The winner of the 1976 Oscar for Best Foreign Film, this first feature from Annaud (THE NAME OF THE ROSE) is set in a French colonial outpost in 1915.
When Spiesser, a conscientious young geologist, writes home to Paris to lament the "dangers" of Africa (chief among which is boredom), he begs for newspapers and books from home. Some time later the papers arrive, bringing the news--six months late--that France is at war with Germany. This poses a
bit of a problem at the outpost for a number of reasons: the colonists are friendly with a group of neighboring Germans; their commander, Carmet, has never been in battle; and they have no trained army. Rising to the challenge, Carmet conscripts all the healthy male natives who live near the
outpost and teaches them to speak French, operate bayonets, wear shoes, and sing "La Marseillaise." Ultimately, the natives are even honored with French names.
A biting satire on war, colonialism, and French patriotism which sometimes does not escape the character types it aims to parody, BLACK AND WHITE IN COLOR juxtaposes scenes of gaiety and humor with the brutalities of racism and war. The result is something of a combination of Philippe de Broca's
cult antiwar satire, KING OF HEARTS, and Jamie Uys's THE GODS MUST BE CRAZY. Deserving of special mention is the playful score by Bachelet. leave a comment