Sarraounia (1986)
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- The film takes place in Niger and the surrounding region of the Sahel. It begins with the initiation and establishment of a young girl as queen of the Aznas. The young queen, Sarraounia (Aï Keïta), becomes an accomplished warrior when she defends her tribe from an enemy tribe. Accomplished in archery and herbalism, she is a renowned sorceress. Meanwhile, French colonialists Paul Voulet (Jean-Roger Milo) and Julien Chanoine (Féodor Atkine) set out to conquer new lands for the French colonial empire. As they advance across the land they rape women and leave burning villages in their wake.
- Actors:
- Aï Keïta, Jean-Roger Milo, Féodor Atkine, Didier Sauvegrain, Roger Miremont, Luc-Antoine Diquéro, Jean-Pierre Castaldi, Wladimir Ivanovsky, Tidjani Ouedraogo, Jacques Penot, Didier Agostini, Jean Edmond, Philippe Bellay, Tagara Yagoura Traore, Aboubagar Traoré, Aboulaye Cissé, Jean-François Ouedraogo, Florence Bewende, Hama Gourounga, Baba Traoré
- Directors:
- Med Hondo
- Producers:
- Med Hondo
- Writers:
- Med Hondo, Abdoulaye Mamani, Abdoul War
- Genres:
- Action & Adventure, Classics, Drama
Reviews (1) of Sarraounia
History Carried Forward - Sarraounia review by griggs
Med Hondo doesn’t get talked about nearly enough, and Sarraounia is a decent reminder why he should be.
The scale hits first — shot like Hondo had a full studio budget behind him. The French officers come across as small men playing dress-up as conquerors, all vanity and self-interest under shiny buttons. The thing is, Sarraounia’s side feels like an actual body — loyalty that holds when it counts.
What I loved is the momentum. Nothing here sits back admiring itself; it builds right up to that final shot — Sarraounia on horseback leading her people straight at the camera, the cast and then the crew falling in behind her, closing the gap between the story and the people telling it. A song plays through all of it about history being sung, handed down in music, history carried forward, which is about as neat a way to end things as I’ve seen in a while.