CEDDO Movie Review

Ceddo (translated loosely as “the feudal class”) is unquestionably one of the most important films yet produced in Africa—an engrossing and magnificent national epic that defines its culture at a particular moment in history. On the surface, Ceddo is a riveting and thoroughly entertaining political thriller; set in the 19th century, it concerns the kidnapping of a beautiful princess, whose status as hostage becomes a symbol in the standoff between opposing cultures in the face of religious expansion. On a deeper and more subtle level, though, Sembène's masterwork is a meditation on philosophy, fantasy, and militant politics, and its boldly imaginative structure includes at least two startling and boldly conceived leaps across the centuries. If there can be such a thing as a single modern film that resonates with nearly every aspect of the African experience, it is Sembène's Ceddo.

NEXT STOP … Mandabi, Emitai, Xala

1978 120m/C Matoura Dia, Ismaila Diagne, Tabata Ndiaye, Moustapha Yade; D: Ousmane Sembene; W: Ousmane Sembene; C: Georges Caristan; M: Manu Dibango. NYR