X
- 2005
- ArtMattan Productions
- 1 h 24 m
- 2005
- ArtMattan Productions
- 1 h 24 m
Summary This documentary is the true, astonishing story of what King Leopold II did in the Congo. (ArtMattan Productions)
Directed By: Peter Bate
Written By: Peter Bate
- 2005
- ArtMattan Productions
- 1 h 24 m
- 2005
- ArtMattan Productions
- 1 h 24 m
White King, Red Rubber, Black Death
65
User Score
Available after 4 ratings
tbd
Summary This documentary is the true, astonishing story of what King Leopold II did in the Congo. (ArtMattan Productions)
Directed By: Peter Bate
Written By: Peter Bate
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 9 Critic Reviews
65
67% Positive
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
33% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 9 Critic Reviews
65
67% Positive
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
33% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
British documentarian Peter Bate frames a mix of archival materials and re-creations with a "trial" at which Leopold listens to testimony against him from within a wood-and-glass booth, like Nazi Adolf Eichmann at Nuremberg.
A stunning indictment of Belgium's brutal colonization of the Congo in the late 19th century, Brit documaker Peter Bate's White King, Red Rubber, Black Death illustrates how European exploitation in Africa caused irreparable damage to the continent.
Dramatization is often a questionable tactic in documentaries, but by picturing Leopold (Elie Larson) on trial like Adolf Eichmann, Peter Bate adroitly compares the colonial genocide to the Holocaust.
Unfortunately, Bate saddles his otherwise compelling chronicle with awkward re-creations and an aggressively overbearing narration.
Bate is to be congratulated for reminding the world of Leopold's wickedness, even if he does OD on re-enactments.
A formal hodgepodge, Congo suffers from abrasive voice-over narration, stilted re-enactments, and an awkward courtroom conceit, but gets by on its shocking material.
Regrettably, Bate uses many of the tools of tabloid television in making his case, including heavy-handed reenactments, an ominous, sinister score, and overly dramatic narration delivered in a voice shaking with outrage.
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Production Company
Périscope Productions,
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC),
ARTE,
Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF),
Interkerkelijke Omroep Nederland (IKON),
Vlaamse Radio en Televisie (VRT),
Radio Télévision Belge Francophone (RTBF),
Yleisradio (YLE),
History Television,
Special Broadcasting Service (SBS),
Danmarks Radio (DR)
Release Date Oct 21, 2005
Duration 1 h 24 m
Genres
