined Tamango implores her to join his cause, resulting in a tense and potent drama. Aiche is a fascinating character, and she is wonderfully played by the legendary and tragic Dorothy Dandridge. Had she been alive today, Dandridge would be a major Hollywood star. Unfortunately she came of age at a time when blacks were stereotyped on screen and few roles were available for attractive light-skinned stars. Dandridge died in 1965 from an overdose of barbiÂturates. She was just 42 years old. Additionally the film’s subject matter is all-too appropriate for director John Berry, who had been blacklisted during the McCarthy hysteria by the American movie industry. He settled in France after his ouster from Hollywood. English language and dubbed in English. 99 minutes. Drama