“The man dies in all who keep silent in the face of tyranny”

― Wole Soyinka , The Man Died: The Prison Notes of Wole Soyinka

SCREENPLAY BY – BODE ASIYANBI

PRODUCED BY – FEMI ODUGBEMI

DIRECTED BY – AWAM AMKPA

ADAPTED FROM A NOVEL BY NOBEL LAUREATE, PROF. WOLE SOYINKA

This is a different sort of movie. A tricky one. One that must be reviewed from the various angles it presents itself to you. In my case, as a critic and a Nigerian. Separating one from the other is not always easy because the whole concept of a great movie is how well it appeals to both cognitive and emotional senses. For an adaptation, the translation from book to movie presents its own challenges. For example, does the movie narrate the story lucidly enough for those who haven’t read the book to follow and enjoy regardless? Does it detract from the book’s essence for those who have read it? Does it make you want to read the book (again)? Those are the extra metrics of success for an adaptation.

So did The Man Died movie succeed? Let’s find out, shall we?

Synopsis

Full disclosure: I’ve never read Prof. Wole Soyinka’s controversial book The Man Died so I went into this movie green. Of course, I knew what the book was about- his incarceration during the Nigerian Civil War – but the details were sketchy to me at best. The Man Died movie tells the tale of a university professor, renowned poet/writer, and activist, Wole Soyinka, who tried to stop the Biafran War from happening back in the late 1960s. He tried to appeal to both sides to sheath swords, thus drawing the ire of the Military government of the time under Gen. Yakubu Gowon. Deemed a traitor, his ‘treachery’ landed him in Kirikiri and Kaduna prisons and almost cost him his life. This year, we celebrate his 90th birthday.

Direction & Casting

It says a lot when you can sit through a two-and-a-half-hour movie- especially one that relies more on dialogue than action to win the crowd. A movie that is shot indoors more than outdoors. Not easy. Credit goes to the director’s unconventional style of storytelling. He seamlessly weaves in flashbacks throughout the movie which help keep things moving and engaging.

It also helps to have a brilliant actor like Wale Ojo as the main character- Wole Soyinka- and Sam Dede as his ‘arch-enemy’ AS Yisa. Personally, Sam stole the show in almost every scene he appeared in, with a personality that is just as dislikable as it is entertaining. Wale and Sam’s characters ‘yin yanged’ off each other in their scenes together and stood out. (Thumbs up to the make-up artist who worked on the incarcerated Wole Soyinka, by the way. His darkened skin and weight loss from starvation and dehydration looked so real you’d think he was fresh from the morgue.)

Another worthy mention is Segilola Ogidan who played Morenike- the side chick and conduit for the underground Anti-War movement. She came with a lot of zest needed in an otherwise grim movie. Christinah Oshunniyi also gave a good account of herself in her brief role.

Portrayals

This is one skill our actors might need to commit more time to developing: studying the inflections, voice tones, mannerisms, and accents of characters they are meant to portray. Mastering a decent Hausa accent would have been perfect for Sam as Yisa- but mind, not like Segun Arinze’s in Afamefuna. Similoluwa Hassan, who played Ojukwu for example, had enough material on the Ikenga to work with. Although he did a decent job, I expected more from his portrayal of the charismatic secessionist leader with a nasal voice and Queen’s English accent. A bit more wit between Soyinka and the General. Ropo Ewenla also did a good job as Obasanjo, especially in his mannerism. Loved it. A husky voice would have been a pleasant bonus to go with it. The extra mile.

There is a reason why Idris Elba gave viewers goosebumps as Mandela and Forest Whitaker made an intimidating Idi Amin. Both are renowned for going above and beyond to research their characters and ultimately become them. Idris, for one, is known to stay in character on- and off-set to perfect his portrayals. For that, I have no doubts he will make a good Okonkwo in Things Fall Apart.

Dialogue & Delivery

Lovely acting in general. Although, I thought some scenes needed a bit more oomph. Considering the hate, bias, and heated opinions before and during the War, the emotions in the movie could have been stepped up a notch. Each argument should be delivered with such deep conviction that the viewer either loves or loathes the actor with passion. No middle ground.

It’s a bit like Ed Norton’s character in American History X (1998) where his racist tirade over dinner as a young White Power Skinhead was so passionate and convincing that you’d either clap for him (if you’re a neo-Nazi) or resent him in real life. He was that good. Years on, I still remember this scene because it drew me, as close as I can ever be, into the mind of a white supremacist. I ‘understood’ their position. This was the passion and eloquence I wanted to see in Hassan’s Ojukwu- a man with legendary oratory skills, or from Kelvin Mary‘s Christopher Okigbo- a poet turned Biafran soldier whose new convictions would have made for interesting, impassioned dialogue with his old buddy Soyinka. (Thumbs up for the convincing chemistry and bromance between the two.)

One can understand the sensitivity of this discourse in a country with such deep-seated sentiments that the director might not want to stir. However, the only way healing can occur in society is when people can vent and others listen. You can learn a thing or two from it. That was the importance of the Truth & Reconciliation Commissions in South Africa and Rwanda which helped people heal and move past their trauma, even though their wounds were fresher than Nigeria’s by thirty years.

Touching Scenes & Violent Ones

There were some really moving scenes here. Without revealing spoilers, the interrogation room and prison scenes were some of the best in the movie and will keep you absorbed. In one of these, Wale Ojo’s acting stands out even without saying a word. His expressions were spot on. The violent scenes are perhaps the only areas that may have fallen short in The Man Died. There weren’t many such scenes since the movie was more drama and intrigue than graphic. However, I felt that the few executed needed more conviction to sell.

The Historical Setting

Loved the setting! We were given a real ’60s look and feel- with the right hairdos, clothes, vehicles, architecture, and all. I missed seeing a Peugeot 504 but since the car came out during the war its absence is excusable. The credit for its omission either goes to meticulous historical research or the director having a damn good memory! By and large, the movie’s dark setting (with pouring rain in certain scenes) visually reflects the sombre, gruesome period in our nation’s history during which millions of lives were lost. It sets the tone from the very first scene and carries it over, even in the flashbacks, till the end.

“To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child. For what is the worth of human life, unless it is woven into the life of our ancestors by the records of history?”

― Marcus Tullius Cicero

A whole lot of history was thrown into the movie either as snippets or through conversation. Principal figures like Bola Ige, (former president) Olusegun Obasanjo, and Victor Banjo brought it closer home. The movie reveals to millions for the first time stories many had been told and many want to forget. But these are hard truths that need to be told in their nakedness however uncomfortable it makes one feel. As the American philosopher George Santayana once said, Those who forget history are condemned to repeat it. Movies like this are meant to etch into our subconscious such events -however ugly- for posterity. We cannot watch movies on the Holocaust, Hiroshima, and Hotel Rwanda and yet be reluctant to face our own demons.

In a Nutshell…

Books like The Man Died by Wole Soyinka and, more recently, There Was A Country by the late Chinua Achebe keep the memory of the War alive. In a world with an ever-shortening attention span where reading is becoming a dying pastime, we must commend the producer, Femi Odugbemi. He has brought the story to a whole new generation, rekindling what we should not forget and pushing the message of objectivity at all times. Even in the face of ostracization.

Now how do I get my hands on that book? This was totally worth watching.

I give it a solid 7.5/10