“Shake hands with the devil” is an adaptation film on Romeo Dallaire's autobiography, which gives details of his personal journey during the 1994 Rwandan genocide. This movie was produced in 2007, after the writer visited Rwanda in 2004 to commemorate the 10 years of the genocide (Shake Hands with the Devil).
The main objective of this film is that it gives details of how the genocide in Rwanda could have been prevented if the United Nations, U.S. and French had honored Dallaire's request for more aid. According to the movie, this has been known to be one of the memorable genocides in the history of the world of the recent past. To begin with, this genocide took place in Rwanda in which the two major tribal groups in the country had been living in constant rivalry. History does record that about 800 000 people perished during the genocide thus claiming about twenty percent of the population. The Hutu powers had been claiming that the other group, the Tutsi had always been having the spiteful intention of enslaving them, and hence they had the mandate of making sure that such a move had to be resisted with all their resources on disposal (Linda 26). The Hutus had been displaced in larger numbers from the north. Basically, the Hutus were the ones who killed majority of the Tutsis and some of the Hutus who had been proclaiming for peace. This led to the assassination in April 1994 of Habyarimana in which it marked the proximate for the killings. From there, the Tutsi thus waged pressure in an attempt in war in which they eventually defeated the army and eventually took control of the Rwandese country. The history of the country after independence bred for an enmity in which the year of 1972 saw the massive killing of the Hutus led by the Tutsi, and who decided to revenge on the Tutsis later in 1994 (Fisanick21).
One of the major strengths of this film is that it offers something for everybody who is interested in this type of genre films. This is because it’s an autobiographical film relating to events that occurred in real life targeting the die-hard audiences of similar movies. It helps the viewer discover how a plot can mix and match both old and new conventions of this genre in such a compelling and thrilling fashion. This is because there is no shortage of exciting drama and electric excitement that entertains different viewers with different expectations from the film. Another strength is that the film is presented with painstaking images and action-packed sequences aimed at exciting the eyes of the audience. The use of varied palette such as quick cuts, slow motion and shadows has painted the film with a unique image. Everything such as the set design and the use of costumes including army uniforms, sunglasses are specifically used to give the film an elegant and real life look (Shake Hands with the Devil). The shoot-outs are also clearly presented thus making it one of the best documentaries ever directed by Peter Raymont.The use of special effects in the film without making them monotonous is something that makes the film classical too. Through the use set design, the producers of this film have amplified the emotions of different characters depending on the scene and the intended message, and also to establish the aspects assigned to a given character. However, there are a number of limitations outlined in the film, for example the film does not critically evaluate reasons for the genocide emergence, but it only gives the consequences. Another limitation is that there is no much evidence presented by the film producers, no specific timelines for the events in the film, and the producers does not rely on reliable sources while tracing the events that led to the genocide
If I directed this video, the first thing I would change is the elements of the video and to include mise-en-scenes to lighten out the movie. Different events and scenes in the video are not properly lighted and staged; hence they don’t to present the required idea and message to the viewer clearly. By so doing it becomes easy to present the actual hypotheses regarding the subject of actual reality. From theoretical analysis, it is notable that most of the presentations appear to have been based on generalizations, single-sided argumentation, and avoidance of some facts. Although this might be seen as weaknesses by the viewers, I believe it helps shade some light regarding the Rwandan genocide. This kind of argument can also be seen to strengthen the film’s purpose of explaining to the reader issues to do with the Rwandan genocide and its effects in our present world.
After watching this film, I have learnt personally that the genocide in Rwanda was caused by factors which could have been prevented if appropriate measures were taken. Looking at all the stages of genocide, we note from the film that the history after the independence had led to rejection and enmity which saw a continued classification, symbolization and dehumanization from the either groups. This led to organizations which had been aimed at fighting back the members of the other tribes. Polarization had been developing all along accompanied with identification. Later, the year of 1994 saw the attack of the Hutus attacking the Tutsi and retaliation from the other side (Fisanick 32). This led to what would later be known as the Rwanda genocide of 1994. Basically, leadership and claims of oppression had been voiced to be the underlying consequences which appeared to have possible impacts for the genocide. In discovery, many of the countries had been aware of the fueling condition after the 1972 genocide and the follow-up occurrences in the country. After intervention from civil societies, peace keeping force led by Romeo Dallaire and the world in particular, the genocide stopped and new form of governance was embraced and the leaders behind the genocide brought into book with others having gone missing (Shake Hands with the Devil ).
In conclusion, it’s evident that this horror could have been prevented if the United Nations, U.S. and French had honored Dallaire's request for more aid. Therefore, this film can be watched by anyone who wants to acquaint himself with the concepts of the Rwandan genocide.
Works Cited
Fisanick, Christina. The Rwanda Genocide. New York: Longman, 2004.
Linda, Melvern. Conspiracy to Murder: The Rwandan Genocide. Kigali: Verso Press, 2004.
Roger, Spottiswoode (Director). Michael, Donovan (Producer). Shake Hands with the Devil (1956). Montréal: Seville Pictures.
