Dark of the Sun (1968)

You raise some interesting points. I guess we are all a product of our own experiences that shape our perceptions of everything we encounter, including movies. I have lived for the most part in places that were multicultural and multiracial, with comparative harmony among those I have come in contact. Perhaps as a result I don't look to find things that are not apparent.

Like many movies that are based upon real events, "Dark of the Sun" is not particularly concerned with historical accuracy. For one thing it conflates two uprisings in the Congo. It is true that the Soviet Union was involved in aiding the Simba Rebellion but as you stated you would not realize this watching "Dark of the Sun" as there is only one oblique reference from Captain Curry, Rod Taylor's character:

"The gun's Chinese Ruffo, paid for by Russian rubles. The steel probably came from a West German factory built by French francs. Then it was flown out here on a South African airline probably subsidized by The United States. I don't think he got very far."

I think this sums up the film's attitude about politics. It perhaps is ahead of its time in implying that all characters playing politics have the same motivation of greed or lust for power. For a movie made during the Cold War at least its main character takes a stance that appears to be negative towards the countries on both sides. But in doing this he also is discounting a sacrifice by Dr. Wried (Kenneth More) that Sgt. Ruffo (Jim Brown's character) finds noble. This leads to a falling out between Ruffo and Curry, with Ruffo asking if Curry stands for anything outside of himself. Ruffo's principal motivation throughout the film is patriotism. He is from the Congo. But you seem to have an advantage on me, as I do not know what a typical Congolese native of the 60's was like. However, Ruffo is hardly typical of most people of that era no matter what country they came from. He is better educated, having been an exchange student at USC, who knows four languages. I guess that experience would make him more of a combination of attributes, some similar to Jim Brown than the average person from the Congo. But I do not see him fitting into the mold of a "Magic Negro" as far as I understand the concept. To be honest I think people have had to emphasize some aspects of characters and deemphasize other aspects to make claims of this "fly"...

Here is a description of the idea.

"Here are what I call the Five Points of the Magical Negro; the five most common attributes:

He or she is a person of color, typically black, often Native American, in a story about predominantly white characters.

He or she seems to have nothing better to do than help the white protagonist, who is often a stranger to the Magical Negro at first.

He or she disappears, dies, or sacrifices something of great value after or while helping the white protagonist.

He or she is uneducated, mentally handicapped, at a low position in life, or all of the above.

He or she is wise, patient, and spiritually in touch. Closer to the earth, one might say. He or she often literally has magical powers.

The archetype of the Magical Negro is an issue of race. It is the subordination of a minority figure masked as the empowerment of one. The Magical Negro has great power and wisdom, yet he or she only uses it to help the white main character; he or she is not threatening because he or she only seeks to help, never hurt. The white main character's well-being comes before the Magical Negro's because the main character is of more value, more importance.

The Magical Negro is like the happy slave, glad to sacrifice himself, his happiness, his time, something of value to him, in order to help the white character. And at end of the story, many audiences often end up quietly wondering, "Well, why'd she do that?" That is, if they remember the character at all." Magic Negro Article

This doesn't fit Sgt. Ruffo very well.

The film is not predominantly about white characters, but more of a split between them and black characters.

Sgt. Ruffo has much more to do than just personally help Curry. His stated mission is to help his country, and he would be willing to fight Curry over this.

He does not make a sacrifice by dying to help the white protagonist. He does not really "save his life"...

he is anything but uneducated, mentally handicapped. or in a low position in life.

He is wise, patient and apparently spiritually in touch, but the film reveals Dr. Wreid & Claire (Yvette Mimiuex) to be the same. He has no magical powers.

"At the time the slaughter of the people on the train (including a young infant--but we do not see this depicted) would likely have been a considerable negative and still is, but they throw in a blonde Nazi bad guy (Peter Carsten made a career of it I think) with a hatred for blacks (as I have pointed out, in the Goebbels' supervised Munchhausen of 1943, there are black folk in the cast--they are unmolested)."

I think we see an infant on the train who presumably meets a bad fate. and a blonde bad guy who presumably has Nazi proclivities having either been one or agreeing with the on some things. He is basically a self-centered narcissist.He most likely is a white supremacist but his opinion of blacks may not be an overall hatred. I have no idea what point you are attempting to make with "Baron Munchhausen"...

I don't see much if any of "Hollywood's SJW or anti-European propaganda" in this film. I think that although racism is brought up, the film itself makes a case that there is perhaps a balance of prejudiced characters of different colors.

I suppose there is an intent in the film to say Nazis are bad, but where is there any message that "Commies are good"...?

I didn't say they were "fanning" I said they were holding what appeared to be "ceremonial fans"...do they not in fact have such?

I would suggest you watch the banquet scene again. Behind Jason and King Aeetes are two of the black guys holding the fans. The poles are golden colored with blue and turquoise plumes.