The Boy Kumasenu
| The Boy Kumasenu | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Sean Graham |
| Written by | Marc Silver |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | George Noble |
| Edited by | Emiliano Battista & Gideon Gold |
| Music by | Elisabeth Lutyens |
Production companies |
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Release date |
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Running time | 1 hour |
| Country | Ghana |
| Language | English |
The Boy Kumasenuis a 1952 feature film made inGhanaby a British film crew. It was produced and directed bySean Grahamfrom a script by Graham and John Wyllie.[1]The score was byElisabeth Lutyens.[2] The movie became popular and had an impact on the social live of the people. It displayed signs of future potentials which made it become associated with anti colonialism and social change in the newly emerging independence Ghana.[3]
Production
[edit]The Boy Kumasenuwas the first feature film made by the Gold Coast Film Unit, which sought to produce both educational and informative films for distribution in Ghana and abroad.[4][5]The director was Sean Graham, who was a student of documentaristJohn Grierson,though Graham preferred to work more in the idioms of popular cinema.[4]MusicianGuy Warrenwas one of the actors, playing the role of Yeboah.[6]
It was filmed in 1950 and 1951 inAccra,KedzeandKeta,with a non-professional cast, and edited in London. It was premiered in Ghana in 1952 but the makers had trouble getting it distributed in Ghana, due to a belief that Africans preferred escapist films. However, it subsequently proved very popular.[5][7]It was awarded a diploma by theVenice Film Festivaland had its British premiere at the 1952Edinburgh Film Festival;it was also shown at the 1953Berlin Film Festival.[5]It was nominated for aBritish Academy Film Awardfor best film in 1953.[8]
It was widely distributed in the UK and Ghana.[4]
Plot
[edit]The film tells the story of a boy called Kumasenu who moves to the city ofAccrafrom a small fishing village, encouraged by his cousin Agboh's exaggerated tales of the wonders of city life. Hungry, he steals bread and is caught by police, but is rescued by a doctor and his wife, who find him work. Agboh attempts to get Kumasenu to rob the doctor, but Kumasenu foils his cousin's plans.[5]
Critical reaction
[edit]Varietypraised it as "amazingly well done film fare" and suggested it could be an arthouse success.[5]West African Reviewconsidered it dramatised an important issue facing African, and showed the ability of African leadership to solve Africa's problems.[5]Monthly Film Bulletinwas less impressed, finding it "vague and sentimental" though praising it as a starting point for African cinema.[5]
References
[edit]- ^"IMDd".IMDd page.Retrieved15 October2019.
- ^Fraser, Robert (2008).Book History Through Postcolonial Eyes: Rewriting the Script.Routledge. p. 172.ISBN9780415402934.
- ^"The Boy Kumasenu".doi:10.1080/02533952.2013.852826.S2CID145506083.Retrieved2021-08-31.
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^abcDiawara, Manthia(1992).African Cinema: Politics & Culture.Indiana University Press. p.5.
The Boy Kumasenu.
- ^abcdefg"Boy Kumasenu".Colonial Film.Retrieved21 March2013.
- ^Kelley, Robin D. G.(2012).Africa Speaks, America Answers: Modern Jazz in Revolutionary Times.Harvard University Press. p. 11.
- ^Essah, Doris S. (2008).Fashioning the Nation: Hairdressing, Professionalism and the Performance of Gender in Ghana, 1900--2006.p. 74.ISBN9780549840329.[permanent dead link]
- ^"BAFTA Awards".BAFTA website.Retrieved21 March2013.
Further reading
[edit]Bloom, Peter; Kate Skinner (2009–2010)."Modernity and Danger: The Boy Kumasenu and the Work of the Gold Coast Film Unit"(PDF).Ghana Studies.12–13: 121–153.doi:10.1353/ghs.2009.0006.
External links
[edit]- "The Boy Kumasenu (1952)"at IMDb