Rise and Fall of Idi Amin

Infobox_Film
name = Rise and Fall of Idi Amin


caption =
imdb_id = 0081430
amg_id = 1:150023
director = Sharad Patel
Christopher Sutton
writer = Wade Huie
starring = Joseph Olita
Denis Hills
Tony Sibbald
editing = Keith Palmer II
producer = Sharad Patel
music = Christopher Gunning
cinematography= Harvey Harrison
country = Kenya / Nigeria & UK
bugdet = $26 million
gross = $36 million
distributor = Twin Continental Films
released = August 25, 1981 (UK) flagicon|United Kingdom
March 18, 1982 (New York City) flagicon|New York City
May 8, 1982 (U.S.) flagicon|United States
runtime = 101 min
language = English

"Rise and Fall of Idi Amin", also known as "Amin: The Rise and Fall", is a 1981 British bloody exploitation film and biopic released in the United Kingdom on August 25, 1981, then on March 18, 1982, it was released only in select theatres in New York and finally on May 8, 1982 it was released in the United States. The film was directed by Sharad Patel and starring Joseph Olita as Idi Amin.

The film details the controversial actions and atrocities of the former dictator of Uganda, Idi Amin Dada, during his violent rise to power in 1971 until his overthrow in 1979. The film was a co-production of the U.K., Kenya and Nigeria, with most of filming done in Kenya , less than a year after Amin's exilement. Despite being branded as an exploitation film, it is actually quite accurate with the facts and dates of the events depicted, including Operation Entebbe, the Uganda-Tanzania War (1979) and the capture and imprisonment of British journalist Denis Hills (who portrays himself in the film). It does, however, take certain liberties, especially with the portrayal of Amin as being over-the-top, buffoonish and erratic behavior. It also makes explicit references to Amin being a cannibal, leading many to believe that this film alone was the cause of many of the myths and rumours about the man.

Joseph Olita also played Amin in the 1991 film, "Mississippi Masala".

For the most part, the film accurately portrays many real people, including Bob Astles, Amin's U.K.-born white advisor and assistant.

When released to international audiences, including in the United States, most of the voices were dubbed, due to poor sound production.

External links

* [http://web.archive.org/web/20051218131907/http://teleport-city.com/movies/reviews/a-b/amin.html Article with screen captures]
* [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081430/ Rise and Fall of Idi Amin] at the Internet Movie Database