Customer Reviews

Hyenas [VHS]

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Hyenas is one of those films one cannot describe, because of the total sensiual experiance that comes out of it. Djibril Diop Mambety is an enigmatic figure in African Cinema. His first film, Touki Bouki, won an award at the Cannnes Film Festival in 1974. It was then almost 20 years until His next feature with a few shorts in between. This adaption of Friedrich Durrenmatt's, The Visit, takes the cold power of this story of spurned love to another level entirely. It becomes a metaphorical tales of materialism and consumerism and the value of human life in general.

It has beautiful music,clever dialogue, ("...what is that you are smoking," Drame Dramen asks, "...if you were to ask it's name, it would say Havana..." replies the mayor of the town of Coloban.

This film examines the revenge of a woman, Ramatou, driven out of town when she becomes pregnant by a married man. The Married Man, Drame Dramen, enlists the aid of two friends who lie and say she slept with her also to bring her character into question.

She is driven from the town in disgrace. Twenty years later she returns a millionaire with the intention of buying justice and revenge with cold cash and consumer goods. Amidst surrealistics imagery of Washers Dryers and air conditioners she woes the villager to make them complict in her exacting that revenge. She wants the head of DFramen Drame...and the villagers may be all too willing to comply and the whispers begin.

It is a timeless tale that seems to exist between now and then, a japanese woman chaffeur breaks out a cell phone in the mdidst of a dusty town on the edge of an eternal then....a crippled prosecutor, the peole of the town are colorful and brilliantly portrayed, the mayors seems a character from an African Oz...this is cinema at it's finest.

I could go on but I would just like to encourage everyone to see this film. I know what I will be giving for gifts this year to close friends.

It's been a while since I saw this film (I've seen it several times), but what most reviewers miss is it's allegorical message. The film isn't about the old woman wanting the man dead, but the symbols behind the actions. The idea of an outsider (or actualy someone whose been made wealthy in Europe) asking people to do things they normally would not bring to mind the economic reforms of structural adjustment. This funny and sad film conveys the sense of afro-pessimism so prevelant today.

Setting, pace and characters are beautiful developed in this masterpiece of the African Cinema. Diop Mambety used F.Duerrenmatt's original freely, but with a strong own identity and style. An old lady returns to her poor home town, after she became rich. Wondering why, the people start to talk. Slowly the viewer discovers her story. The old lady is aristocratic every moment of the movie, even in non-aristocratic moments...
Highly recommended for everybody, who likes real storytelling cinema.

This film is much more than it appears. It is the story of the post colonial society, be it in Africa, Asia or elsewhere. The animals (hyenas, elephants, lions, etc,) are representations of types of people from various cultures that have been exploited by the "powers" of the world. More so than that the film is about the role of the World Bank in post colonialial societies. He shows how the oppressed have often become the oppressor. The film actually follows very closely with the plot of "The Visit." However, Mambety has proven that cinema can be reinvented. Cinematically, the movie is highly literary in that elements of foreshadowing and allegory resound throughout.

I can't begin to describe how great this movie was. I saw it because of my interest in the play it's based on, but this film is much better than I ever would have imagined. Visually astonishing, with striking colors and beautiful African landscapes, powerfully acted, rigourous storytelling... If you haven't seen this, you're missing out. I wish I could write something more detailed and thought-out, but I just saw this an hour ago and am still reeling.

Relatively unknown compared to other foreign film giants is the work of Djibril Diop Mambety, 1945-1998, with only a few films to his credit, including Touki Bouki, Badou Boy, both from 1973.

Filmed in 1992, Hyenas is a moral story that focuses village people in Colobane, Africa, and thirty years ago, a young woman Ramatou, was impregnated & abandoned by Draman Drameh, now a smalltown storekeeper. She was run out of town and said the world made a whore of her. Since she left, the town has become faired poorly.

She returns to Colobane very wealthy, as the people refer that wealth "as rich as the World Bank." But now, she seeks revenge and justice upon Draman Drameh. She offers "trillions" to the village townspeople to kill him. At first, they refuse, but slowly they are succumbed to the finer things in life, air-conditioners, fans, refrigerators, TVs, cigarettes, etc.

With reference to "rich as World Bank" Director Mambety said in a 1993 interview that - "They tell the African people 'we know that you're poor but you have too many people working and you don't have enough money to pay them so you have to kill some of them. Then we can give you money. You have to clean up your economy. Kill enough people and we will give you money.'

Mambety use of elephants and hyenas is symbolic. Mambety said that the elephants are time passing on, while the hyenas will eat you. He equates hyenas that with the World Bank.

The film uses few professional characters, but most are nonprofessionals. The subtitles are easy to read. It isn't fast-paced, and doesn't have much physical action, but it is moral in nature and ask yourself the question, will he be killed by the townspeople and officials? This film is unique. See it.....Rizzo

This is a film that speaks of the heart. However, this is not a Hollywood film, and so it deals quite realistically with broken hearts and betrayed love. I'd like to say more, but I can't without giving away the superb ending. Also has a pretty moving soundtrack.

Lots of symbolism on this film- My favorite is the only road leading out of town with the gate. The "road" is desert sand, the rest of the area is desert sand (no trees or anything), but everyone still stops for the gate to be raised before proceeding. Just go around it!

This is a very good movie. This is a proverbial story. It is a great allegory on vengeance and justice. I have seen several of Ousmane Sembène movies and this is my favorite movie of his creations. This is a very insightful movie with great imagery. I really like the closing thought of this movie assessing the value of revenge over the consequential achievements.

First ignore the moron who keeps posting as different swiss people. Why Amazon hasn't removed those posts is beyond me.

But enough, onto the review...

DJIBRIL DIOP MAMBETY- who only did two feature length films before he died. TOUKI BOUKI (his first film) which I found overrated, was the first awkward work of a director still finding his voice; whereas HYENAS his much later followup, is as accomplished a bit of filmmaking as you'll find.

I found it a devastating masterpiece the first time I saw it, and time has only made that more true.

One of my favorite films, it's a biting satire, funny and heartbreaking.

Mambety, prior to his untimely passing also did several short films, equally well regarded, that I'm working my way toward seeing.

But I highly recommend HYENAS not just as great African cinema, but great cinema period. A film of devastating power, beauty, humor, horror, and insight. And most of all humanity... in a world filled with too few people... who are humane.

[...]

I LIKE THIS MOVIE VERY MUCH. IT IS A SLOW PACED MOVIE WITH TIME FOR REFLECTION. IT SHOWS THE UGLY SIDE OF HUMANITY. MEN AND WOMEN SPOILED BY AMBITION AND GREED AND MANIPULATED BY A WOMEN IN SEARCH OF REVENGE. THE HORRIBLE REALITY OF PEOPLE WHICH ARE ABUSED IS THAT THEY BECOME AND ACQUIRE MANY OF THE DISGUISTING TRAITS OF PEOPLE THAT ABUSE THEM. A WOMAN THAT IS ABUSED BECOMES A WORLD REKNOWN PROSTITUTE AND SEEKS REVENGE ON THE MAN THAT ABUSED HER. IN DOING SO SHE MANHUNTS THIS MAN BY PURCHASING ALL OF HER VILLAGE, THEREFORE TURNING HER HATRED ON LIFE TO AN EPIDEMIC PROBLEM IN HER VILLAGE.