174. La Belle at the Movies; movie review

LA BELLE AT THE MOVIES
Cert TBA
67 mins
BBFC advice: TBA

Can you imagine a city of ten million people with no cinema?
That is the scenario in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, formerly known as Zaire.
But it was not always so. Kinshasa, some may remember, was thrust into the cultural limelight in the 70s when it hosted one of the greatest boxing bouts of all time - the Rumble in the Jungle - between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman.
During that period, cinema was thriving and several beautiful auditoria existed in this bustling city.
Cecilia Zoppelletto's documentary explains the reason for the demise of cinema, chronicling the recent history of the Democratic Republic of Congo at the same time.
It stretches the story back to the apartheid regime of the Belgians whose rule is recorded in images which were probably only available to be viewed by whites on the big screen.
But when President Mobutu took control there was also encouragement of the industry, cinemas flourished and Zaireans even saw potential career prospects.
Some of those film-makers and cinema-owners are interviewed in this movie on the sites of derelict or demolished auditoria.
It makes an interesting if not riveting story about the combination of politics, religion and cultural changes combining to ensure cinema's demise.
There is a glimmer of hope for the industry, thanks to the setting up of a DIY picture house with a handful of patrons and a promise from the government of a greater emphasis on the film industry.
Being a devotee, I would say that the cultural wellbeing of a nation is reliant on the expression that cinema and other artistic outlets encourage.
However, some Congolese seem to be arguing that what you can't remember having, you don't miss.
That is a pity.

Reasons to watch: Interesting insight into death of cinema in a city of 10 million
Reasons to avoid: It is a tad repetitive

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 7/10

Director quote - Cecilia Zoppelletto: "Everybody thinks of the Congo as a place of rape, war, famine, poverty…. Nobody remembers that there is a nation who has a culture and a beautiful way of expressing it."

The big question - Is a country ever as bad as its TV representation?

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