Mau Mau (1955)

This week another set of documentaries. Keeping things slightly exploitive we're going to take a look at some films on various facets of Africa. First up Mau Mau, a film that was Marketed as pure exploitation, even though it wasn't.

Documentary about the Mau Mau uprising in Kenya during the early part of the 1950's. The film tells the story of what brought about the uprising and what was actually going on during it. The film deals with the coming of the white settlers, the confusion of the buying of land and how resentment grew to the point where some of the Africans felt that violence was the only way to go. The film focuses on the trials that resulted from the attacks and the government efforts to take back control and bring order.

Marketed as an exploitation film in its day and afterward, with a promise of way more than was shown this is pretty much a straight out report of what was was going on in Kenya. There is little sensational in the film other than some slaughtered animals and the dead bodies of the Mau Mau victims. The film is very much the forerunner of the Mondo Movies that would explode roughly a decade later as the smart mouth narration. (Actually the film kind of resembles a precursor to the film Africa Addio which was made by two of the directors of the Mondo Cane films.)

I really liked this film a great deal, which was something I wasn't expecting to do. I think the lack of sensationalism to the proceedings really helped a great deal. I don't honestly know how complete a picture the film paints but at the same time the film seems to give one a working knowledge of events.

Recommended.