Release Date: June 9, 2026
Prices and Links:
Criterion- $31.96
OrbitDVD- $25.99
Amazon- $39.95
Director: Med Hondo
Mauritanian French firebrand Med Hondo puts colonialism itself on trial in this one-of-a-kind musical spectacular—a collective effort of unprecedented scale and ambition that proved a watershed event in African cinema. Aboard an enormous mock slave ship, Hondo stages a series of imaginative reenactments and intricately choreographed dance numbers that trace the devastating effects of French imperialism across centuries of enslavement and injustice. Beyond mere extravaganza, West Indies: The Fugitive Slaves of Liberty is a stirring call to Pan-African independence and a dazzling yet critical reconception of an entire people’s history of oppression and rebellion.
Prices and Links:
Criterion- $31.96
OrbitDVD- $25.99
Amazon- $39.95
Director: Med Hondo
- France, Mauritania
- 1979
- 116 minutes
- Color
- 1.85:1
- French
Mauritanian French firebrand Med Hondo puts colonialism itself on trial in this one-of-a-kind musical spectacular—a collective effort of unprecedented scale and ambition that proved a watershed event in African cinema. Aboard an enormous mock slave ship, Hondo stages a series of imaginative reenactments and intricately choreographed dance numbers that trace the devastating effects of French imperialism across centuries of enslavement and injustice. Beyond mere extravaganza, West Indies: The Fugitive Slaves of Liberty is a stirring call to Pan-African independence and a dazzling yet critical reconception of an entire people’s history of oppression and rebellion.
BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES
- New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
- New interview with African-cinema scholar Aboubakar Sanogo
- Program featuring archival interviews with director Med Hondo
- Excerpted archival interview with cinematographer François Catonné
- Trailers
- PLUS: An essay by film programmer and critic Ashley Clark
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