Hyenas (1992 film)

Hyenas (French: Hyènes) is a 1992 Senegalese film adaptation of Friedrich Dürrenmatt's Swiss-German satirical tragicomedy play The Visit (1956),[1] directed by Djibril Diop Mambéty. The intimate story of love and revenge parallels a critique of neocolonialism and African consumerism. It was entered into the 1992 Cannes Film Festival.[2]

Hyenas
film poster
Directed byDjibril Diop Mambéty
Written byDjibril Diop Mambéty
Based onThe Visit
(1956 play)
by Friedrich Dürrenmatt
Produced byPierre-Alain Meier
Alain Rozanès
StarringAmi Diakhate
CinematographyMatthias Kälin
Edited byLoredana Cristelli
Music byWasis Diop
Distributed byCalifornia Newsreel Productions
Release date
  • 18 September 1992 (1992-09-18) (TIFF)
Running time
110 minutes
CountrySenegal
LanguageWolof

Plot

Hyenas (Hyenas) tells the story of Linguere Ramatou, an aging, wealthy woman who revisits her home village of Colobane. Linguere offers a disturbing proposition to the people of Colobane and lavishes luxuries upon them to persuade them. This embittered woman, "as rich as the World Bank", will bestow upon Colobane a fortune in exchange for the murder of Dramaan Drameh, a local shopkeeper who abandoned her after a love affair and her illegitimate pregnancy when she was seventeen.

Cast
  • Ami Diakhate as Linguère Ramatou
  • Djibril Diop Mambéty as Gaana
  • Mansour Diouf as Dramaan Drameh
  • Calgou Fall as the priest
  • Faly Gueye as Mme. Drameh
  • Mamadou Mahourédia Gueye as the Mayor
  • Issa Ramagelissa Samb as the professor

Critical response

Critical response to the film was mostly positive. Rotten Tomatoes reported that 91% of critics gave the film positive reviews. Hyenas was nominated for the Golden Palm Award at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival.[2]

  • "A timeless story...The strong story line and fine ensemble acting provide a faster, more easily assimilated rhythm than many African films." - Variety
  • "This pungent film adaptation's change of locale lends the tale a new political dimension...(Mambety) inflects the grim drama with an edge of carnival humor. This film carries a sting!" - The New York Times
  • "This wicked tale, told with wit and irony, has all the ingredients of a crowd-pleaser." - The Village Voice
  • "Funnier and warmer than Dürrenmatt ever dared to be but with the tale's bleak, ominous edges still in evidence." - New York Newsday

References

Notes

  1. "Film Review: Hyenas". Ralph Dumain: "The Autodidact Project". Retrieved 22 January 2010.
  2. "Festival de Cannes: Hyènes". festival-cannes.com. Archived from the original on 19 September 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2009.

Bibliography

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