Schroeder’s discernment of the situation he was in with the vain General and his eventual manipulation of him allowed his documentary crew access to a conclave of the state’s ministers and military higher-ups. The Iranian born director of German extraction is ironically simpatico with Idi Amin’s preference of people as Schroeder prods him ever so gently with nervous laughter, like one might daringly try to interest a grumpy Doberman in a game of catch. Often, he trails off into a deranged rail on foreign countries and other African establishments but conducts himself with a manner of undeniable presence that’s as compelling as it is repelling. Idi Amin does not deny his Machiavellian approach to establishing his order but chooses not to dwell on them as he thinks his answers through carefully and elaborates on his imagined successes.
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His scheming seductions to the media and to the outside world come through in full force as he looks for the camera before speaking. His small-minded view of the world, his brio for military games and his risible ballroom antics show an incomprehensible rationale for his iron grip.
The genocide, the corruption and the paranoid executions of his confidants find its way into the documentary but Barbet Schroeder’s unique and darkly humorous focus always stays on the hauntingly paradoxical look at the avuncular disposition of the despicable despot.Įssentially, and with the need to be succinct, the General comes across as a child trapped in the man’s body. Review: In anticipation of a career best performance by Forest Whitaker in “The Last King of Scotland”, I hunted down the Criterion of this remarkably pieced together composite of General Idi Amin Dada, the forgotten Ugandan tyrant who seized power in the early 70s and ruled it with a murderous fist until his eventual ouster. Overview: A documentary on the military dictator of Africa’s Uganda. Général Idi Amin Dada: Autoportrait Film Details