Rating:
Director: Lee Hirsch
Producer: Lee Hirsch, Sherry Simpson
Writer: N/A
Director of Photography: Brand Jordaan, Ivan Leathers, Clive Sacke
Cast: N/A
Visit the IMDB page for full cast and crew
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AMANDLA!
A REVOLUTION IN FOUR-PART HARMONY Rating: Director: Lee Hirsch Producer: Lee Hirsch, Sherry Simpson Writer: N/A Director of Photography: Brand Jordaan, Ivan Leathers, Clive Sacke Cast: N/A Visit the IMDB page for full cast and crew |
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Review by: Joseph
Campbell
2/25/03
Apparently, the creators of Amandla: A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony were looking for a steep uphill task when they set out to make this picture. Director Lee Hirsch aimed to chronicle a half-century of apartheid in South Africa -- a complicated history notoriously fraught with misery and injustice -- while keeping a strict focus on the role of music in the lives and events of the period. Murder and music; not exactly complementary subjects.
After nine years of filmmaking toil, the finished product strays far from candy-coated exploitation or politically motivated, big-screen agenda. Nor does the film's musical infusion trivialize the South African struggle. Instead, Amandla becomes an impromptu drama involving a nation of people whose existence is so intertwined with their native land and customs that their ultimate salvation from generations of oppression is symbolized, and in many cases motivated, by the physical manifestation of their traditions. That is, song and dance.
In a conventional documentary format, Amandla meshes interviews, historical video footage, photos and music to capture the story of a nation's battle for independence. Yet, the outbursts of candid emotion and spirituality from the interview subjects are anything but conventional. Through song and story, the interviewees unveil a strength of cause and a link between artistic expression and social climate. If nowhere else, this close relationship appears in the professional titles of the interviewees. Much more so than in modern Western culture, South African singers, musicians, poets, actors, DJs, and dancers double as speakers, political activists, militants, rally organizers and protesters. It's a strong statement on how reality, sometimes even a bleak existence, inspires art.
Among the more impressive of the documentary's efforts is its exploration of the multi-layered nature of music and rhythm in South African life. Music is seen in countless forms and with various utilities, evolving consistently with the changes in the nation's political and social atmosphere. We see music as a means of communication, an implement of teaching, a symbol of resistance, a vehicle for motivation and, of course, an outlet for the whole spectrum of human emotion. The songs of the South African people range from rhythmic cadences aimed at intimidating and encoded songs meant to signify secret meanings to sorrowful dirges in times of mourning.
Descriptive reminiscences and spontaneous performances by influential South Africans accompany the film's chronological study of the apartheid struggle. These characters relate personal tales of love and loss, defeat and redemption. The charisma and comic relief provided by renowned musician Hugh Masekela and the melodic offerings from singer Miriam Makeba are particularly enthralling. But not only the positive personalities are given voice. Equally captivating and illuminating is the story told by a prison executioner that brings the viewer intimately face to face with evil. Again, the touch of brilliance lies in the fact that Hirsch always manages to bring music back to the forefront of every story line.
As a documentary, the film succeeds on almost every conceivable level. The mesmerizing score juxtaposes interviews and action flawlessly, and the graphic video footage secures no mysteries. Furthermore, masterful editing transforms Amandla from a simple history lesson on 35 millimeter to an intricately unfolding drama.
If a weakness can be found, and it may take a history buff to do so, it's in the lack of political commentary on specific issues. Not that such analysis is necessary, because it isn't, but the actual transgressions, whether real or perceived, by Nelson Mandela and a slew of exiled South Africans are never recounted. The same could be said for several other real events; the exposition here is limited.
Nevertheless, Amandla entertains,
educates and empowers. Likely to become a staple of visual aids
in college history and music courses worldwide, the film presents
one nation's allegiance to, and reliance on, the universal medium
of music as a guiding light. And true to the meaning of the word
"amandla," the result is powerful.
(An Artisan Entertainment release. Opened in New York on February
19, 2003. Opens in Los Angeles on February 28, 2003. Expands to
more cities at later dates.)
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