Echoes from a Sombre Empire
| Echoes From a Sombre Empire | |
|---|---|
Werner Herzog Filmproduktion | |
Release date | 1990 |
Running time | 93 minutes |
| Countries | Germany France |
| Languages | French German English |
Echoes From a Sombre Empire (German: Echos aus einem düsteren Reich) is a documentary film by Werner Herzog about Jean-Bédel Bokassa.
Content
Unlike most of Herzog's documentaries, the main body of the film does not provide any narration or commentary by Herzog himself. Instead, the film follows journalist Michael Goldsmith as he revisits the Central African Republic, where he was imprisoned and tortured by Bokassa's regime.[1] Goldsmith interviews two of Bokassa's wives, several of Bokassa's children (including the "true" daughter Martine), two of Bokassa's lawyers, and Central African Republic President David Dacko. Bokassa himself appears only in stock footage.
Goldsmith was working as a French journalist when he was imprisoned after reporting on Bokassa's elaborate
Production
Herzog wished to interview Bokassa himself, who was in prison during the making of the film. The film crew obtained official permission from then-president André Kolingba, and Bokassa was reportedly willing to give the interview. Just before going to the prison, however, Herzog and the film crew were arrested and expelled from the country by the Minister of the Interior.[2]
The film begins with Herzog reading a statement from Goldsmith, who had disappeared in
References
- ^ "Echos d'un sombre empire de Werner Herzog (1990) - Analyse et critique du film - DVDClassik". www.dvdclassik.com. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
- ISBN 0-571-20708-1.
External links
- Echoes From a Sombre Empire at IMDb
- Obituary of Michael Goldsmith in New York Times, 25 October 1990
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