"Sanders" is a remake, of sorts, of the 1935 film "Sanders of the River". However, the plot has been changed so much that it's difficult, at times, to see it's a remake. And, in some cases, entire characters have been written in or out of the remake.
The film stars Richard Todd as the title character--a smarty-pants police inspector working in a British colony in West Africa in the waning days of the Empire. He's a determined man and is out to get to the heart of why one of his men was killed. Interestingly, the path takes him to not only a fake funeral but when he finds the guilty man, someone shoots him to keep some secret. But what? Why the two murders and how are they connected? "Sanders" is a rather handsome film. While it was filmed in South Africa (4000 miles away from West Africa), the color cinematography is very nice and I am happy they limited the use of stock footage (which usually is grainy and ill-fitting). As for the plot, it's not bad but the film doesn't use women well. One, Marianne Koch, plays a doctor and practically everyone ogles her and makes sexist remarks about their surprise about her being a 'pretty lady doctor'. The other, Vivi Bach, is a far from stellar actress whose only qualifications, it seems, are her looks. One reviewer went so far as to say she was the worst actress in history. While I wouldn't go that far, I would say she's well in the running--with an inability to deliver lines or show proper emotion (watch her when she bites her hand to show fear or stares off into space as if trying to remember her lines!). With Koch's role re-written a bit (without the sexist stuff) and ANYONE else to play Bach's part (even a talented chimp might do) would improve the film. Overall, not a bad movie--a minor time-passer but not much more.
The film stars Richard Todd as the title character--a smarty-pants police inspector working in a British colony in West Africa in the waning days of the Empire. He's a determined man and is out to get to the heart of why one of his men was killed. Interestingly, the path takes him to not only a fake funeral but when he finds the guilty man, someone shoots him to keep some secret. But what? Why the two murders and how are they connected? "Sanders" is a rather handsome film. While it was filmed in South Africa (4000 miles away from West Africa), the color cinematography is very nice and I am happy they limited the use of stock footage (which usually is grainy and ill-fitting). As for the plot, it's not bad but the film doesn't use women well. One, Marianne Koch, plays a doctor and practically everyone ogles her and makes sexist remarks about their surprise about her being a 'pretty lady doctor'. The other, Vivi Bach, is a far from stellar actress whose only qualifications, it seems, are her looks. One reviewer went so far as to say she was the worst actress in history. While I wouldn't go that far, I would say she's well in the running--with an inability to deliver lines or show proper emotion (watch her when she bites her hand to show fear or stares off into space as if trying to remember her lines!). With Koch's role re-written a bit (without the sexist stuff) and ANYONE else to play Bach's part (even a talented chimp might do) would improve the film. Overall, not a bad movie--a minor time-passer but not much more.