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Anamorphic
widescreen |
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Dolby Digital
5.1 |
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DTS |
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Trailer(s) |
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Featurette(s) |
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Documentary |
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Audio commentary
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Deleted scenes
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Concept art
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Multi-angle
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Idi Amin: The black people of America must be the president of
the United States of America, must be the secretary of State, like Kissinger.
They are more brilliant than the Dr. Kissinger. Kissinger is not so
intelligent. Kissinger always go to the weakest leaders. He never go
to Qaddafi. He never go to General Amin. He fears us. You see?
A
documentary self-portrait of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin.
 How
does one begin to describe a documentary that presents a self-portrait
of one of this century's most infamous dictators, responsible for the
deaths of an estimated 500,000 Ugandan citizens? Produced with
the full
support of Idi Amin during his years in power as Uganda's grand dictator,
much of the film is made up of Amin expounding his various nonsensical
theories and ideas, and he manages to come across as charming, buffoonish,
funny, confused and deeply psychopathic, often simultaneously.
Clearly
viewing this documentary as a filmic celebration of his ego and his
status as a great leader, director Barbet Schroeder needs do little
more than allow the man to speak in order to demonstrate the full extent
of his insanity, while drily inserting the occasional comment
that hints
at the scariness behind the reality of such a man as the leader of
a nation.
Though much of the film is very funny, there's a darkness that pervades
the humor, and that is what makes General Idi Amin Dada ultimately
such a tremendously unsettling film. While Amin's lack of sophistication
and
underdeveloped media-savviness can make him an endearing character,
we also see frequent glimmers of the true psychopath in his eyes,
and
are reminded from the disturbing opening shots of a public execution
just what such a man can be capable of. It's easier to laugh at him
now that history has put some distance on his brutal legacy. But as
Schroeder remarks in the interview included on the DVD, there's something
of every political dictator in Idi Amin. It's increasingly rare that
powerful political figures allow cameras to intrude so closely into
their lives and capture their personalities. But General Idi Amin
Dada is a unique piece of insight into the bizarre workings of
a psychotic dictator's mind. |
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Only
available for Region 1 from the Criterion Collection.
The
fullscreen image is framed at its original aspect ratio of approx. 1.33:1.
The picture looks amazingly good for a film its age, especially as it
was shot on 16mm film with natural lighting. The source print is in
mint condition, and the color pallette is impressively bold and natural-looking,
with accurate, consistent fleshtones and only a minor amount of fading.
An outstanding presentation.
The original mono sound mix is presented here in a decent Dolby Digital
1.0 track from the center speaker. There is very little hiss and hardly
any damage in the form of cracks or pops on the soundtrack, and while
the track is limited in dynamic range, distortion is very minor and
dialogues sound clear and natural.
The
most substantial extra on the release is a 30-minute interview
with director Barbet Schroeder. Filmed in his home exclusively for this
DVD release, Schroeder recounts numerous memories of the project, covering
a lot of ground (both general and specific) on various aspects of this
unusual film project. He even provides the one missing bit of voice-over
for the film's final shot. The interview can be accessed through a list
of subject descriptions or through a 'play all' button. A series of
static menu screens presents a modicum of historical context by offering
a timeline of Uganda's history from the late 19th Century until
the present. The three cuts demanded by Amin (and backed up by threats
to the lives of 150 French citizens held hostage in Uganda) are listed
and documented in the DVD's booklet.A
static main menu screen presents a photo portrait of Idi Amin accompanied
by his accordion music from the film. Menu design is up to the Criterion
Collection's usual high standards.
Dan
Hassler-Forest
Reviewed: July
7, 2002
Click
here for IMDB info on General
Idi Amin Dada.
Click here
to return to the front page.
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