—Thomas Beard and Ed Halter, Light Industry, 117 minutes / B&W Audiences watched the film without reference to political matters or any controversy. Subject areas:Africa, African Studies, Anthropology, Cinema Studies, Cultural Anthropology, Cultural Studies, France, Historiography, History, Indigenous Peoples, Literature, Racism, Film History, Cinema Studies, Cultural Studies. Unusual for its time Travels in the Congo (Voyage au Congo) is a largely observational documentary (with one dramatized sequence) showing aspects of the lives, culture, and built environments of diverse groups in the region, amongst them the Baya, Sara and Fula peoples, and without trying to shoehorn them into a dramatic narrative. Use the HTML below. [1], During World War I, the young Marc Allégret became the lover and companion of the novelist André Gide. “Travels in the Congo” is an artifact, a strange viewfinder showing hard to access parts of Central Africa circa 1925 from the perspective of a very oddly chosen “special envoy of the Colonial Ministry.” Voyage au Congo [3][4], The duo would soon sail on the Congo River. —Dr. It depicts his expedition in French Equatorial Africa. [1], The film depicts the daily lives of eight ethnic groups, focusing on their agriculture, hunting, and fishing practices. This FAQ is empty. Cate Blanchett shares her list of films to inspire hope in support of the UN Refugee Agency to assist those without a place to call home amidst our global health crisis. The director personally managed all aspects of production of this segment, including the scouting of suitably scenic locations for filming and choosing the locals who portrayed the parts. Looking for some great streaming picks? [1], The documentary was not commercially successful, and failed to leave a mark in French popular culture. He also excluded several "grotesque" aspects of African life. The duo sailed from Bordeaux on 18 July 1925. Allégret and Gide carried out most of their journey on foot. The film debuted on 8 July 1927, opening at the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier. Port Schedules Terminal VGM Cut-off Port Cutoff Arrival Sail; NINGBO, CN: 9/11/2020 9/12/2020 NINGBO BEILUN SECOND CONT TERMINAL : 9/10/2020 10:19 PM 9/10/2020 10:18 AM SHEKOU, CN: 9/14/2020 … In 1925, Allégret graduated from the Sciences Po and then embarked on an African expedition with Gide. [1], The film is named after the defunct colony known as French Congo, which had been merged into the wider French Equatorial Africa. —Dr. On your return to Brazzaville cruise down closer to the opposite bank and head rapidly downstream, and view the cultural life and if lucky, river and wildlife of Congo-Kinshasa! The mighty Congo River The DRC is truly vast. This frenchified director would soon embark on a successful career in the talkies.Herr Gide's book criticized openly French colonialism and financial interests of that European country in their African colonies but Herr Allégret's documentary is more focused on anthropological and ethnological aspects.In those early silent years, to watch "Voyage Au Congo" was a kind of enlightening exercise, an excellent chance for curious audiences to discover different cultures, customs and behaviours. Voyage < Previous > Next. Enjoy picnics and drinks en route. They used it for a while as the base for their excursions. But the nitrate footage survived. André Gide wrote two books about their time in Africa, Travels in the Congo and Return from Chad, and went on to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. The duo left their ship in the port of Matadi, then followed a train route to Kinshasa, and finally reached Brazzaville on 14 August. “An exceptional work of early ethnography [and] a stark reminder of ethnographic representations’ role in producing and reproducing Europe’s colonial discourse on and about Africa. Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. This DVD is sold with a license for institutional use and Public Performance rights. He found their next stop, Conakry, more pleasant. Unusual for its time Travels in the Congo (Voyage au Congo) is a largely observational documentary (with one dramatized sequence) showing aspects of the lives, culture, and built environments of diverse groups in the region, amongst them the Baya, Sara and Fula peoples, and without trying to shoehorn them into a dramatic narrative. In 1925, Marc Allégret accompanied André Gide on a journey to French Equatorial Africa, the Congo, as his secretary, and novice filmmaker. Gide preferred the older name, and commemorated his own experiences in a book also called Travels in the Congo. His depictions managed to avoid the "sensationalism" and stereotyping of the newsreels of the time. Instead they saw various African tribes and how they lived their daily lives (farming, harvesting) and their own individual customs (their special soirees and dances, marriage rituals, etc).As this German count said "Voyage Au Congo" is an interesting example of the documentary genre thanks to its didactic aspect but it must be noted that inherently in this film genre exists what this German count calls the "documentary imposture" or reality manipulation, harmless in this oeuvre that covers daily situations and uses those images only for artistic interests ( the engagement process, some tribal dances and customs ) and for the sake of illustrative film aspects but more terrible in other cases when the director changes or subverts the reality to serve his own interest.And now, if you'll allow me, I must temporarily take my leave because this German Count must dance Teutonic and aristocratic dances.Herr Graf Ferdinand Von Galitzien http://ferdinandvongalitzien.blogspot.com/.