Shot # 47 Details Close


Description

 elephants, tiger, antelope, African tribal village, daily life of native people, making spears, cutting neck of sheep and spilling blood on spears to consecrate the weapons, hunting and skinning hippopotamus, ritual dancing to release the spirit, man walking into fire, man foaming at the mouth, daily life, man being shaved, alligator, crane, birds in flight <grainy b/w> <translation of sound track - "This country is that part of black Africa which extends along the river Niger between Gao and Niamey. Along the river lies the Savannah where the elephants graze, where each part of the forest shelters a wild beast. It is a world still in childhood where man's life is included in natural forces. This country is a country coming from the beginning of time, still in the original purity of pre-history. At the edge of the great forest which didn't change for thousands of years is a village with it's dry soiled ? where the food is kept, with it's outdoor works, it's handicrafts and boatmen, with this sort of whisper of life which is condensed by the sound of the miller's grinders. It is perhaps one of the last villages where the remains of the "Sonrai" -race live with their ancient customs, who had dominated in the very old times the Gao Empire. Those conquerors are now peaceful people who live from farming, hunting and fishing. In the dry season, the village goes and looks for meat, an important operation which needs numerous and perfect preparations. The spear squad is completed by floats made of wood which will keep it on the water's surface. The removable point will stay stuck in the hippopotamus' body; a rich game that the river spirit will agree to give up to his people if they accomplish all the customs. Then all the spears are assembled in the square of the village. They have to consecrate the point of the weapons to the spirit of the river who will help them with the hunt. The ? follow the sacrifice of a sheep; its blood will mark all of the points in order to make the magic happen. A mysterious charm which has always joined the men's prayers at the holocaust's blood. When the favorable day arrives, the hunter's group, consisting of light boats with one hunter and two rowers sets off to the river to find the promised prey. Following them is the big boat with the old chief and the reserves. A patient search which takes the expedition along kilometers towards the hippopotamus' retreat. Suddenly, it's here. A lookout has seen it and the general assault is ready to be launched at the chief's signal. At this time, all the boats go toward the game to place the hunters at a good distance. The hippopotamus, hidden in the reed, has already received a first flock of points. The tactics at this moment command to give away from the fight to avoid the wounded animal's reactions, which could overthrow the boat. They go back to the big boat to get some more weapons. New approach, new signal, new general attack.. The hippopotamus, with all the points stuck in his body, offers the look of a pin ball, but the rain of spears doesn't stop; the hippopotamus is loosing blood through hundred's of injuries and is struggling more and more weakly in his agony. This is the end, the wounded beast can hardly move anymore and after a few last hits, the hippopotamus is nothing else than a substance of two tons floating in the water. Then along with the rower's chants, all the boats come near the enormous pile of meat which is slowly drowning. Divers go under water to tie up the corpse to tow it, and the group will take the long river's route, pulling its victim guided by a pilot paddling while riding this strange raft. Here is the land, where they are going to carve the animal - after taking all the spears off -, smoke the meat and proceeding at a joyful butchery in which everybody participates and where there is always a bite to pick up and swallow. Meanwhile the singers recall the gigantic struggle against the hippopotamus, the hunter's courage, the fight against the beast and the protection by the spirit of the water. The people have rushed up to eat the "pieces to eat right now", understandable words which signify for these eternally famished of meat what you can eat without taking a break in the massive blocks of farming the reserves. So, in the prehistorical darkness, the people who lived in caves or in villages were probably singing victory songs to celebrate good hunts and eating raw meat. Now on the village square, the drummers have given the signal, it's time for the sacred dances. According to the custom they are going through the ages, as have done many generations, to dance the spirited dance, really called the possessed dance. The first movement is led by a few dancers, this is the concession tour, it is like a simple walk of people who are waiting - waiting for what? Then the rhythm is accelerated and others enter the blessed dance. The second movement, called as its main gesture "shake the head", starts to give the dancers a sort of physical and mental dizziness, which will lead them to ecstasy later. The rhythm gets quicker and the third movement frees them of their physical weight and their every-day-personality: the dancers appear to be drunk of noise and movement. They start to feel a strange presence penetrating them. The black Africa enters this mysterious field of unknown forces where gods and spirit are constantly present in man's life. The rhythm changes again every minute, and every gesture calls from the bottom of those being, other beings, invisible these ones but so terrible and so powerful that all the man's life is only a grain of sand in their hands. A woman stops, she hesitates, standing there, lost, breathing with difficulty; the spirit never comes without pain. She is looking for the spirit's shadow who touched her on the shoulder and who is now passing through her. She has thrown her scarf away, she is entering a sort of hysteria, feeling the mysterious presence for which civilized senses have become insensible. The alien being is now settled in this poor woman whose language has changed. Everybody has recognized who it is, it is the spirit which they have invoked, the one they have glorified, the one who has given the hippopotamus' death to his people, who tomorrow will leave a lot of good food if he wants to, Dico,. the spirit of the river. Dico is here! Dico is here! -the hysteria has reached everybody around the possessed woman, other spirits have come, attracted by the sound of the drums, they are here and they want their part of man's life, too. Under the woman's glance a man convulses, another one falls down and another man starts to dribble, his mouth full of foam, as if he was epileptic. The spirits have come into the men; it is not the men who are talking, dancing and acting but it is the spirits themselves. This man without fear of fire puts a torchlight on his skin, this one keeps on jumping without tiredness, the third one deeps on dribbling. The spirit now leads the dance and the men are only objects in the hands of an unknown power which will leave them as dead in a few hours. The night has passed and in the morning, the same white and heavy light as every morning is shining over the village. The same noises, the same gestures, the same everyday scenes, take place in the usual surrounding. The village's life has started again as it did 1000 years ago. Was it there, was it yesterday, can the people remember? In the surroundings, the forest and the river follow their lives. Africa adds a day to its millenniums; nothing has changed, nothing will change. Along the enormous river lies a prehistoric empire, haunted by wild beasts and magic. Africa, Africa without ages.>

Shot ID

 47

Screener ID

 1A03

Shotlist

 Full 1A03 Shotlist

Film Title

 IN THE COUNTRY OF THE BLACK MAGUS

Film Type

 NITRATE

Sound Type

 NARRATION

Time In

 06:00:13

Time Out

 06:12:33

Year

Producing Entities

  

Categories

 CENTRAL - “AU PAYS DE MAGES NOIR”

Ubit

 19200421

Job ID

Also

Notes