Black Goddess

Black Goddess

1978 · 95 min · ★ 10.0 · Drama, Romance, Fantasy, Music

A Deusa Negra is a love story that spans two centuries. In 18th century Yorubaland, Prince Oluyole is taken prisoner in the course of internecine warfare fanned by overseas slave traders. He is sold into slavery in Brazil. In present day Nigeria, at his father's deathbed, the young Babatunde promises to go to Brazil and search for traces of their once-enslaved ancestors. Beginning with a Candomblé ritual, his journey takes him ever deeper into this culture and, in a dream-like sequence, affords him a deeper understanding of his ancestors' suffering and powers of resistance. Balogun effortlessly links present with past, real with magical worlds and discourse with trance. The hypnotic atmosphere is also heightened by the music of the Nigerian drummer Remi Kabaka, which plays with repetitive patterns and distortions.

Directed by Ola Balogun · Written by Ola Balogun

Your Rating

Cast

Make it a double feature

3h 40m together

Black Goddess

The Mission

A close match in mood and era.

More from Ola BalogunSee all →

Fight for Freedom

Fight for Freedom · 1979

Fight for Freedom

Ija Ominira is the cinematic transposition of a novel by Faleti. It is the story of a tyrannical and cruel king who is killed by his people, now tired and exasperated.

River Niger, Black Mother

River Niger, Black Mother · 1989

River Niger, Black Mother

MovieDocumentary

River Niger, Black Mother follows the 4184-kilometer-long River Niger from its source in Guinea through Mali, Niger and Benin to Nigeria. A passionate ode to the river, the cultures that have arisen on its shores and its role in African history, accompanied by a lyrical commentary.

Cry Freedom

Cry Freedom · 1981

Balogun's most political film is a confrontation with the African wars of liberation. Based on Carcase for Hounds, Meja Mwangi's novel about the Mau-Mau uprising, it is set in an unnamed country and thus offers the vision of a pan-African struggle for freedom and against colonial oppression. The central figures in the straightforwardly and powerfully told story are the guerrilla leader Haraka and his adversary, the English colonial official Kingsley. In the end, the film becomes a homage to the freedom fighters from all over Africa: the final images show Patrice Lumumba, Steve Biko, Nelson Mandela and Amílcar Cabral, among others.

Ajani Ogun

Ajani Ogun · 1976

Nigerian film directed by Ola Balogun.

The Magic of Nigeria

The Magic of Nigeria · 1993

The Magic of Nigeria

MovieDocumentary

Balogun's last film shot on 16mm, The Magic of Nigeria is a documentary that explores the culture and traditions of Nigeria as they are expressed in religion, art and everyday life, accompanied by a poetic voiceover.

Eastern Nigeria Revisited

Eastern Nigeria Revisited · 1973

Eastern Nigeria Revisited

Documentary about Eastern Nigeria after the civil war.

More Like This

The Mission

The Mission · 1986

MovieAdventureDrama

When a Spanish Jesuit goes into the South American wilderness to build a mission in the hope of converting the Indians of the region, a slave hunter is converted and joins his mission. When Spain sells the colony to Portugal, they are forced to defend all they have built against the Portuguese aggressors.

Cobra Verde

Cobra Verde · 1987

MovieAdventureDrama

A fearsome 19th century bandit, Cobra Verde cuts a swath through Brazil until he arrives at the sugar plantation of Don Octávio Countinho. Not knowing that his new guest is the notorious bandit and impressed by his ruthless ways, Don Octávio hires Cobra Verde to oversee his slaves. But when Cobra Verde impregnates Don Octávio’s three daughters, the incensed plantation owner exiles the outlaw to Africa where he is expected to reopen the slave trade. Following his trans-Atlantic journey, Cobra Verde exploits tribal conflicts to commandeer an abandoned fortress and whips an army of naked warriors into a frenzied bloodlust as he vies for survival.

The Emerald Forest

The Emerald Forest · 1985

The Emerald Forest

MovieActionAdventure

For ten years, engineer Bill Markham has searched tirelessly for his son Tommy who disappeared from the edge of the Brazilian rainforest. Miraculously, he finds the boy living among the reclusive Amazon tribe who adopted him. And that's when Bill's adventure truly begins. For his son is now a grown tribesman who moves skillfully through this beautiful-but-dangerous terrain, fearful only of those who would exploit it. And as Bill attempts to "rescue" him from the savagery of the untamed jungle, Tommy challenges Bill's idea of true civilization and his notions about who needs rescuing.

Saludos Amigos

Saludos Amigos · 1942

MovieAnimationAdventure

A whimsical blend of live action and animation, "Saludos Amigos" is a colorful kaleidoscope of art, adventure and music set to a toe-tapping samba beat. From high Andes peaks and Argentina's pampas to the sights and sounds of Rio de Janeiro, your international traveling companions are none other than those famous funny friends, Donald Duck and Goofy. They keep things lively as Donald encounters a stubborn llama and "El Gaucho" Goofy tries on the cowboy way of life....South American-style.

Dhoom 2

Dhoom 2 · 2006

MovieDramaAction

Jai and Ali return, this time on the trail of an international thief who steals priceless artifacts and has chosen Mumbai as his next target.

City of God

City of God · 2002

MovieDramaCrime

In the poverty-stricken favelas of Rio de Janeiro in the 1970s, two young men choose different paths. Rocket is a budding photographer who documents the increasing drug-related violence of his neighborhood, while José “Zé” Pequeno is an ambitious drug dealer diving into a dangerous life of crime.

Central Station

Central Station · 1998

Central Station

An emotional journey of a former school teacher, who writes letters for illiterate people, and a young boy, whose mother has just died, as they search for the father he never knew.

The Man Who Challenged the Devil

The Man Who Challenged the Devil · 2007

The Man Who Challenged the Devil

MovieComedyDrama

After being forced into a marriage and enduring a humiliating work routine in the hands of his father-in-law, Zé Araújo becomes the mythical Ojuara, an unconventional hero devoted to debauchery.

Barren Lives

Barren Lives · 1963

MovieDramaWestern

A destitute family tries to escape the drought in the backlands of northeastern Brazil. Fabiano (Átila Iório), Sinhá Vitória (Maria Ribeiro), their two children and their dog Baleia wander aimlessly and almost hopelessly through the remote interior, surviving the forces of nature and the cruelty of men. An adaptation of the work by Graciliano Ramos.

The Man of the Year

The Man of the Year · 2003

The Man of the Year

MovieDramaCrime

Maiquél has lost a bet and dyed his hair blond. This seemingly innocuous event triggers a head-on collision with destiny in which he goes from nobody to hero to outlaw — all in 24 hours.

Lower City

Lower City · 2005

Best friends Deco and Naldinho co-own a cargo boat in Brazil's Salvador da Bahia. They give a ride to a sultry prostitute named Karinna, and soon both men fall prey to her considerable sexual charms, pushing the bounds of their friendship to the limit.

The State I Am In

The State I Am In · 2001

The State I Am In

Clara and Hans are left-wing terrorists who have been sought by police for almost fifteen years. Their increasingly rebellious daughter Jeanne begins to pose a threat to their security when she falls in love with a boy she meets on the beach.

Two Sons of Francisco

Two Sons of Francisco · 2005

Two Sons of Francisco

MovieDramaHistory

The story of Francisco, a very simple and poor man whose dream was to see his children become country music stars, and who made all the efforts to make it happen.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter