#153: SCHROEDER, Barbet: General Idi Amin Dada (1974)

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SCHROEDER, Barbet (France)
General Idi Amin Dada [1974]
Spine #153
DVD


In 1971, the small African nation of Uganda was taken over by self-styled dictator General Idi Amin, beginning an eight-year reign of terror that would result in the deaths of over 300,000 people. In this chilling yet darkly comic documentary, director Barbet Schroeder turns his cameras on the infamous tyrant, revealing the dynamic, charming, and appallingly dangerous man whose fanatical neuroses held an entire nation in their grip. Made with the full support and participation of the dictator — and featuring an accordion score by Amin himself — General Idi Amin Dada provides a candid and disturbing portrait of one of the 20th century's most notorious figures.

90 minutes
Color
Monaural
1:33:1 aspect ratio
Criterion Release 2002
Director


Barbet Schroeder was 33 when he directed General Idi Amin Dada.

Other Schroeder films in the Collection:

#223: Maîtresse (1973)
#340: Koko: A Talking Gorilla (1978)

The Film

Film Rating (0-60):

60

The Extras

The Booklet

Eight-page wraparound featuring an essay by David Ehrenstein.

Commentary

None.

Video interview

With Schroeder.
Timeline

Of Ugandan history.
Documentation

Of Idi Amin’s requested cuts to the film.
Extras Rating (0-40):

39

60 + 39 =

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