Directed by Ousmane Sembene
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)
A wealthy businessman in Dakar decides to take on a third wife, much to the displeasure of his other wives and daughter. When he fails to perform on the wedding night, it is blamed on a "curse". He seeks several cures, from fellow businessmen and local witch doctors, but none of them work. His financial affairs soon start to crumble and eventually he finds himself broke and on the streets. The source of the curse, and its cure, is not revealed until the rather bizarre ending. The lifestyles of the ultra-rich are presented in all of their absurdity, all the more pathetic in light of the poverty frequently visible in the streets lurking in the background. The final scene makes it clear how the director feels about them. However, the pace is very slow, the wedding takes up much of the first hour, and it's obvious that some of the actors are simply reciting their lines, even if it is in a foreign language.
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