Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat – 6

Less a documentary than an Impressionist, or more accurately Cubist, study of colonialism, with the (Belgian) Congo as its subject and American racism in the wings. Snippets of Black jazz greats, bold headlines and memorable archival footage, especially of the U.N., paint a rather condemnatory portrait of  big power politics, business interests and Cold War frenzy trampling any concern for rights or humanity. Even accepting the obvious political viewpoint, there are too many problems with the film to list, but chief among them are a disregard for narrative arc, a failure to sufficiently connect the jazz interludes with the events in Africa and a meandering length that led me to walk out about five minutes from the end.