Review of Death Drums Along the River

Apparently the only production of "Big Ben Films","Death Drums along the river"is a typical 1950s bill - filler that was inexplicably released (or escaped) in 1963,a year that saw the first appearances of "Billy Liar","Tom Jones","The Servant","Nothing but the best" and "The Leather Boys".It was not the time for a Boys' Own Paper adventure in Africa featuring a resurrected character from the age when a third of the world was pink on the map. The original "Sanders of the river" -appalling though it was - was at least made with some gusto,"Death Drums" has absolutely nothing going for it at all.Mr R.Todd,splendid in his well - pressed uniform,is hardly a good advert for colonialism.Even though he knows that Independence is imminent he is still brusque and arrogant toward his black N.C.O.s and servants."I hope to stay on - if they'll have me",he tells Miss M.Koch.If I were him I'd be heading for the airport before the ink is dry on the Declaration. Mr J. Lloyd is even more of a buffoon.I could see his sort just about surviving at the height of The Raj in India,but in early 60s Africa? The chinless wonders in "Carry on up the Khyber" were more convincing. "Sandy" has been demoted from Administrator to senior police officer for the purposes of this movie. In search of a diamond smuggling ring he moves into the milieu of dodgy European adventurers,remittance men and rather odd doctors with immaculately attired nurses in a pristine laboratory somewhere "Up river". The whole thing has the air of a tired T.V. pilot that nobody has any confidence in and everybody wants to get done with it as quickly as possible and hope the cheques don't bounce.