A British colonial policeman in Africa investigates a murder in a hospital up river.A British colonial policeman in Africa investigates a murder in a hospital up river.A British colonial policeman in Africa investigates a murder in a hospital up river.
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This is not as good as the great Sanders film of 1935 with Leslie Banks and Paul Robeson, but it is a better story. There is no singing here, no Paul Robeson or any great coloured personality like him, and, above all, there is no Hitchcock here to assist in the direction and add some horror scenes. Instead it's all the righteous Sanders, not as a commissioner here but as a police man hunting diamond smugglers, and a few women around him and some hospital personnel, headed by the veteran Albert Lieven, who used to play many villains and is an expert on guns and firing them also here. The action is not very stressful, although it gets speeded up towards the end when there are too many murders, but the story is nevertheless interesting: an old ailing doctor writing his will and intending to give his hospital grounds back to the natives, while others have greedy reasons to stop him. Although there are many casualties, he is not one of them. It's fairly good and exciting, and there are some great panoramic sweeps over the wildlife of Africa, including gorgeous crocodiles, but not at all as impressing as the earlier version, although here everything is in brilliant colours.
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWhile the actress, Marianne Koch, played the part of Dr. Inge Jung in the film, in 1971 she went to medical school earning her Medical Doctor degree in 1974 and practiced medicine in Munich, Germany, until 1997 .
- GoofsIn the final scene Todd and the girl, in a boat on the river, look up and see an aircraft supposedly taking the other girl back to civilization. This Lufthansa Boeing 707/700 is clearly trimmed for landing with wheels and flaps extended. Any 707 of that era powered by the Pratt and Whitney JT3D engine would be emitting vast amounts of smoke when on full power after take off as to gain max power. In tropical conditions it used water injection to increase thrust, creating a massive amount of soot.
- ConnectionsRemake of Sanders of the River (1935)
- How long is Death Drums Along the River?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Todestrommeln am großen Fluß
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 23 minutes
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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Top Gap
By what name was Death Drums Along the River (1963) officially released in India in English?
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