Africa Speaks!

Plot

Explorer Paul L. Hoefler leads the Colorado African Expedition on a 14-month, 10,000-mile journey across the African continent from Mombasa to Lagos. The film documents their encounters with various wildlife, including massive elephant herds and lions, alongside ethnographic footage of the Masai, Wassara, and Ubangi tribes. A central focus of the narrative is the 'Plate-Lipped' women of the Ubangi and the 'Pygmies' of the Ituri Forest, presented through the sensationalist lens of early 20th-century travelogues. The expedition's progress is punctuated by dramatic events, such as a massive locust plague and a staged lion attack on a safari member. Ultimately, the film serves as a record of a colonial-era crossing that claimed to be the first to bring the authentic sounds of the 'Dark Continent' to global cinema audiences.

Historical Background

Released during the early years of the Great Depression, 'Africa Speaks!' offered American audiences a form of 'armchair travel' and escapism. It was produced at the height of the 'Safari' craze in Western culture, where Africa was viewed through a colonial lens as a 'Dark Continent' waiting to be explored and documented by white adventurers. The film also sits at the critical technical juncture between silent films and 'talkies,' proving that the public was eager for sound even in non-fiction formats.

Making Of

The making of 'Africa Speaks!' was a logistical marvel for 1930. Paul Hoefler led a team across the 'waist' of Africa, carrying heavy camera equipment through regions with no developed roads. However, the 'behind the scenes' reality in Hollywood was equally active; Walter Futter realized the raw footage lacked a traditional narrative arc, so he directed pickup shots in California. These shots featured Hoefler and Harald Austin 'discovering' things that had actually been filmed months prior. The sound was added in post-production, with Lowell Thomas recording his narration in a studio while sound engineers layered in 'jungle noises' and tribal chants that were often generic rather than specific to the locations shown.

Visual Style

The cinematography, handled primarily by Paul L. Hoefler, is notable for its early use of telephoto lenses to capture wildlife from a distance. The footage of the locust plague and the elephant herds is genuinely impressive for the era, utilizing natural light in challenging environments. The film also uses rear-screen projection in some of the staged California sequences to blend the actors with the African backgrounds.

Innovations

The film's primary technical achievement was the successful synchronization of a feature-length narrative voiceover with expedition footage, a feat that had not been done on this scale for a documentary. It also utilized specialized camera mounts on the expedition's trucks to capture 'tracking shots' of animals running across the plains, a precursor to modern wildlife filming techniques.

Music

The 'soundtrack' consists of a continuous synchronized lecture by Lowell Thomas, interspersed with music and sound effects. The music is largely orchestral and dramatic, typical of early 1930s adventure scores. The 'native' sounds were often recorded separately or simulated in a studio, as portable sound-on-film equipment was still too cumbersome for a deep-jungle expedition in 1928.

Memorable Scenes

• The Locust Plague: A terrifying sequence where the sky turns black with millions of locusts that eventually cover the ground in a thick, moving carpet.
• The Lion Attack: A dramatic (though staged) scene where a lion leaps upon a safari member, intended to show the constant danger of the expedition.
• The Ubangi Village: Detailed footage of the 'plate-lipped' women, which became the most famous and widely discussed ethnographic segment of the film.
• The Pygmy Dance: A sequence in the Ituri Forest showing the rituals and daily life of the Pygmy people, accompanied by synchronized chanting.

What Critics Said

At the time of its release, critics hailed it as a 'thrilling' and 'educational' masterpiece, with the New York Times praising its 'vividness' and the novelty of its sound. Modern critics, however, view the film with significant scrutiny, noting its blatant racism, colonialist bias, and the unethical staging of 'real' events. It is now primarily studied by film historians as a prime example of how early documentaries blended fact with fiction to satisfy audience expectations of the 'exotic.'

What Audiences Thought

Audiences in 1930 were enthralled, making the film a massive hit that grossed over twenty times its estimated cost. The 'lion attack' and the locust plague were the 'water cooler' moments of the day, discussed for their perceived realism and danger. It remained a staple of the educational and independent circuit for years after its initial release.

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