Soleil O

Soleil O

Film poster
Directed by Med Hondo
Written by Med Hondo[1]
Music by George Anderson
Cinematography François Catonné
Distributed by USA: New Yorker Films
Release dates
 France: January 4, 1973
USA: March 14, 1973
Belgium: December 18, 1975
UK: December 3, 2003
Running time
 98 minutes
Country France
Mauritania
Language French, Arabic
Budget $30,000[2]

Soleil O (Oh, Sun) is a 1967 French-Mauritanian drama film directed by Med Hondo.

Plot

The film Soleil Ô, shot over four years with a very low budget, tells the story of a black immigrant who makes his way to Paris in search of “his Gaul ancestors”. This manifesto denounces a new form of slavery: The immigrants desperately seek work, a place to live, but find themselves face to face with indifference, rejection, humiliation… Until the final call for uprising. “Soleil Ô” is the title of a West Indian song that tells of the pain of the black people from Dahomey (now Benin) who were taken to the Caribbean as slaves.

Cast

Reception

The film played at during International Critics' Week at the 1970 Cannes Film Festival where it received critical acclaim.[4] It received a Golden Leopard award at the 1970 Locarno International Film Festival.[5]

In his Family Guide to Movies on Video, Henry Herx wrote that the film's "use of ironic humor and lively music keeps the plight of the black emigrant worker from becoming totally depressing."[6]

References

  1. ↑ "Soleil O > Production credits". AllMovie. Retrieved 2009-08-26.
  2. ↑ Reid, Mark; Blum, Sylvie (1986-03-31). "Med Hondo, interview Working abroad". Jump Cut. Retrieved 2009-08-24.
  3. ↑ "Soleil O > Cast". AllMovie. Retrieved 2009-08-26.
  4. ↑ "Directors in Focus — African Perspectives: Med Hondo". Harvard Film Archive. 2006. Retrieved 2009-08-24.
  5. ↑ "Winners of the Golden Leopard". Locarno International Film Festival Official Site. Retrieved 2009-08-26.
  6. ↑ Herx, Henry (1988). "Soleil-O". The Family Guide to Movies on Video. The Crossroad Publishing Company. p. 249 (pre-release version). ISBN 0-8245-0816-5.

External links