Retour à Gorée (2007)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Pierre-Yves Borgeaud

Writers:

Pierre-Yves Borgeaud (writer)
Emmanuel Gétaz (writer)

Release Date:

2007 (Switzerland)

Genre:

Documentary

Plot:

Because jazz is the miraculous product of the horror of slavery, Youssou N'Dour returned to the slave route and the music they created...

Plot Keywords:

Place Name In Title | Senegal

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Youssou N'Dour	...	Himself
Moncef Genoud	...	Himself
Boubacar Joseph Ndiaye	...	Himself
Idris Muhammad	...	Himself
James Cammack	...	Himself
Pyeng Threadgill	...	Herself
Grégoire Maret	...	Himself
Amiri Baraka	...	Himself
Ernie Hammes	...	Himself
Wolfgang Muthspiel	...	Himself
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Big Chief Monk Boudreaux	...	Himself
Karfa Diallo	...	Himself

Also Known As:

Return to Gorée (International: English title)

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

Switzerland | Luxembourg

Language:

English | French

Colour:

Colour

Certification:

Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva)

Filming Locations:

Luxembourg

Company:

CAB Productions

Some answers to Supercargo's comments

I am the person who initiated the project of this film, I am the co-scenarist and co-producer. I would like to answer to some "Supercargo" 's comments. Sometimes, people expect too much of a film. This is obviously what happened to Supercargo when watching "Return to Goree". It was not our intention to talk about reggae and Caribbean music for instance, as it would need a whole film in itself. As well, to present where the people living in Dakar come from would need an other film, etc. We just followed Youssou N'Dour and Moncef Genoud on their quest for new musical arrangements, meetings with other musicians and a certain form of spiritual quest. About the Harmony Harmoneers song in the "Door of no Return" : it was totally unexpected, we didn't even know that they had composed a song and frankly, still today I don't know if they had prepared it or if they improvised it there, on the moment. About the so called "guards with guns" that Supercargo mentioned : Youssou was victim of a serious attempt to his live about 20 years ago, in Dakar. He has two body guards with him when he goes somewhere. They don't have guns, never. The only people with guns can be policemen. There was some of them on Goree Island the day we went there with Youssou at the beginning of the journey, and as you can imagine, they were, as many people, attracted by the cameras. That's all. We never had anybody with guns with us during the whole period of shooting in Senegal, USA, Luxembourg and back to Senegal (five weeks). About what Idris says : I totally disagree with Supercargo : Idris was saying much more with symbolic gestures, attitudes and with his silence than with words. And this is something people can feel in the movie, I believe. All in all, these five weeks turned to be a incredible spiritual experience. I was there all the time. It was great !