Rise and Fall of Idi Amin
| Rise and Fall of Idi Amin | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Sharad Patel Christopher Sutton |
| Written by | Wade Huie |
| Produced by | Sharad Patel |
| Starring | Joseph Olita Denis Hills Tony Sibbald |
| Cinematography | Harvey Harrison |
| Edited by | Keith Palmer II |
| Music by | Christopher Gunning |
| Distributed by | Twin Continental Films |
Release date | 1980 |
Running time | 101 min |
| Country | Kenya / Nigeria & UK |
| Language | English |
Rise and Fall of Idi Amin, also known as Amin: The Rise and Fall, is a bloody exploitation film and biopic directed in 1980 by Sharad Patel and starring Joseph Olita as Idi Amin. The film details the controversial actions and atrocities of the former dictator of Uganda, Idi Amin Dada, during his violent rise to power in 1971 until his overthrow in 1979. The film was a co-production of the U.K., Kenya and Nigeria, with most of filming done in Kenya , less than a year after Amin's exilement. Despite being branded as an exploitation film, it is actually quite accurate with the facts and dates of the events depicted, including Operation Entebbe, the Uganda-Tanzania War (1979) and the capture and imprisionment of British journalist Denis Hills (who portrays himself in the film). It does, however, take certain liberties, especially with the portrayal of Amin as being over-the-top, buffoonish and erratic behavior. It also makes explicit references to Amin being a cannibal, leading many to believe that this film alone was the cause of many of the myths and rumours about the man.
Joseph Olita also played Amin in the 1991 film, Mississippi Masala.
For the most part, the film accurately portrays many real people, including Bob Astles, Amin's U.K.-born white advisor and assistant.
When released to international audiences, including in the U.S., most of the voices were dubbed, due to poor sound production. Also, many of the "Americans" in the film were portrayed by British and South African actors who did very little to provide American accents to their roles (this is evident in the theatrical trailer for the film).
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