Touki Bouki (1973)

Director:

Djibril Diop Mambéty

Writer:

Djibril Diop Mambéty (writer)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Mory, a cowherd who rides a motorcycle mounted with a cow's skull, and Anta, a university student, have met in Dakar...

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

  (Credited cast)

Magaye Niang	...	Mory
Mareme Niang	...	Anta
Aminata Fall	...	Aunt Oumy
Ousseynou Diop	...	Charlie
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Christoph Colomb
Ndou Labia
Mustapha Ture

Also Known As:

Journey of the Hyena

Runtime:

USA:85 min

Country:

Senegal

Language:

Wolof | Arabic | French

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud)

Company:

Cinegrit

Trivia:

This film is believed to be Africa's first avant-garde film, although Soleil O (1967) could also make this claim.

Movie Connections:

Followed by Hyènes (1992)

Confusing

I wanted to see this movie because I read about it on a list of political films that were praised in a local free newspaper (The Washington Free Press).

The movie, filmed in the west African country of Senegal, does contrast the great divide between the haves and the have-nots; graphically so.

However, the film style seems to be along the lines of the French new wave artist Jean-Luc Godard. I've read Godard is a "genius" when it comes to film -- but I think it depends on your perspective. I've enjoyed his films "Week End" and "Masculine-Feminine" but when it came to "Pierrot le fou," I just had to shrug. That's kind of how I felt about "Touki Bouki."

If you are interested in seeing a very in-your-face story about two young lovers trying to find the money to leave Senegal for France, this is the film. Though be forewarned, it doesn't always make much sense!

My rating: 5