Jaguar (1967)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Jean Rouch

Genre:

Documentary

Plot:

The adventures of three young men who leave their homeland Savannah, Niger, and go looking for fortune in Ghana. |

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Ghana

Company:

Les Films de la Pléiade

Jaguar is a film of "ethnofiction" or as Rouch coined it "cine-fiction". Its Rouch brilliance

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Jaguar (1967), directed by the late Jean Rouch is an "ethnofictious" film that depicts three protagonists from Songhay, Niger that embark on a voyage of discovery to the Gold (Ivory) Coast, Ghana to seek adventure and wealth. This feature length film tells the story of Lam Ibrahim, a Fulam herder, Illo Goudel'ize, a Niger River fisherman and Damoré Zika, a Zerma unsettled youth who works as a tax collector. Jaguar is a film that can be classified under the terminology "ethnofiction" or as Rouch coined it "cine-fiction". This classification can be given to Jaguar since this film associates with laboriously researched and analyzed ethnographic work even though it is depicted in a fictitious way. Jaguar represents aspects of social transformation and change. It depicts how young African men experience seasonal migration and are able to reinvent them selves as new men after completing such a vast journey. Jaguar incorporates four qualities that are said to be typical for Rouch films. It documents a specific part of the characters lives; there is collaboration with the subjects of the film; interrogation, making things happen through filming; and the use of improvisation and fantasy while exploring the subjects' lives. Rouch used various new and innovative techniques when making this film. Jaguar was filmed without sound and Rouch had to find a way to make the commentary just as entertaining as the playful ethos of the images presented in the film. Rouch had Damoré and Lam watch the picture and comment on what they saw. The talk between them was recorded and added into the films soundtrack. This innovation by Rouch and the collaboration with his subject made the commentary of the film just playful as the recorded film. Rouch was an innovator in the usage of the camera. Instead of being just an observer with the camera, Rouch went "into" the actions that were taking part around him. This can be seen in the scene with the Somba peoples when they are performing a ritualistic dance. Instead of just watching the event from a distance, Rouch takes the camera into the dance and gives the viewer a sense of participation. Rouch can also be credited with creating a sense of involvement of the viewers' senses with his work with the camera. This can be seen in various scenes in Jaguar, one occurrence of this technique that comes into mind is when the heroes of the film are venturing along the old warrior and trade routes to get to the Gold Coast and the camera shoots images of the ground and sky. This leaves the viewer with a sense of walking along with the heroes of the film and experiencing with them different elements of nature. Rouch sees the camera as an active agent of investigation and the person recording is the "interrogator" of the world. Rouch incorporates into Jaguar his infamous technique of "jump-cutting". Many of the scenes are short and not self explanatory, which can confuse and leave the viewer with a perception of chaos. Many of the market scenes are show turmoil and jump from scene to scene and show many peoples faces, expressions and enactments over a very short period of time. This confusion of "jump-cutting" can make the viewer lose his/her track and not follow a consistent theme in the film long enough to make sense of it. However the usage of these visual techniques and the commentary by the characters of the film brings a sense of involvement to the viewer. Rouch commentary in the beginning and at the end of the film can be seen as a prelude to the occurrences that are going to happen through out the picture, and as finale that concludes all that happened. His commentary works in an authoritative way that can prepares and leaves the viewer with a sense of respect for the people that are "ethnofictiously" filmed. Even though this film is improvised and the characters are acting out scenes for the camera it is still a film with ethnographic value and authenticity. Observed reality is not captured in this film, a presentation of how the experiences and feelings amongst young males who venture on long travels are attained.