Return to Gorée

Released Jun 11, 2021

1h 50m

Documentary

Music

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List

100%

Tomatometer

8 Reviews

36%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

A musical road movie, Return to Gorée follows Senegalese singer Youssou N'Dour's historical journey tracing the trail left by enslaved Africans and the jazz music they created. Youssou N'Dour's challenge is to bring back to Africa a jazz repertoire of his own songs to perform a concert in Gorée, the island that today symbolizes the slave trade and stands to honor its victims. From Atlanta to New Orleans, from New York to Bordeaux and Luxembourg, the songs are transformed, immersed in jazz and gospel. Transcending cultural divisions and rehearsing with of some of the world's most exceptional musicians, Youssou N'Dour is preparing to return to Africa for the final concert...

Jonathan Curiel

San Francisco Chronicle

Conversations full of memorable words and what can only be called 'genuineness' push Youssou N'Dour: Return to Gore into the realm of unforgettable filmmaking.

Rated: 4/4

Sep 19, 2008

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Jeannette Catsoulis

New York Times

Trace[s] influences and celebrate connections with tunes to make you tap and sway.

Rated: 3.5/5

Aug 29, 2008

Full Review

Matt Noller

Slant Magazine

Unlike Maria Bethania: Music Is Perfume, Youssou N'Dour: Return to Goree is a documentary that actually has something on its mind beyond pandering to a singer's fan base.

Rated: 2.5/4

Aug 28, 2008

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Mike Scott

Times-Picayune

It provides ample moments for reflection -- and maybe, judging by the reactions of the American musicians who go back home in his film, a little bit of healing, too

Rated: 3/4

Mar 18, 2011

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Matthew Nestel

Boxoffice Magazine

The serious undertones of the film are very real and played out with rapture.

Rated: 3.5/5

Sep 3, 2008

Full Review

Louis Proyect

rec.arts.movies.reviews

A wondrous trip with Africa's greatest singer as he bonds with his musical brethren in the New World.

Aug 29, 2008

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Audience Member

it was a great movie . you can also discover some great movies at my site:https://aquikreview.blogspot.com/?m=1

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/21/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A moving documentary, the genuine effect of the trip on the musicians is really perceptible. Using Jazz as a vector to tune the feelings around such an important subject is magic

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

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Pierre-Yves Borgeaud

Director

Youssou N'Dour

Actor

Grégoire Maret

Actor

Amiri Baraka

Actor

Wolfgang Muthspiel

Actor

Big Chief Monk Boudreaux

Actor

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Return to Gorée: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

A musical road movie, Return to Gorée follows Senegalese singer Youssou N'Dour's historical journey tracing the trail left by enslaved Africans and the jazz music they created. Youssou N'Dour's challenge is to bring back to Africa a jazz repertoire of his own songs to perform a concert in Gorée, the island that today symbolizes the slave trade and stands to honor its victims. From Atlanta to New Orleans, from New York to Bordeaux and Luxembourg, the songs are transformed, immersed in jazz and gospel. Transcending cultural divisions and rehearsing with of some of the world's most exceptional musicians, Youssou N'Dour is preparing to return to Africa for the final concert...

Director: Pierre-Yves Borgeaud
Producer: Jean-Louis Porchet, Gerard Ruey
Screenwriter: Pierre-Yves Borgeaud, Emmanuel Gétaz
Distributor: ArtMattan Films
Genre: Documentary, Music
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 11, 2021, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 29, 2019
Runtime: 1h 50m

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