Rating: 
Summary: Stick to BBC documentaries
Review: "General Idi Amin Dada: A Self-Portrait" is a chilling portrait of Uganda's former "President for Life" at the height of his power, circa 1974. Barbet Schroeder, the Iranian-born French director, makes an ironically unique documentary since by acceding to the dictator's demands for a propagandistic glorification of its subject she allowed Amin to reveal himself to be a pompous, brutish, stupid, evil man in sequence after sequence after sequence. No doubt Amin was immensely pleased with the results, apparently incapable of realizing he had revealed to the entire world he was a brutal clown playing with the lives of his people. Amin rants about waiting to destroy Israel, shares his thoughts about Nixon and Kissinger, pays a visit to a village where his people can see their glorious leader, runs a war-game invasion of Israel, gives Ugandan physicians an inspirational speech, and screams at his cabinet members (including one who was murdered two weeks later). For me the key sequence is when Amin, extremely overweight to say the least, "wins" a swimming contest. Of course no one wanted to win the race and lose their life, but Amin is oblivious to the charade, beaming with pride over his great athletic triumph. You have to believe that even today, living in exile, he considers this film to be a record for posterity of his glory days. On a happier note, one thing that certainly stands out in this documentary is the cinematography, done by Schroeder's longtime associate Nestor Almendros, who went on to win an Oscar for the film "Days of Heaven."
Rating: 
Summary: A brutal dictator reveals himself to the entire world
Review: "General Idi Amin Dada: A Self-Portrait" is a chilling portrait of Uganda's former "President for Life" at the height of his power circa 1974. Barbet Schroeder, the Iranian-born French director, makes an ironically unique documentary since by acceding to the dictator's demands for a propagadistic glorification of its subject she allowed Amin to reveal himself to be a pompous, brutish, stupid, evil man in sequence after sequence after sequence. No doubt Amin was immensely pleased with the results, apparently incapable of realizing he had revealed to the entire world he was a clown playing with the lives of his people. Amin rants about waiting to destroy Israel, shares his thoughts about Nixon and Kissinger, pays a visit to a village where his people can see their glorious leader, runs a war-game invasion of Israeal, gives Ugandan physicians an inspirational speech, and screams at his cabinet members (including one who was murdered two weeks later). For me the key sequence is when Amin, extremely overweight to say the least, "wins" a swimming contest. Of course no one wanted to win the race and lose their life, but Amin is oblivious to the charade, beaming with pride over his great athletic triumph. You have to believe that even today, living in exile, he considers this film to be a record for posterity of his glory days. One thing that certainly stands out in this documentary is the cinematography, done by Schroeder's longtime associate Nestor Almendros, who won an Oscar for "Days of Heaven."
Rating:
Summary: A brutal dictator reveals himself to the entire world
Review: "General Idi Amin Dada: A Self-Portrait" is a chilling portrait of Uganda's former "President for Life" at the height of his power circa 1974. Barbet Schroeder, the Iranian-born French director, makes an ironically unique documentary since by acceding to the dictator's demands for a propagadistic glorification of its subject she allowed Amin to reveal himself to be a pompous, brutish, stupid, evil man in sequence after sequence after sequence. No doubt Amin was immensely pleased with the results, apparently incapable of realizing he had revealed to the entire world he was a clown playing with the lives of his people. Amin rants about waiting to destroy Israel, shares his thoughts about Nixon and Kissinger, pays a visit to a village where his people can see their glorious leader, runs a war-game invasion of Israeal, gives Ugandan physicians an inspirational speech, and screams at his cabinet members (including one who was murdered two weeks later). For me the key sequence is when Amin, extremely overweight to say the least, "wins" a swimming contest. Of course no one wanted to win the race and lose their life, but Amin is oblivious to the charade, beaming with pride over his great athletic triumph. You have to believe that even today, living in exile, he considers this film to be a record for posterity of his glory days. One thing that certainly stands out in this documentary is the cinematography, done by Schroeder's longtime associate Nestor Almendros, who won an Oscar for "Days of Heaven."
Rating: 
Summary: sure makes you appreciate George W. Bush...
Review: ...and also Michael Moore, who would've done a million times better with this material, considering what he's recently done with our own American Leader of the Absurd. Of course, Idi Amin is the one person who could make GW Bush look as compassionate as Jesus Christ and as brilliant as Albert Einstein. Instead, this documentary is painfully slow and repetitive, leaving the viewer to mutter in exasperation: "My kingdom for a decent film editor/producer!" throughout. It doesn't take much to show that Amin was a psychotic and sociopathic buffoon, yet director Barbet Shroeder just drags out scene after scene, taking three times as long to explicate a scene as necessary. The interminable Cabinet meeting, where Amin rambles on and on to a roomful of terrified and uncomprehending (the Cabinet members probably didn't understand a word of Amin's English) stooges. There is no sense of pacing, economy, or focus---it's as if Amin just allowed the director to tag along with a camera for a few days under the condition that Shroeder never ever edits or cuts anything he shoots. Best viewed after a cup or two of very strong coffee.
Rating:
Summary: sure makes you appreciate George W. Bush...
Review: ...and also Michael Moore, who would've done a million times better with this material, considering what he's recently done with our own American Leader of the Absurd. Of course, Idi Amin is the one person who could make GW Bush look as compassionate as Jesus Christ and as brilliant as Albert Einstein. Instead, this documentary is painfully slow and repetitive, leaving the viewer to mutter in exasperation: "My kingdom for a decent film editor/producer!" throughout. It doesn't take much to show that Amin was a psychotic and sociopathic buffoon, yet director Barbet Shroeder just drags out scene after scene, taking three times as long to explicate a scene as necessary. The interminable Cabinet meeting, where Amin rambles on and on to a roomful of terrified and uncomprehending (the Cabinet members probably didn't understand a word of Amin's English) stooges. There is no sense of pacing, economy, or focus---it's as if Amin just allowed the director to tag along with a camera for a few days under the condition that Shroeder never ever edits or cuts anything he shoots. Best viewed after a cup or two of very strong coffee.
Rating: 
Summary: Frightening, freaky, and totally hilarious!
Review: Barbet Schroeder's "General Idi Amin Dada" is a disturbing and hilarious documentary about former Uganda leader Idi Amin. Aside from some minor voiceover narration at various points, Schroeder lets Amin speak for himself and his monologues are simply astonishing. Groucho Marx's portrayal of dictator Rufus T. Firefly in "Duck Soup" is positively sane compared to Amin's pompous, deluded, and egomaniacal rants and behavior. In one of the film's best scenes, Amin challenges his cohorts to a swimming contest and after cutting across the lanes in front of his competition, proudly declares himself the winner. Another great scene has Amin declaring that he has psychic powers over alligators. While many will find it difficult to laugh at the antics and ravings of a leader arguably as evil as Hitler or Stalin, Amin is such a buffoon that you can not help but chuckle at how unapologetically moronic he is. Also recommended on the disturbing/hilarous documentary front: "Crumb" -- Terry Zwigoff's creepy look at cartoonist R. Crumb; "Hated" -- Todd Phillips' documentary of the pathetic, feces-flinging punk rock moron G.G. Allin; and "I'm From Hollywood", the freaky and hilarious look of late comedian Andy Kaufman's wrestling career.
Rating:
Summary: Monster talks up Values! Monster plays Accordion!
Review: Lots of folks have said that Barbet Schroeder's cinematic masterpiece and ballsy documentary "General Idi Amin Dada: A Self-Portrait" is chilling and horrifying. Let's set the record straight: no, it's not.
It's funny. It's downright hysterical. And it's absolutely REQUIRED viewing to get a better perspective of this Ugandan success story, this uniquely self-made man, this 6 foot 4 250 pound colossus of sheer destruction and unabetted cannibalism, Ugandan heavyweight boxing champ, designer of epaulette-and-jodphur laden uniforms, former British colonial army sergeant, Army Chief of Staff under doomed former Ugandan President Milton Obote, and once-and-future King of the Sea. Oh, and according to Idi, he could talk to the lions and the crocodiles, too.
Wow---Idi Amin lived a crazy life, didn't he? And Barbet Schroeder, bless him and his intergalactic-extra-gigantic man-orbs, managed to catch all of this insanity on film. That film is "General Idi Amin Dada: A Self-Portrait".
WATCH!---as the friendly, helpful, think globally act locally Idi Amin----
*talks to the animals, including crocodiles and lions!
*shoots his AK-47 and stomps around in his designer camouflage gear!
*stages a mock invasion of the Golan heights, with helicopters and tanks! Watch Idi point out all his menacing metallic armored monsters like a 3-year-old schoolkid!
*Dresses down a cowering cabinet (the foreign minister is later found floating upside down in the Nile, ah well), and chews out a bunch of doctors for drunkeness. In the Islamic Shiny Happy World of Idi Amin, cannibalism was in! Torture was in! Invading Tanzania and killing Kenyan students was in! Taking a toddle was, evidently, way *way* out.
*Wins a swimming contest!
*Shakes a spear threateningly and plays the accordion at a state function and dancing party!
*Basically performs smashingly as a perfect Third-World villain (with a striking resemblance to child-actor and "Diff'rent Strokes" star Gary Coleman---or is that just me?) who could easily be a central casting dream from the old "Johnny Quest" cartoon!
Really, Barbet Schroeder was an amazing filmmaker. More amazing is that he got what he did---more than could be believed---on film. And the amazing thing is, Idi Amin gave him full, unfettered access! Amin thought this would be a propoganda coup! Schroeder just lets Idi Amin be Idi Amin, and it is marvellous to watch the General expound: on war, on Uganda, on destiny, on boxing, on the Jews, on Hitler. Especially Hitler. Barbet risks his own neck to ask Idi a pointed question on his fascist idol, and Idi grins, and glowers, and chuckles amiably, and then purrs "why do you ask me about Hitler? Why Hitler"?
Why, indeed, Idi. Why indeed.
Rating:
Summary: Kind of surreal...
Review: Over the course of 90 minutes, we see Uganda's army run a faux invasion of the "Golan Heights", Amin Dada lecture physicians about drunkeness and a meeting of Amin's cabinet where he blasts his foreign minister (who was executed soon after filming) for the negative portrayal of his regime in the world press. It's hard not to laugh at Amin when he claims that he can command crocodiles or tells a large group of educated doctors that the people of Uganda won't respect them if they are drunks. Then you remember this same man killed 350,000 of his own people, and some of the laughs get a little uneasier. I think what fascinates people about Amin is how he could simultaneously be so ruthless and yet, so buffonish. Certainly this documantary (in which some of the shots admittedly were set up by Amin himself) is a good demonstration of the latter and hints towards the former. By the way, this is a great print of the film and Criterion even includes a 25 minute plus interview with Schroder recalling anecdotes about the making of it.
Rating:
Summary: Kind of surreal...
Review: Over the course of 90 minutes, we see Uganda's army run a faux invasion of the "Golan Heights", Amin Dada lecture physicians about drunkeness and a meeting of Amin's cabinet where he blasts his foreign minister (who was executed soon after filming) for the negative portrayal of his regime in the world press. It's hard not to laugh at Amin when he claims that he can command crocodiles or tells a large group of educated doctors that the people of Uganda won't respect them if they are drunks. Then you remember this same man killed 350,000 of his own people, and some of the laughs get a little uneasier. I think what fascinates people about Amin is how he could simultaneously be so ruthless and yet, so buffonish. Certainly this documantary (in which some of the shots admittedly were set up by Amin himself) is a good demonstration of the latter and hints towards the former. By the way, this is a great print of the film and Criterion even includes a 25 minute plus interview with Schroder recalling anecdotes about the making of it.
Rating:
Summary: Unlike anything else I've seen
Review: Simply one of the most nervy, discomforting, yet fascinating documentaries I've seen. Just wait until you see how his pilots train without aircraft. I can't believe my luck that Criterion is putting this out. Now if they would only release Schoeder's BARFLY....
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