although a source of much embarrassment ( and biographical revisionism ) to paul robeson in late year and by the standard of it day sander of the river isn not quite a obnoxiously racist a you might think . unlike american film of the period and it more patronising than openly defamatory and while he hardly a role model and robeson convict turn king play a more central role in the plot than leslie bank condescendingly paternalistic british commissioner ( sandi the brave and sandi the wise or righter of wrong and hater of lie . ) . but then and you do not expect subtlety from a story by edgar wallace and who many blame for the collapse of peace talk during the boer war because of his salacious invented newspaper story of boer atrocity . a a film it hold together fairly well and with the extensive and often spectacular location footage of africa and shepperton riverside ( all too obviously shot with stand in for the two star ) compensate for the victor herbert operetta style song give to robeson ( let the river rattle or onwards into battle or make them flee like cattle ) .