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
Produced byPierre-Alain Meier
Alain Rozanès
Written byDjibril Diop Mambéty
Based onThe Visit
(1956 play)
by Friedrich Dürrenmatt
StarringAmi Diakhate
Music byWasis Diop
CinematographyMatthias Kälin
Edited byLoredana Cristelli
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 Linguere Ramatou
  • Djibril Diop Mambéty
  • 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 69% of critics gave the film positive reviews based upon a sample of 159, with an average score of 3.7 out of 5. 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
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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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