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Sanders of the River

    A colorful poster advertises the 1935 film Sanders of the River, showing the film’s stars Paul Robeson and Leslie Banks in their costumes for the film, with bare-chested Robeson posing as a native African chief and Banks wearing a white and brown British pith helmet.

    British-Hungarian director Zoltan Korda’s 1935 film Sanders of the River starred Paul Robeson as Bosambo, an educated tribal chief in colonial Nigeria; Bosambo is an ally of Sanders, the province’s colonial administrator, played by the British stage actor Leslie Banks. Contrary to Robeson’s expectations and to his chagrin, the final cut of the film played up African stereotypes.

    2021
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    Attribution/Credit

    Photo of film poster dated 1935, by John L. Puckett; permission to photograph in Paul Robeson House and Museum courtesy of West Philadelphia Cultural Alliance