Sunday, May 14, 11:30 AM, Charles Theatre 3

Director: Pippa Scott

Cast: narrated by Don Cheadle with Alfre Woodard and James Cromwell

Country: USA
Year: 2005
Running Time: 108:00 minutes
Format: video

Adam Hochschild’s book, King Leopold’s Ghost (1998) has been widely acknowledged as the most devastating portrait of white colonial rule on the African continent. Piecing the story together from archives that had been largely destroyed, Hochschild described colonial plunder beyond imagination. King Leopold II of Belgium, jealous of his sister Queen Victoria and fueled by messianic Christianity, enslaved a nation and ripped out its natural resources for personal gain. Somewhere between five to eight million people died. In language-warp worthy of anything Huxley could imagine, Leopold called this “philanthropy” and dubbed his slave country “Congo Free State.” Most appallingly, he systematically set out to get approval from western nations, and largely succeeded. The United States was the first country to recognize Leopold’s personal claim to the Congo, and Europe followed.

This fascinating adaptation of Hochschild’s book brings visual power to this historical monstrosity. And, just in case you want to take comfort in the fact that Leopold has been dead for years, the film brings us into present day Congo where exploitation continues. Far more than other recent films that hint at the cost of colonialism and the West’s ongoing myopia, this film clearly establishes the horrible context of current abuse.

--Jed Dietz

Presented By: Pippa Scott

Pippa Scott, the daughter of Hollywood royalty (her father, Allan Scott, wrote the Ginger Rogers/Fred Astaire movies), began her career as an actor. She acted in numerous television shows, and is featured in such movies as Petulia, and Auntie Mame. She was a founding partner of Lorimar Productions, and her Linden Productions has produced a series of honored documentaries, all focusing on various human rights issues. She is currently engaged in a project called the International Monitor Institute, which is establishing public archives of human rights abuses around the world.