''Notes Towards an African Orestes'' ( it, Appunti per un'Orestiade Africana) is a 1970 Italian film by director

Pier Paolo Pasolini Pier Paolo Pasolini (; 5 March 1922 – 2 November 1975) was an Italian poet, filmmaker, writer and intellectual who also distinguished himself as a journalist, novelist, translator, playwright, visual artist and actor. He is considered one of ...

about Pasolini's preparations for making a film version of the

Oresteia The ''Oresteia'' ( grc, Ὀρέστεια) is a trilogy of Greek tragedies written by Aeschylus in the 5th century BCE, concerning the murder of Agamemnon by Clytemnestra, the murder of Clytemnestra by Orestes, the trial of Orestes, the end of ...

set in Africa. The film starts as a cinematic notebook of Pasolini scouting locations and actors with a voice-over of his thoughts -- "perhaps this will be my Electra". Back in Rome, there is a sequence with a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...

group playing. He then invites a group of African students at the University of Rome to review his notes and comment. They politely but clearly tell Pasolini that the primeval Africa he imagined had little to do with the complex, diverse reality and that treating it as a primal setting for an ancient European story was foolish. They appear to be amusedly patronised by Pasolini's implication that social progress in Africa via the adoption of Western education systems should be distrusted in favour of his romanticised ideals of communal tribal systems and the dignity of labour. The African Orestes was never made. It is implied towards the end of the documentary that Pasolini himself was having doubts concerning his own idea. The film was screened at the

1976 Cannes Film Festival The 29th Cannes Film Festival was held from 13 to 28 May 1976. The Palme d'Or went to ''Taxi Driver'' by Martin Scorsese. In 1976, "L'Air du temps", a new section which was non-competitive and focused on contemporary subjects, was introduced. This ...

, but was not entered into the main competition.

Cast

Gato Barbieri Leandro "Gato" Barbieri (November 28, 1932 – April 2, 2016) was an Argentine jazz tenor saxophonist who rose to fame during the free jazz movement in the 1960s and is known for his Latin jazz recordings of the 1970s. His nickname, Gato, is Spa ...

- Himself - Musician: saxophone *

Don Moye Donald Moye, Jr. (born May 23, 1946), known as Famoudou Don Moye, is an American jazz percussionist and drummer. He is most known for his involvement with the Art Ensemble of Chicago and is noted for his mastery of African and Caribbean percus ...

- Himself - Musician: drums * Marcello Melio - Himself - Musician: contrabasse *

Yvonne Murray (singer) Yvonne Murray is a Canadian singer who has had a hit in 1983 with " Don't Send Me Roses (Dear Abby)" which did well on two Canadian charts. She had another hit the following year with " Let's Not Waste Another Heartbeat". She has sung on multip ...

- Herself - singer *

Archie Savage Archie Savage (April 19, 1914 — February 14, 2003) was an American dancer, choreographer, and film and theatre actor.

- Himself - Singer *

- Himself (uncredited)

References

External links

* 1970 films 1970s Italian-language films Italian documentary films Films directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini Italian black-and-white films 1970 documentary films Documentary films about films Films based on classical mythology 1970s unfinished films Autobiographical documentary films Documentary films about African cinema Aeschylus 1970s Italian films {{arts-documentary-film-stub