From 1884 to 1914, a small belt of land between the British Gold Coast Colony and French-governed Dahomey was part of the German overseas empire in Africa. "Togoland", the later Togo and the eastern part of today's Ghana, experienced the first German capitulation in the early days of WWI. European rule left its marks on people's minds, even more than a century after the forced pull-out of one of the major European players in the competitive "great colonial game" and more than half a century after the African Independences. Lomé - Adibo - Yendi - Kamina - Wahala: present-day glimpses of a journey into the past.
We are in the year 1871. A journalist for Versailles Television broadcasts a soothing and official view of events while a Commune television is set up to provide the perspectives of the Paris rebels. On a stage-like set, more than 200 actors interpret characters of the Commune, especially the Popincourt neighbourhood in the XIth arrondissement. They voice their own thoughts and feelings concerning the social and political reforms. The scenes consist mainly of long camera takes.
Au revoir les enfants tells a heartbreaking story of friendship and devastating loss concerning two boys living in Nazi-occupied France. At a provincial Catholic boarding school, the precocious youths enjoy true camaraderie—until a secret is revealed. Based on events from writer-director Malle’s own childhood, the film is a subtle, precisely observed tale of courage, cowardice, and tragic awakening.
