Themes: Political Unrest, Colonialism, Race Relations
Main Cast: Eriq Ebouaney, Alex Descas, Moussa Théophile Sowie, Maka Kotto
Release Year: 2000
Country: FR/HT/DE/BE
Run Time: 115 minutes
Plot
Patrice Lumumba was a passionate advocate for freedom in colonial Africa, and when the Belgian Congo was granted independent (and was later renamed Zaire), Lumumba was the new nation's first prime minister. However, Lumumba's dream of freedom and dignity for the people of the Congo made him a controversial and dangerous figure, and this biographical drama explores his short, tumultuous life. We first encounter Lumumba (Eriq Ebouaney) in the late 1950's, when his National Congo Movement is gaining widespread public support, despite opposition from the nation's political leaders. Hoping to avoid a violent overthrow, the Belgian government begins negotiations with the NCM to turn rule of the Congo over to the citizens, and Lumumba and his political party are swept into power during the nation's first independent election. However, Lumumba's desire to bring a peaceful and orderly transfer of power soon earns him enemies of all political stripes. Militant advocates for freedom demand that white Belgian officers of the nation's military be replaced with African soldiers at once, while Belgian colonists are met with violence, sparking a revolt by the white settlers that leads to a bloody civil war. Lumumba was directed and co-written by Raoul Peck, who previously directed the acclaimed documentary Lumumba: Death of a Prophet. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
Lumumba could be called manipulative and biased, but it also tells its story with a riveting immediacy that makes it a superior screen biography. This is not a staid historical drama, it is an electric portrait of a charismatic personality who burned brightly for a brief moment in history. Throughout, Lumumba must balance three purposes: providing the basic facts of its subject's life, exploring Patrice Lumumba as both a man and historical figure, and giving a lesson in Congolese history so that an unfamiliar audience can follow the story. Despite the complex history, the film is remarkably easy to follow, and director Raoul Peck focuses on Lumumba's adult years in order to cover the major events. As for developing an understanding for Lumumba as a person, Peck is largely successful. The film conveys why Lumumba fought so passionately for his country and how he was defeated by having to fight political enemies on so many fronts, but so much time is spent on essential plot that some of the human element is lost. For instance, one moment we see Lumumba as a young traveling beer salesman involved in informal political debates, then the film jumps ahead about five years and he is suddenly a jailed dissident-turned-prime minister, but how he developed into such a powerful and popular national figure is left unexplored. Still, Lumumba creates a far more complete portrait of its subject than the average Hollywood biography. An important reason for the film's success is the rich performance of Eriq Ebouaney in the title role. There are moments in the film where, through Ebouaney, the viewer can see how Lumumba was able to capture the hopes of Africa. Lumumba provides a valuable reminder that biographical filmmaking does not have to be wallowed in sentiment or weighed down by its historic pretenses. ~ Bob Mastrangelo, All Movie Guide
Lumumba is a 2000 film directed by Raoul Peck centred around Patrice Lumumba in the months before and after the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) achieved independence from Belgium in June 1960. Raoul Peck's film is a coproduction of France, Belgium, Germany, and Haiti. Due to political unrest in the DRC at the time of filming, the movie was shot in Zimbabwe and Beira, Mozambique.
The plot is based on the final months of Patrice Lumumba (played by Eriq Ebouaney) the first Prime Minister of the Congo, whose tenure in office lasted two months until he was driven from office. Joseph Kasa Vubu (Maka Kotto) is sworn in alongside Lumumba as the first president of the country, and together they attempt to prevent the Congo succumbing to secession and anarchy. The film concludes with Joseph Mobutu (Alex Descas) seizing power with, as the film implies, the support of the United States.
André Debaar ... Walter J. Ganshof Van der Meersch
Cheik Doukouré ... Joseph Okito
Makena Diop ... Thomas Kanza (as Oumar Diop Makena)
Mariam Kaba ... Pauline Lumumba
Rudi Delhem ... Général Emile Janssens
Release
The film premiered at the Cannes Festival on May 14, 2000, and played various film festivals as well as having commercial releases in Belgium, France, Switzerland, the United States, and Canada. The film grossed $684,000 in the United States.[1] It also aired on HBO.[2]
Controversy
The film generated some controversy in 2002 when Frank Carlucci, a former American government official and policy advisor, persuaded HBO to delete a reference to him during the airing of the film. The scene in question involves a group of Belgian and Congolese officials deciding whether to kill Lumumba. Carlucci is asked for input, and he mumbles that the US government does not involve itself in the internal affairs of other countries. At the time, Carlucci was the second secretary of the U.S. Embassy in Congo. He denies playing any role in the death of Lumumba, saying "The scene is tendentious, false, libelous; it never happened and it is a cheap shot." According to one source, the scene was deleted from the version of the film that aired on HBO.[3] Another source says that the scene was not deleted but the word "Carlucci" was bleeped in the dialogue and the name masked in the credits.[4]
