#tamango

You rolled up Tamago!

“They’ll never make me a slave.”

It figures a 1950’s film about a slave revolt wouldn’t...or couldn’t be made by a Hollywood studio at that time. TCM’s beautiful Star of the Month, Dorothy Dandridge, is front and center in this drama. And she has something to say.

TAMANGO (‘58) was produced in Europe and based on a story of the same name by Prosper Mérimée. The film is a microcosm of the Black experience. It’s amazing how this tale beginning in 1820 weaves its way into some current motifs of today. In films like GONE WITH THE WIND (’39), we’ve already seen the slave experience once they’re fully ensconced in America. This European production deals with the Middle Passage and touches on a third rail that Hollywood didn’t have the courage to look at back then. I’m now remembering NO WAY OUT (‘50) and THE DEFIANT ONES (‘58) dealing head on with racial issues and I stand corrected.

In TAMANGO, Dandridge is at the apex of two triangles: one with two men both attracted to her and the other with herself.

One arm of the “triangle” is blonde and burly Curd Jurgens. He plays the Captain of the slave ship who’s on his 12th voyage and knows his way around the Seven Seas. He’s as benign as a the captain of a 19th century slave ship can be. He’s no Captain Bligh, but he knows the value of his human cargo and metes out harsh punishment as he sees fit.

The other arm of the triangle is the slave Tamango. Alex Cressan plays him (in his only film appearance). He is handsome (forgive me for being a visual person) and has a heroic screen presence. Tamango was a warrior and lion hunter in his village. He is not going down without a fight. The other slaves look to him for guidance, though they can’t hold out against the intimidation and brutality of the Captain and his crew. He is a leader to be punished but, while being perversely admired for that leadership, conversely, the Captain does not want to damage his value on the trading block. Tamango’s actions towards breaking free put everyone in danger. And then he sees Dorothy Dandridge.

Dandridge’s character, Aiché, is the Captain’s mistress. She has special privileges on the ship because of that. She can roam as she wishes, sleep in a comfy bed and eat better than the other slaves. See, the truth of the matter is she IS a slave, if she needs reminding; and she’s reminded by the ship’s doctor. He serves as a bit of a conscience for the Captain, but he also wants Dandridge for himself:

“Maybe you’ve got white blood in your veins. But you’re a slave, just like they are. You were sold, just like they were.”

Whatever the ‘perks’ are for being the Captain’s “private property”, she is property. As much as she tries to ignore it, she begins to have the stirrings of something not quite right. It begins with her dealings with Tamango. Giving the rebellious man some water after his skirmish with authority, he puts an even finer point on her position on the ship:

“White man’s trash.”

Her comeback to him:

“What are you? A rusty rifle. A bag of glass beads. That’s all you’re worth. So don’t put on airs with me.”

In spite of the script’s slightly anachronistic dialogue, TAMANGO shows the seeds of Black consciousness personified by Dandridge. On one hand, even if she mainly serves one purpose to the Captain, he does seem to care for her in spite of himself. She’s also witnessing first-hand the struggles of people trying to be free. Her people. We see a leader trying to get a disparate group of people to work together, but who quickly turn on him when the first attempt fails. They have to fight through their fear, to learn how to be a cohesive group against this oppressor. Tamango bides his time and waits for an opening.

Between the oppressor and the oppressed, it is Aiché who has the stirrings of figuring out where she really belongs: go along to get along or literally, take a stand.

TAMANGO is directed by John Berry who also directed TENSION (‘49) and HE RAN ALL THE WAY (’51). He got mangled in the juggernaut of the Hollywood Blacklist after directing a short documentary about the Hollywood Ten. He moved to France when he could no longer get work in Hollywood. When his exile ended, he went on to direct a few television shows and films, among them: CLAUDINE (‘74), THIEVES (‘77) and THE BAD NEWS BEARS GO TO JAPAN (‘78).