Congorilla

A curious, old-fashioned safari travelogue that ambles through wildlife encounters and village life, feeling like a window into a vanished expedition.

Directed by

Martin E. Johnson

Genres

Documentary

Starring

Martin E. Johnson, Osa Johnson

Tagline

Tearing Through the Barriers of an Empire of Death

Overview

The first sound movie made entirely in Africa, Congorilla premiered in 1932 and permitted audiences to hear what they had only been able to see during previous safari films. Martin and Osa Johnson began in Kenya and Tanzania before moving to Uganda and the Congo Basin (Zaire). Along the way they filmed Zebra in the Serengeti, charging Rhinos in the Northern Frontier District (Southern Somalia), and recorded exciting encounters with Crocodiles and Hippos as they went down the Nile. The latter part of the film is devoted to the 7 months the filmmakers spent in the Ituri Forest with the Mbuti people as they captured village life despite the humidity, which caused batteries to deteriorate, wires and connections to erode, and mildew to form on camera cases.

How it feels

Earnest, warm and tense. Measured and needs your attention.

About

Exploration, nature, survival, colonialism

Content

Mild violence. No gore, sexual content or swearing.

Note

Written by AI, so it can be wrong. Full breakdown

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