Emitai (1971)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Ousmane Sembene

Writer:

Ousmane Sembene (writer)

Release Date:

10 January 1974 (Hungary)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

As World War II is going on in Europe, a conflict arises between the French and the Diola-speaking tribe of Africa, prompting the village women to organize their men to sit beneath a tree to pray. |

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Robert Fontaine	...	Commandant
Michel Remaudeau	...	Lieutenant
Pierre Blanchard	...	Colonel

Also Known As:

Dieu du tonnerre (Senegal: French title)
God of Thunder (literal English title)
Hementhal (International: English title) (informal title)

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

Senegal

Language:

Wolof | French

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Filmi Domirev

Trivia:

Could not be released in the director's home country of Senegal, because of pressure from the French government, which disliked the depiction of French colonialism.

Concept = 9; Production = 4

This frustrating film is brilliant in concept but intensely awkward in execution. His main themes throughout his career are hammered relentlessly: that male elders invited their oppression and that the society rests on the labor of women. But the philosophical issues are alluded to in passing and the use of non-actors portraying elders should have given far less time to their deliberations. The ending is far too abrupt and thwarts the understanding he was building up to all along. Compare this to his most recent film "Faat Kine" and you will see Sembene's development as a storyteller.