Man of Africa Reviews

Life among the pygmies of a remote section of Uganda is explored in this fictionalized documentary, produced by Grierson, the director of DRIFTERS and THE FISHING BANKS OF SKYE. The film takes a look at the lifestyles of a native people and grafts on a simple story to give the work a human element. However, MAN OF AFRICA shows none of Grierson's flair for this specialized genre. Though the lives of the tribes are well documented in the footage, the film moves at a deadening pace that bores more than educates. An unnecessary love story between Mukabuerza and Bijuerenda simply gets in the way of the real life stories. Still, for all its problems, MAN OF AFRICA (a title no doubt attempting to capitalize on Robert Flaherty's well known MAN OF ARAN) does look good, particularly in capturing the more intimate moments in the pygmies' lives. Filmed in Ferraniacolor.