Customer Reviews

Moolaadé

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

 

 

The late Ousmane Sembene's last film continued his effort to make the public aware of the African "condition", from a respectful, first-hand sensibiity. The subject of female genital mutilation (FGM) has rarely been addressed, and it's important for people to realize that the practice is still a reality. It's a cultural tradition, that really has no basis in religion, but rather in the male society that first suggested it, before the time of Christ (hence, Islam wasn't even around). My first exposure to this controversy was back in the early '90's, from an article in Reader's Digest, written by a world-famous fashion model who had undergone this barbaric practice. Her explanation was that women are not allowed to experience sexual pleasure, and she was led to believe this was dictated by God. Her suffering after the procedure was heartbreaking, and I've never forgotten her tragic, very well-written essay. "Moolaade" is important, on many levels. Previous reviewers have covered a lot, but it wasn't mentioned that, at the end, the women rose up, and the heir-apparent to the village leadership ultimately told his father that he would choose his own wife. It's about changing traditions, individuality, dignity and self-respect. Sembene's use of color, and a dash of humor here and there, make this powerful (though unpleasant) theme easier to digest. The 2-disc DVD is as good as they come, rife with extras about the filming, interviews with Mr. Sembene, and terrific insight into the efforts to eliminate the unnecessary practice of FGM. There are always articles and films about atrocities happening throughout the world; it's often overwhelming. With his small, important film, Sembene has used his multi-talent abilities to present a riveting wake-up call to just another such atrocity, one that, with even an ounce of education, is quite obviously dangerous, unnecessary, and preventable. ALSO: Aside from Ebert's thumb-up, this was on 16 Top-10 lists in '04. Worthy film!

It is often assumed that traditional, tribal ways of life are incapable of change, unable to respond and adapt both to external pressures and internal development. In this extraordinary film, Ousmane Sembene, one of the great masters of African cinema, illustrates ways in which tribal law is responsive to and can address on its own terms the wrongs that some traditional practices can inflict upon its members.

Three young girls, afraid to take part in the traditional ritual of female castration (or female genital mutilation, to call a spade a spade), go to an older woman in the tribe and request her protection, or Moolade, a tradition that is recognized and honored by the tribe. She agrees, and places ritual barriers at the entrance of her home to keep out those who insist that the children must comply, at least until the matter can be resolved. The conflicts that ensue, and the way in which these conflicts come to be resolved, shows Sembene's humanist respect for the traditions of Africa, and his rejection of the colonialist assumption that fairness requires the rejection of traditional life in favor of some allegedly universal principles of ethics. The individuals who take part in these conflicts are not without their flaws and can be very stubborn, but the ways of life they represent remain vital and rich and worthy and cannot simply be rejected because they include practices that ought to be abandoned. (Some of "our" practices -- however far one might think the "us" extends -- ought also to be abandoned. And "we" also can be stubborn and flawed. Sembene's is a deeply humanist portrait of a vital culture, flaws and all.)

As with all of Sembene's films, Moolade is beautifully shot and portrays rich and vibrant characters, especially the female characters, extending the feminist consciousness employed in earlier films like the wonderful Faat-Kine. The film language he employs owes as much to traditions of African storytelling and theater as it does to American style filmmaking, which makes Sembene's films a revelation of both simplicity and eloquence. Both a powerful critique of the still common African practice of female circumcision and a compellingly humanist depiction of traditional African village life, Moolade would be a very nice introduction to the work of this highly respected master filmmaker, who is nevertheless regrettably largely unknown in the United States.

I put myself on the waiting list for this item long before it was available. I was not patient and checked back frequently. I love Ousmane Sembene and wanted to be able to watch the video over and over. It is everything I hoped for. I don't know if I would have used the words 'lighthearted look' to describe the subject matter. Perhaps not as bleak as it could be - still there were hard to watch parts. But overall yes - the spirit is hopeful and helpful and the look inside the process has value perhaps beyond measure.

I would buy it again and again.

In a small, rural Burkina Faso village, where analog radio is still considered a novelty, women have steadily enforced an ancient tradition, despite Collé Gallo Ardo Sy's refusal to have her daughter circumcised. But now things are about to change because four other girls have run away from the "purification" camp to seek asylum with Collé.

Collé is the main character in Sembene Ousmane's film, Moolaadé (2004), a story about female genital mutilation in a small African society. Collé embodies female strength in this tale, overcoming death, disgrace, peer pressure- while managing to enforce change in this village trapped in time.

Ousmane uses African humor and wit to tell the story of a horrific act, which is not to say the film is not serious, but the subject is not over dramatized or politicized. The film captures the daily nuances of this Burkina Faso village and in doing so, reveals the social significance of female circumcision and a struggle to do away with the practice.

In the film, the group of powerful elderly women that perform the "purification" cut the young village girls and train their bodies to heal. The elderly women have barged on Collé to ask for six missing girls from the camp. Two of the six have run away, but the rest are being harboured by Collé. The girls have appealed for sanctuary in her home, and she in turn has called on the ancient protection of Moolaadé.

An ancient legend has it that the protective power of Moolaadé is so strong that it once turned a powerful village head into a hut that still remains today. This puts the Salindas and village chiefs in a rut, stirring up commotion and arousing deep emotions of control and anxiety about forcing Collé to yield, and say the word to lift the curse of the Moolaadé.

Ousmane takes us into the everyday lives of these characters from how they sleep, eat, buy goods and even have sex. He weaves through several plots to demonstrate the art of village living and also of African communal living. We see how in this lifestyle, obedience can mean the difference between having a powerful ally - such as the case of Collé's relationship with the first wife of her husband--or having no support at all.

Ousmane also introduces two characters who have exposure from the outside world to create a contrast and better understanding of how deeply entrenched these villagers are in their culture.

The Mercenaire, sells bread and other goods at jacked-up prices to the village. He represents change knocking at the door of this village, introducing worldly provisions such as bread and batteries. On the surface, he appears as a money-hungry womanizer, but in the end his actions prove much more.

The second character is the village chief's son who is to marry Amasatou, Collé's daughter. He seems to enforce change from the outside world, having lived in Paris and having brought home money and other gifts from abroad to this village. While an element of change, he is bound by tradition and his birthright as heir to his father's throne. The question is, will he marry a Bilakoro, one who has not been `purified'?

Moolaadé progresses gradually, yet from its very start we know this film is about the lives of the young girls who have escaped circumcision. Because of this pace, the film starts off in the middle of the events that are about to enfold. Characters are slowly developed to enlighten the viewer how in this culture, actions have to be carefully planned.

The story leaves questions about why the villagers are so bound by tradition. When threatened Collé's insubordination and fearful of other women following her lead, the male villagers create a law to ban all radio playing. All men here make a point of throwing all radios in the village square and subsequently burning this pile.

Ousmane is a great story teller who is apparently current with contemporary village African living and its struggle to reinvent itself. Though he died at 84 in 2007, this story is a classic in African filmmaking and storytelling. It captures the real life of Africans - dramatic, calculated, communal, planned and very traditional.

Watching Moolaadé on DVD is probably a better experience than watching it at the theater simply because there are quite a few great moments and replaying favorite scenes is relatively easy. DVD technology also enhances the wide-screen angle in which this film is shot. The product also offers the option of subtitles on and off, which is useful as well.

The DVD unfortunately does not offer a much sought-after directors' cut and extra scenes or a valuable overview from African cultural experts detailing why scenes were produced in a certain way.

Nevertheless, overall it is well worth adding Moolaadé to your cultural

collection of films. It is educational as well as very entertaining and will serve this purpose for awhile to come.

I found this film from the recently deceased Senegalese director Ousmane Sembene very interesting for its description of life in a rural village in Africa, specially in its description of the communal family structure (I know it's a cliche, but it's true that in Africa it takes a village to raise a child). While I come from a very different culture, I felt that I was able to understand what was going on, the struggle for power in the village between the men and the women. And Sembene was a really talented director, with a humanist sensibility. About the subject matter, a group of women who oppose the genital mutilation of young girls, well, as they say about song or movies against war or hunger, who can make a movie in favor of war or hunger? (on second thought, there has been many movies in favor of war). And it is touching that the village vendor (who appears at first to be the least likable person in the town, as he cares more about money than about the rural traditions) ends up being the martyr in the cause of the girls.

I had the wonderful privilege to see MOOLAADE (Sanctuary) at AFRICALA 2008, African film festival for Latin America in Caracas Venezuela. The star of the film Fatoumata Coulibaly was present to discuss her acting career and her work for women's human rights in Mali. MOOLAADE is a profound story of women and men taking a stand against the genital mutilation of girls. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Support AFRICAN FILM. BUY the DVD! Pamela Collett, Oakland California

If you have never checked out Roger Eberts's "Great Movies" list go to his website wwwdotrogerebertdotcom there is a link on his homepage labeled Great Movies, these movies are also compiled into books which are a great purchase for any movie lover. If you do actually look at the list of "Great Movies" and see the company that Moolaade keeps, it is very impressive for such a recent release of 2004.

I, however have never seen it and after reading Roger Ebert's review i am writing this not as a review of this movie (which i will do once released) but to bring attention albeit a small amount to it and hopefully with our votes and comments we can get an important film released.

I live in Central Massachusetts about 50 minutes from Boston so movies like this generally do not play in my area. I believe theaters and executives in charge most likely think the general public doesn't want to see a powerful movie with a message, or perhaps they think the general public won't get it. I'm guessing they do their homework, it's math, it's a business and their figures show that the vast majority of the American public want, to quote the great Sidney Lumet movie (also on Roger Ebert's Great Movie list) Network, "a cure for their boredom". Sadly I would say in most circumstances they are right. With 2007 being the year of the next installment in billion dollar franchises with Pirates of the Caribbean 3, Spider Man 3, Shrek 3, The Bourne Ultimatum, Live Free or Die Hard, The 5th Harry Potter movie, and Ocean's 13 to name a few. Alot of these movies are great entertainment and some I'm sure are really good I've liked alot of the movies in the franchises I've mentioned also, but it would be nice to get a variety and instead of a cure for ADD and boredom for a few hours perhaps be inspired or learn something new.

Realistically and fortunately though people that love the cinema and look at it as an art form have dvds as an option. Better yet with newer technology like Hd-dvd and Blu-ray we can see classics like The Searchers (also on Ebert's Great Movies list)in amazing transfers. With affordable and not so affordable front projectors and screens above 100" we can get that theater feel in our homes. With Plasmas aesthetically pleasing to the eyes with amazing details and brights showcasing HD, pleasing couples everywhere. With Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 and 7.1 sound we can make our living rooms, family rooms, dedicated home theater room equal or surpass that of a movie theaters sound. If you are lucky enough to have a rare movie like this in your area you may hear the explosions from the theater next door going off.

So share your thoughts by commenting below and if you see a movie that you think has significance write about it, Amazon gives a great forum we should take advantage. Also If you have never checked out Roger Ebert's Great movie series i would highly highly recommend it to anyone. He is not just a thumbs up guy on a t.v show and has won the Pulitzer Prize in criticism i believe the only one to ever do that. Seeing the "Great Movies" has really opened me up to different tastes and experiences. Reading the reviews later really gives you a different perspective or helps you see something you may not have seen before.

As a huge Sembene fan, this movie, of course was a must see! While not a fan of the circumcision of women the film addresses it expertly without the gory visuals. As with all his films he shows sensitivity to his subject, shows the beauty of African people and their lives and does it in a lush and artistic way. Nollywood's got nothing on Mr. Sembene and should probably take lessons. The use of the local language, local music and food make the film real and adds layers of texture that are aesthetically and refreshingly African!

This film is an amazing window into another culture. We find ourselves in an African village where co-wives cooperate over day to day tasks and Islam plays a big part in daily life. This movie is a critical examination of the process of female circumcision/genital mutililation and its traumatic consequences but is also a skillfully woven story with an interesting plot that builds to a dramatic resolution. This film would be excellent for a women's course and should also be seen by Africans and others in any culture where female circumcision is currently practiced.

This film has won many awards and deals with important Human Rights

issues from a perspective not often seen in the West. Should be

required viewing by all people interested in building a better world

by re-examining ancient traditions in light of modern Human Rights

principles.