Film over Strange Beliefs: Sir Edward Evans-Pritchard (Found on Youtube) - Movie Review Example

Generally the subject of witchcraft, black magic is taken by the scholar and educated people as irrational, primitive and associated with ignorance. But according to Prichard witchcraft should not be regarded as a primitive and irrational as its notion are logical. The film shows that anthropology is the subject of study and in it one cannot be a passive observer but he has to be an active participant. It is very important to go in the heart of the thing you have taken for your study. He was studying the Nuer people.

The concluding sentences in this documentary are as follows: In Social Anthropology you are studying not just as an observer but also as a participant. You are not just a member of the audience; you are also on the stage. To understand the Nuer you have go to learn to think as a Nuer, to feel as a Nuer, in a kind of way to be a Nuer. And this can't be done by any kind of scientific technique. And this is why I think the Anthropologist is in a peculiar position because he is trying to interpret what he sees not just with a hint but with his whole personality, with his heart as well.

Pritchard lived with the Azande community and he studied deeply their witchcraft. The film is the fantastic work done by Pritchard. During his study he has tried to understand the psychology of the community he was studying. The remarkable thing here is that he is the only one anthropologist who had tried to understand the beliefs of the other culture as a logical and rational system. Many so called educated and rational people might be calling the beliefs of the tribal community as a sign of backwardness.

Especially if it is the question of taking into consideration the African community definitely the Western people have the stereotypical opinion that African people are somehow backward and so their beliefs. The events were depicted her through a very effective narrative techniques. The Sudani community is shown along with their day today life. It seems somewhat weird at the first when we get a barbarian look of these people. Their nakedness, their remotness and their total ignorance about the outer world.

But again we get convinced that this is the part and parcel of their lives. The music used in the film is amazing and it proceeds the story. The music gives us the effect of the real film. It is very relevant to the visuals used in the documentary. The music is the fine blend of Western touch as well as the essence of the primitive and local music. Many local instruments from Africa are also used to enhance the effect of the visuals. In the two different part to go close to the respective culture, the local music has been adopted.

This documentary is the fantastic overview of both Pritchard.and his work with the Azande and Nuer people in Africa. In the beginnig he claims that even if the beliefs are not acceptable in our advance society you go on accepting them when you are in the community from where the beliefs belong. His study was not just limited to go and visit the people from Africa. But he supposes that it was more than that. To understand the people entirely it is necessary to live in their community and share the thoughts and learn their language and culture.

For this purpose he built a house just like the people. It was a very difficult journey to Sudan. He slowly learnt the life style of the people, like how they live and how and what do they eat and prepare their food etc.To understand fully about their beliefs he learnt