Slavers

Star billing for Slavers: Trevor Howard (1st), Britt Ekland (2nd), 'Jurgen Goslar' (3rd), Ron Ely (4th), Ray Milland (5th) and Cameron Mitchell (6th).

INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

Slavers was one of several productions about slavery in the 1970s, alongside Roots (1977), Ashanti (1979), Drum (1976), Mandingo (1975), Huckleberry Finn (1974), Goodbye Uncle Tom (1971), Uncle Tom's Cabin (1977), A Woman Called Moses (1978), Roots: The Next Generations (1979) and The Fight Against Slavery (1975).

INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

A major accident during production resulted in five deaths. During a sudden storm, a ferry sank carrying thirty-nine people and all of the film's camera, sound and lighting equipment. Thirty-four of the people on board survived, but the exposed film negative went down with the boat to fifty metres below.

INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

Actor-director 'Jurgen Goslar' stressed that he did not alter the facts in any way in this graphically re-enacted, brutal film.

INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

Many of the African locals reportedly attributed the ferry disaster during production to superstition. Movie '78 No 2 magazine (Australia) said: "They said the film crew was shooting on an island no one had touched for centuries, and that this disturbed the ancestors' peace. In fact, a number of mysterious events occurred during the shoot."

BEHIND THE SCENES · SOURCED

It appears the American version of the film is cut, while the European version is uncut and longer. All films have edits, also known as "cuts". Sometimes these are meant to adapt a film to local tastes and/or standards. Understandably, less editing will be done in locations with lower standards. Producers may also add or remove certain scenes to obtain the rating they want (G, PG, M, R, X).

INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

According to Time Out, the film includes "branding, rape, animal cruelty, spurting arteries, vultures working over dead natives, babies being trampled, various deaths and repeated shots of ankles rubbed to the bone by iron shackles during the great slave trek".

INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

The picture was shot on real locations in South Africa.

INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

According to the film's publicity, the preparation period lasted a full year.

INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

The film's publicity announced that shooting the slave trek scenes took weeks.

INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

The film apparently was based on real records of great slave treks. Curiously, there is absolutely no information about "great slave treks" on Google/Wiki.

INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

After the film canisters sank with the ferry during the film's big scene, two divers, including director 'Jurgen Goslar', swam down to recover them. The exposed film stock was duly taken to a laboratory about two hundred miles (322 kilometres) away. Despite spending thirty-six hours underwater, the film negative remained undamaged. Given that film is relatively unaffected by water (water is used to rinse film after processing) and that pressure would have no effect either, the lack of damage is no surprise.

INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

Regarding the major ferry deaths in the production, Australian Movie '78 No 2 magazine stated that "the relatives of the dead were told the ferry was overloaded. In fact, it was only one third full - but police later discovered a hole in its lower section".

INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

It was Jürgen Goslar's last feature film as director.

INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

Some of the film's posters announced "for the first time, the true story of the African slave trade!"

INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

Director Jürgen Goslar's other film, Askari Gecesi (1976), was also set in Africa.

EASTER EGGS & REFERENCES · SOURCED

A number of cast and crew, including Jürgen Goslar and actors Erik Schumann and Trevor Howard, also worked on Jürgen Goslar's other African film, Askari Gecesi (1976).

INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

'Jurgen Goslar' took on several roles on this picture: Goslar was an actor, co-writer and director.

INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

Because of fear, danger and superstition, some members of the crew, including a stuntman, refused to shoot at the great Victoria Falls. The stunt jump filmed in the water there had to be reshot because it was damaged at the film processing laboratory.

BEHIND THE SCENES · SOURCED

This picture was reportedly shot in the same year as director Jürgen Goslar's other film Askari Gecesi (1976), but that film was first released in 1976 while this film was first released in 1978.

EASTER EGGS & REFERENCES · SOURCED

The Italian censorship visa # 71386 was issued on 11 January 1978.

INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

Britt Ekland played the character Anna von Erken, whose surname (Erken) resembles her own surname (Ekland).

INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

The year in which the film is set was 1884. The film was shot and released less than a century after that date, exactly ninety-four years later.

INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

After the ferry accident, production continued with new cameras, sound and lighting equipment.

INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED