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| | Label: Direct Cinema Limited
Salesrank: 80391
Released: January 27, 2009 |
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MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Starring Don Cheadle, Alfre Woodard and James Cromwell, KING LEOPOLD'S GHOST is a shocking tale of the richest country in Africa, claimed by the rapacious King Leopold II of Belgium. Under his greedy reign, the Congo suffered unimaginable horrors. The epic is filled with fascinating adventurers, European, American and Congolese: a story brought to life with a treasure trove of archival materials - letters, secret reports and photographs. Filmed in the Congo, Belgium and the UK, in the USA and Canada, and researched over four years, it is a production of international significance and vital relevance to today. Ten million people died under Leopold's reign, four million more in the last five years. Why? The film, brought up to the present day, demonstrates that ''past'' is present.
King Leopold's Ghost Reviews:
Powerful Film 
2009-02-19 - This is a powerful and beautifully done documentary, it moved me to tears when I first saw this in 2006, I have been waiting for so long to finally see the dvd version out on the market. Anyone who enjoys documentaries, especially on Africa, will really find this film powerful and painful to watch. If you don't have the time to read the book King Leopold's Ghost, definitely see this film, you will not forget it, and you will not be the same person after watching this.
Horrific, Depressing, Thorough, and Important
2009-02-14 - King Leopold's Ghost the book is profoundly challenging, and this movie which shares the same title and used the book as source material, is even more so. What the book describes, the movie shows, and the difference in impact is astounding. Using a steady stream of atrocity photos accompanied by Cheadle's unwavering voice overs, this can be very hard to watch. The sheer inhumanity of what took place in the Congo falls into the worst of the worst of human history, right up there with Auschwitz.
The tale of western imperialism and the drive by European powers to carve out a chunk of Africa for themselves, the movie details the fate of the Congo, colonized by King Leopold of Belgium. The drive to export more and more rubber led to the enslavement and wholesale slaughter of literally millions of natives. The brutality and wickedness of what took place is presented in detail in this film.
The film is important as both a reminder of the depths of what men can fall to, as well as a historical account of western Imperialism. It is unflinchingly accurate. Relying on historical documents, first person accounts from both Congolese and European alike, and even government documents, it conveys a historical authority that only intensifies the film's impact.
5/5 Stars. This movie will profoundly disturb you, and that is a good thing. Only by learning from the mistakes of the past can we move towards healing the wounds the west inflicted on the African continent.
