Opening: “Africa – the island of Casanga, off the West Coast – in the year 1700 A.D. The island had not yet attracted the attention of the slave traders on the mainland, but its people suffered as fierce an oppression under their hereditary queen Zinga – tyrant, despot, mistress of cruelty”. After a short prologue, in which the wicked queen’s son and his wife make their escape from the island and are taken into slavery, the action transfers to modern day London. There, John Zinga works as a docker. A gentle giant with a magnificent singing voice, his talent comes to the notice of operatic impresario Donezetti. Soon, John becomes a world-famous singer, but, tortured by thoughts of his roots, he eventually gives up his new career and determines to use his fortune on finding his real home and helping his own people.
Production Details
A Hammer production distributed throughout the United Kingdom and Irish Free State by British Lion Film Corp. Ltd., 76-78 Wardour Street, London W1 – S.W. Smith, Managing Director
Recorded on High Fidelity RCA Photophone
Black & White 80 minutes
UK Release – 17th August 1936
Studio:
British Lion Studios, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire
Stills from the film
Click an image for enlarged slideshow
Cast & Crew
Cast – Complete, awaiting verification
Crew – Believed complete
Red = Uncredited
Crew | Name | Age at Release | Birth | Death | Age | Hammer Credits | Uncredited | Total Hammer |
Adaptation | Fenn Sherie | 40 | 12 Aug 1896 | 29 Jul 1947 | 50 | 2 | 2 | |
Adaptation | Ingram DAbbes | 38 | 6 Jan 1898 | 21 Dec 1975 | 77 | 2 | 2 | |
Additional Music | Jack Beaver | 36 | 27 Mar 1900 | 10 Sep 1963 | 63 | 3 | 3 | |
Art Director | Norman Arnold | 43 | 19 Sep 1892 | 7 Dec 1963 | 71 | 2 | 2 | |
Assistant Director | Arthur Allcott | 42 | 20 Jul 1894 | 4 Jan 1986 | 91 | 1 | 1 | |
Director | J. Elder Wills | 36 | 26 Apr 1900 | 1970 | 69 | 22 | 22 | |
Editor | Arthur Tavares | 52 | 10 Jan 1884 | 27 May 1954 | 70 | 1 | 1 | |
Lyrics | Henrik Ege | 42 | 30 Dec 1893 | 28 Jul 1962 | 68 | 1 | 1 | |
Music | Eric Ansell | 35 | 21 Aug 1900 | 1981 | 80 | 3 | 3 | |
Photography 1 | Eric Cross | 34 | 31 May 1902 | 1 Mar 2004 | 101 | 4 | 4 | |
Photography 2 | Harry Rose | 34 | 1902 | 14 Jan 1955 | 53 | 1 | 1 | |
Photography 3 | Thos Glover | 1 | 1 | |||||
Producer | Will Hammer | 48 | 21 Nov 1887 | 1 Jun 1957 | 69 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
Production Supervisor | Henry Passmore | 31 | 1905 | Aug 1987 | 82 | 4 | 4 | |
Sound Engineer | Harold King | 28 | 3 Nov 1907 | 22 May 1959 | 51 | 2 | 2 | |
Story | Claude Wallace | 1 | 1 | |||||
Story | Dorothy Holloway | 38 | 7 Mar 1898 | 1972 | 73 | 4 | 6 | 10 |
Writer | Michael Barringer | 1894 | 1954 | 1 | 1 | |||
Writer | Philip Lindsay | 30 | 30 Apr 1906 | 4 Jan 1958 | 51 | 1 | 1 | |
Cast | Name | Age at Release | Birth | Death | Age | Hammer Credits | Uncredited | Total Hammer |
Alf | Alf Goddard | 39 | 28 Nov 1896 | 23 Feb 1981 | 84 | 1 | 1 | |
Bert Puddick | George Mozart | 72 | 15 Feb 1864 | 10 Dec 1947 | 83 | 4 | 4 | |
Blane | Ronald Simpson | 39 | 27 Sep 1896 | 23 Sep 1957 | 60 | 1 | 1 | |
Donezetti | Esme Percy | 49 | 8 Aug 1887 | 16 Jun 1957 | 69 | 1 | 1 | |
Endobo - The Witch Doctor | Arthur Williams | 1 | 1 | |||||
Gatekeeper | Sydney Benson | 1 | 1 | |||||
John Zinga | Paul Robeson | 38 | 9 Apr 1898 | 23 Jan 1976 | 77 | 1 | 1 | |
Man at Sing Song | Jack Sharp | 4 | 4 | |||||
Mandingo | Ecce Homo-Toto | 1 | 1 | |||||
Marian | Jenny Dean | 33 | 22 Nov 1902 | 16 Jan 1968 | 65 | 1 | 1 | |
Monty | Robert Adams | 30 | 1906 | 1965 | 59 | 1 | 1 | |
Native Leader | James Soloman | 1 | 1 | |||||
Nell Puddick | Joan Fred Emney | 34 | 4 Sep 1901 | Dec 1983 | 82 | 1 | 1 | |
Potman | Will Hammer | 48 | 21 Nov 1887 | 1 Jun 1957 | 69 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
Queen Zinga | Cornelia Smith | 61 | 29 Apr 1875 | 11 May 1970 | 95 | 1 | 1 | |
Ruth Zinga | Elisabeth Welch | 32 | 27 Feb 1904 | 15 Jul 2003 | 99 | 1 | 1 | |
Sir James Pyrie | Bernard Ansell | 54 | 16 Sep 1881 | 25 Jul 1958 | 76 | 1 | 1 | |
Trader | Ambrose Manning | 78 | 14 Aug 1858 | 22 Mar 1940 | 81 | 1 | 1 | |
With | Arthur Elliott | 1 | 1 | |||||
With | Johnnie Schofield | 47 | 10 Mar 1889 | 9 Sep 1955 | 66 | 2 | 2 | |
Woman | Cathleen Cavanagh | 1 | 1 |
Original Poster
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Footnotes
Will Hammer (Anthony Hinds’ father) and George Mozart, who both appear in this film, were among the original founders of Hammer Films.
Production supervisor H. Fraser Passmore was also on the board at this time.
The Director, J. Elder Willis, worked on later Hammer films as Art Director.