AMANDLA! A REVOLUTION IN FOUR PART HARMONY
In 1948, the apartheid government came to power in South Africa, stripping basic human rights from the native Black citizenry. For over four decades a struggle ensued to restore those rights. Director Lee Hirsch spent a decade himself documenting this history through the power of its music in "Amandla! A Revolution in Four Part Harmony."
Hirsch loosely divides his documentary by decade, beginning with both the Black community of Sophiatown being forcibly ejected and moved 25 kilometers to Meadowlands, barracks-like housing reminiscent of that shown in the beginning of Brazil's "Cidade de Deus," and the exhumation of the bones of Vuyisile Muni, a political songwriter/poet hung for his peaceable protests. While much of Hirsch's camerawork is vibrant and many subjects engaging (particularly those like singer/actress Sophie Mgcina who break into spontaneous song during recollections), he fails to fully define the evolution of the music within his own structure.
Opening narrator, music producer Sisifo Ntuli, lays the ground by analyzing the effectiveness of delivering a message via song rather than speech. Musician Hugh Maskela is shown performing "The Train Song," a lament about the necessity of long commutes dividing families inflicted by apartheid, to immense crowds. A post Sharpesville massacre song, 'What Have We Done?,' is a 1970s dirge consisting of its title sung over and over.
Only in the 1980s, though, does Hirsch really succeed in distinctly tying the music to its decade. A freedom fighter discusses uplifting war songs used to celebrate the fallen so that constant mourning wouldn't drag their spirits down. (A historical conundrum, that the Africans lost so many wars because they sang first letting the Brits identify their whereabouts, is left dangling.) A ritualistic African tribal dance becomes the Toyi-Toyi, a militaristic march which kept its practitioners in good shape while irritating white riot police (three fat, sunburned retired policeman are interviewed as they barbecue slabs of meat, the only segment to feature rudimentary camerawork).
Hirsch employees the usual talking heads, concerts and archival footage in addition to the questionable choice of artistic recreations to tell his tale. Given the potential richness and entertainment value of the subject matter, Hirsch's documentary engages more with the honorable nature of its subject matter than its execution. Pacing, length and an unfocussed narrative thread eventually wear the viewer down.
"Amandla! A Revolution in Four Part Harmony" is a curiosity for students of apartheid and African music, but not involving enough for the general public.
C+
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