SOLEIL Ô
(OH, SUN)
In an unnamed French colony in West Africa, black men line up before a white priest for baptism and renaming—the first step in a process that simultaneously deracinates and subjugates them. In France, colonial blacks, encouraged by propaganda, arrive to seek a better life. What they find is unemployment or a handful of ‘dirty’ jobs, unacceptable living conditions, naked racism, and bureaucratic indifference. Searching for a new form, Med Hondo has eschewed all conventional narrative. From the stylized and surreal opening sequences to the episodic adventures of a particular man, the director presents a series of imaginative set pieces, linked by voice-over narrative, that investigate and dramatize a complex of interrelated themes. A scathing attack on colonialism, the film is also a shocking exposé of racism and a brutal and ironic indictment of Western capitalist values.
Year of production: 1969
Country: Mauritania, France
Durée : 98 minutes
Credits
- Med HONDO Director
- François Catonné Director of Photography
- Jean-Claude Rahaga Director of Photography
- Michèle Masnier Editing
- Clément Menuet Editing
Contacts
Producer
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Kristen MEROLA
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