An unjustly condemned corporal flees to Africa, chased by the captain blamed for his escape.
Acting
Paul Robeson's magnetic screen presence and booming bass.
Practical Effects
Massive desert location shoots — no green screens, all sand.
Score
Robeson's musical numbers steal every scene.
Director
Thornton Freeland
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Robeson was the era's highest-paid Black actor, yet he grew critical of roles like this — exoticized heroes in imperialist fantasies.
The massive sandstorm sequence used airplane propellers on location — actual sand in actual actors' eyes.
US
GB
