Senator Obama Goes To Africa (First Run Features)

 

Picture: C+     Sound: C+     Extras: C     Documentary: C

 

 

Essentially a propaganda film telling us what a great guy he is, Bob Hercules’ Senator Obama Goes To Africa (2007) tries to bridge the gap in the longshot Barack Obama has in becoming the next President Of The United States against his opponents in both parties, racism and the least spoken opponent, The Religious Right.  Why?  Because with Oprah Winfrey on his side in a era where many truly religious people know they have been had and at a time where Tyler Perry is on a roll, this is essentially an hour for The Religious Left to be reborn.

 

Not only does Obama show he has a great family, but that he is linked to families of man here and abroad, telling people in Darfur that most Americans find the genocide there unacceptable, even if the U.S. has yet to do much about it.  That he has a vision of a better future without saying that.  Visually, it is also trying to make him look like a combination of JFK, RFK and Dr. King, whether the makers realize that or not.

 

I never found this condescending, but it is so obvious, I was bored.  Earlier in this campaign, someone who liked Obama told me that he liked him very much.  When I asked why, instead of speaking to any policies, he said that “he spoke to the heart: to which I said, “How?”  He did not know and I explained that it takes more than that to win an election.  His campaign is finally getting him to be a sharper speaker, but they will continue to play the heart/optimism card in conjunction with religious appeals.  This is not a great work, confirming my feeling he still needs to do more to win if he wants The White House.  Additionally, I do not think most people are feeling all that optimistic, so we’ll see where this goes.

 

The letterboxed 1.78 X 1 image is clean and color consistent, but has detail and depth limits.  The Dolby Digital 2.0 location sound is passable.  Stills resources list, text biographies and a visit to the Masai Mara Game Preserve with the Obama Family are the only extras.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo