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Echoes From a Somber Empire

Play trailer Echoes From a Somber Empire 1990 1h 31m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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An examination of self-proclaimed emperor Jean-Bédel Bokassa's rule in the Central African Republic using the testimony of witnesses and visits to key sites.

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Echoes From a Somber Empire

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Audience Member Mildly interesting doc about Central African Republic emperor Bokassa. There are fascinating elements to the story -- cannibalism, megalomania, forced marriages, the tale of "the two Martines" -- but for some reason the film still seems to be a bit drab and slow. Perhaps the problem is that it's told almost entirely in anecdotes and we get little facetime with the man himself (who was in prison and sentenced to death at the time). It is unquestionably a Herzog work, though, profiling people at the fringes of society. He bookends the film with two of his signature haunting images: an army of crabs marching out of the sea and overtaking some railroad tracks, and a chimp smoking a cigarette. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review Audience Member An underrated entry into Herzog's filmography. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Echoes From a Somber Empire

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis An examination of self-proclaimed emperor Jean-Bédel Bokassa's rule in the Central African Republic using the testimony of witnesses and visits to key sites.
Director
Werner Herzog
Producer
Werner Herzog, Galeshka Moravioff
Screenwriter
Werner Herzog
Production Co
Werner Herzog Filmproduktion
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 9, 2021
Runtime
1h 31m
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