Tamango Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		2.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		2.0

Tamango Blu-ray Movie Review

A mediocre film with an underwhelming presentation worth skipping

Based on the original novel by author Prosper Mérimée, Tamango is a thriller set against the backdrop of slave-trading along the perilous blue seas. The film follows the journey of a slave-traders ship as it sails across the sea at rapid speed. The evil slave owner Captain John Reinker (Curd Jürgens) wishes to get as much gold as possible for his massive swarm of chained black men on his wicked boat. Looking to sell the swarm of slaves in Cuba, Reinker is accompanied on the mission by his gorgeous mistress Aiché (Dorothy Dandridge), a black woman tossed into the strange equation.

The young Aiché wants nothing more than to be treated like a pampered white woman and yet she becomes torn between her slave-owning lover and the leader of the ship's slaves, Tamango (Alex Cressan). The brave slave Tamango is determined to help free his people from the wrath of Captain Reinker. Which side will Aiché choose to help aid: the side containing her old, slave-owning Captain boyfriend who promises her white-woman freedom or the black slaves (through Tamango's rebellion and imminent uprising)? Tune in to find out! This week, on TAMANGO!

Slaves on the sea.

If there is something impressive and noteworthy about the production of Tamango it's arguably the quality score composed by Joseph Kosma (Elena and Her Men, Diary of a Bad Girl). The score has a dark undercurrent and enough action-flair to help increase the excitement of the film even when it is in standby mode. The unique cinematography by Edmond Séchan (One-Eyed Men Are Kings, Two Weeks in September) is well-lit and helps to create some imagery that stands out from the crowd. There is also the key production design by Max Douy (The Rules of the Game, Love Is My Profession) to commend: the aesthetic of the boat feels authentic in its portrayal of a time and place.

The average-at-best screenplay by John Berry and co-screenwriters Lee Gold (The Affairs of Martha, Glamour Girl) and Tamara Hovey (That Midnight Kiss, Bagdad) flails around with about as much genuine enthusiasm as a sea oyster. The cold turkey that is Tamango is run-amok with exploitation gimmicks and feels like a poor attempt at crafting an action thriller with political undertones. If only the film was wiser to focus more on the social narrative and less on the silly hijinks which are about as cartoonish as can be. The narrative would be so much better if it was more serious about its aspiration.

John Berry (Mistress of Suspense, The Great Chase) directs the action-adventure film with a clear enthusiasm for the material nonetheless. The film aims to be a high-adventure with remarkable thrills and peril at every turn of the story. The downside to this aspect is that the storytelling remains completely inert from start to finish. One wishes the story would simply end swiftly due to the poor craftsmanship of the boat. Or perhaps, the plank could be introduced and film itself could jump off. There are sharks below.

Tamango Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber, Tamango has received a 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 widescreen. The presentation quality is a major disappointment. The image was obviously not restored with care to the source-material. In numerous scenes, there are thin scratches swarming across the screen, color reproduction is rather subdued, and the level of detail on display is decidedly underwhelming.

There is nothing impressive about this outdated scan and it's less-than-average quality. A mundane transfer which did not receive love and care. While the image quality does have a minor boost from being available in high-definition, nothing about the scan shines with the radiance some viewers may be hoping to find.

Tamango Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The audio for Tamango is presented with DTS-HD Master Audio. The mono audio soundtrack is a major disappointment. While dialogue clarity is acceptable, the track has annoying hiss present that distracts from one's enjoyment of the film. There are also many instances of "pops" on the track which take one out of the experience.

The audio track sounds merely average at its best and lacks the kind of quality restoration which it so clearly needed. A disappointment which matches the underwhelming video presentation. Optional English SDH subtitles (for the deaf and hard of hearing) are provided.

Tamango Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release from Kino Lorber only contains a lone supplemental feature (which is tucked away under the audio options section on the Tamango menu):

Audio Commentary by film critic Peter Tonguette

Tamango Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There is nothing exciting about the slaves-at-sea misfire known simply as Tamango. The film is a underwhelming bore with great aspiration that never becomes reality for audiences. The film has some interesting performances (especially from Dorothy Dandridge) but the bad storytelling makes the experience excruciating at times. The Blu-ray release has a lackluster presentation and is a disappointment. Skip it.