Jaroslav Novotný, Jiří Hanzelka, Miroslav Zikmund / Czechoslovakia / 1953 / 104 min.
synopsis
In 1947, an unknown duo of aspiring explorers set out from Czechoslovakia on a trip around the world. Two films were made from their expedition, which eventually covered “only” the African and American continents. The first of these later became probably the most famous, as well as the most successful Czechoslovak film about Africa. It sold out cinemas, thus ensuring the filmmakers, Hanzelek and Zikmund, phenomenal success that continues to this day. However, the film is also remarkable from a lesser-known perspective, in the context of colonial ideology. During the trip, the communist coup took place in Czechoslovakia, and the filmmakers were forced to come to terms with this change, not only upon their arrival, but also when making the final cut of the film and its commentary. It thus became a unique view of the early communist regime on the African colonial order, which it reflects to some extent critically, without avoiding the promotion of communist ideas.
