Verified Document

Hotel Rwanda Essay

Hotel Rwanda: The Heartbreaking Story Of Rwandan Genocide Emotions soar in Terry George's Hotel Rwanda (2004), as the film intensely portrays the gruesome effect of the Rwandan Genocide. Named aptly as the "African Schindler's List" (Burr), the film looked to elicit a plethora of emotions that can only be done through a story loosely based on Paul Rusesabagina's memoirs over his time as manager of the Sabena Hotel des Mille Collines. Regardless of inaccuracy, the story and the acting does the film itself major justice, and the desired effect could only be positive.

Don Cheadle plays Rusesabagina, a Hutu who is married to a Tutsi (Sophie Okonedo). This communal bond sparks much controversy in Rwanda, a country that is torn between the Hutu and Tutsi extremist factions. Through the use of propaganda -- wherein radio personality George Rutaganda (Hakeem Kae-Kazim) calls the Tutsi "cockroaches" -- the Hutu incite their people into rebellion, to a point where the nation becomes enslaved in a civil war. The violence in the film heightens to a...

In the film, Rusesabagina is seen passing a long road littered with bodies of Rwandans -- mostly remnants of what the angry Hutu have done with the Tutsi.
The film's portrayal of the peoples of Rwanda and of the lack of military support from foreign nations enables the audience to feel a range of emotions in the film. The graphic depiction of refugees and victims of the genocide allowed the audience to view the gory and violent results of war. The riveting dynamics of the actors -- whether they played Tutsi or Hutu or foreign dignitaries -- produced a quality of storytelling that cannot be easily outmatched. By the end of Hotel Rwanda, the audience is captivated with Cheadle's and his family's emotional journey away from the center of the conflicts.

Besides the blatant conflict between the Hutu and the Tutsis, the audience members become aware of the growing need for other countries to intervene within the nation. Just how willing would other…

Sources used in this document:
Resources

Burr, Ty. "Hotel Rwanda Movie Review: Cheadle brings quiet power to 'Rwanda'." The Boston Globe. January 7, 2005. Retrieved 2007-04-09.

Hotel Rwanda. Dir. Terry George. Perf. Don Cheadle, Sophie Okonedo, Joaquin Phoenix, Nick Nolte, Jean Reno. United Artists, 2004. DVD.

"Rwanda: How the Genocide Happened." BBC News - Home. 18 Dec. 2008. Web. 02 May 2011. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/1288230.stm>.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Hotel Rwanda - A Film
Words: 711 Length: 2 Document Type: Term Paper

This is an emotional film, but it adds the balance of political self-interest and of the power of corruption that would incite the impoverished masses against one another to acquire individual wealth. What Paul quickly realizes, and what the viewer comes to understand, is that it is not about the masses whom are living in poverty and despair - although the rebel leaders do need the masses to accomplish their

Hotel Rwanda Summary Genocide in Hotel Rwanda
Words: 685 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

Hotel Rwanda Summary Genocide in Hotel Rwanda Hotel Rwanda (2004) is a dramatic account of the obstacles Paul Rusesabagina, a Hutu hotelier, was forced to overcome to ensure the safety of not only his wife Tatiana, a Tutsi, and their children, but also of countless refugees of the Rwandan genocide of 1994. The film centers Rusesabagina's efforts to provide a safe haven at the Belgian-owned Hotel des Milles Collines in Kigali, Rwanda's

Hotel Rwanda -- Response It
Words: 669 Length: 2 Document Type: Term Paper

The film thus shows an ordinary man, who, for the love of a woman, committed an extraordinary act of personal courage and selflessness. It shows much like Steven Spielburg's "Schindler's List" how ordinary people -- businessmen and husbands alike -- can do the amazing, when called upon by historical and personal needs. However, the true events depicted in the film are also somewhat shaming to the contemporary American viewer. It

Rwanda, a Country Located in
Words: 661 Length: 2 Document Type: Research Paper

As such, primordialism cannot fully be applied to the ethnic division between the Tutsis and Hutus groups during the intra-state conflict that dominated the genocide. On the other hand, social constructivism is slightly more applicable. Social constructivism is a sociological theory that implies that the formation of national identity and ethnic group formation is a consequence and creation based on Rwandan history. However, constructivism is based in political and societal

African Culture Presence in Rwanda
Words: 1022 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

African Culture in RwandaThe historical context of the film �Hotel Rwanda� gives an overview of the genocide that happened in Rwanda in April 1994, where about 800,000 Rwandese citizens were slaughtered brutally. This happened in a span of one hundred day period where people were put to death with machetes. The massacre occurred without seeking intervention from the rest of the world.Analyzing this film can allow one to explore or

Violence in the Media and
Words: 2389 Length: 6 Document Type: Research Paper

The industry knowingly takes advantage of this recent cultural shift in parent-child relationships. And finally, the industry knows that children and youngsters are more likely to be influenced by violent movies, TV shows, and games and are more likely to get addicted to violent imagery, becoming potential customers for future media products and games that glorify violence (Mean world syndrome, 2009). It is fair, therefore, to say that bombardment

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now