Mister Bob is a 2011 French drama film directed and co-scripted by
Thomas Vincent.
Plot
The film follows the exploits of the French mercenary
Bob Denard
Robert Denard (born Gilbert Bourgeaud; 7 April 1929 – 13 October 2007) was a French soldier of fortune and mercenary. He served as the Military Leader of The Comoros twice with him first serving from 13 May 1978 to 15 December 1989 and again ...
in the Congo between 1964 and 1967. The story begins in July 1967 with Denard who has just staged a rebellion against President
Joseph-Désiré Mobutu
Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu Wa Za Banga (; born Joseph-Désiré Mobutu; 14 October 1930 – 7 September 1997) was a Congolese politician and military officer who was the List of heads of state of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, presiden ...
of the Congo giving a rousing speech to his mercenaries while looking worried when he reads a message from Paris. Denard and his men are engaged in heavy fighting against the ''Armée Nationale Congolaise'' and Denard is wounded.
In a delirious state, Denard flash-backs to 1964 when he was hired by the ''
Service de Documentation Extérieure et de Contre-Espionnage
Service may refer to:
Activities
* Administrative service, a required part of the workload of university faculty
* Civil service, the body of employees of a government
* Community service, volunteer service for the benefit of a community or a p ...
'' (SDECE) to go to the Congo to fight for the pro-Western Premier
Moïse Tshombe
Moïse Kapenda Tshombe (sometimes written Tshombé) (10 November 1919 – 29 June 1969) was a Congolese businessman and politician. He served as the president of the secessionist State of Katanga from 1960 to 1963 and as prime minister of the Re ...
, who has just lost control of the entire eastern half of the Congo to the leftwing
Simba rebellion
The Simba rebellion, also known as the Orientale revolt, was a regional uprising which took place in the Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville), Democratic Republic of the Congo between 1963 and 1965 in the wider context of the Congo Crisis and the ...
supported by Cuba and China. Denard is bored with civilian life in Paris, and embraces the chance to go to Congo to have some adventure. There is much distrust between the members of the
Katangese Gendarmerie
The Katangese Gendarmerie (french: Gendarmerie Katangaise), officially the Katangese Armed Forces (french: Forces Armées Katangaises, links=no), was the paramilitary force of the unrecognized State of Katanga in Central Africa from 1960 to 1963. ...
who have returned from exile with Tshombe and their former enemies in the ''
Armée Nationale Congolaise
The Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: Forces armées de la république démocratique du Congo ARDC is the state organisation responsible for defending the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The FARDC was rebuilt pa ...
'' led by Mobutu who are uneasily fighting together against the Simbas. Denard and his mercenaries defeat the Simbas while being greatly resented by general Mobutu who feels that the decision to hire European mercenaries is an adverse comment upon his military competence. The Simbas have committed terrible atrocities and Denard and his mercenaries find scenes of carnage everywhere they go, being greeted with quiet relief.
Denard marries a Congolese nurse, Marie-Elise, whom he has rescued from the Simbas. Denard chooses to stay in the Congo after the Simba revolt is put down, and earns the respect through not the trust of Mobutu after he tells him that he wants to train the ''Armée Nationale Congolaise'' up to European standards. Denard is both fascinated with and repulsed by Mobutu, a man of great charisma and charm who is utterly ruthless and amoral. Denard finds himself caught in a conflict between the followers of Tshombe and Mobutu, which to a certain extent is also a proxy struggle between the SDECE which supports Tshombe and the CIA which supports Mobutu.
In November 1965, Mobutu takes power in a coup. In July 1966, the former members of the Katangese Gendarmerie led by Colonel Sango revolt against Mobutu while Denard tries to stay neutral. After the mutiny is put down, Mobutu has Sango and the other mutineers gruesomely executed. Denard has an uneasy relationship with Mobutu, which worsens when he learns that Mobutu takes it as his right to sleep with the wives of his officers, being informed that this is an old custom of the Ngbandi kings that Mobutu has revived. Mobutu's insistence that he be allowed to have sex with Marie Elise reflects his increasing megalomania and sultanistic tendencies as he insists that everything and everyone in the Congo belongs to him. At a party, Denard pulls Marie-Elise away from Mobutu as he leads her towards his bedroom to the rage of the president. Eventually, Denard together with the Belgian mercenary/planter
Jean Schramme
Jean "Black Jack" Schramme (25 March 1929, Bruges, Belgium – 14 December 1988, Rondonópolis, Brazil) was a Belgian mercenary and planter. He managed a vast estate in the Democratic Republic of the Congo until 1967.
Planter
Schramme was born ...
discover that Mobutu is planning their executions and decide to revolt with a promise of support from the governments of France and Belgium. Denard launches his revolt in 1967 and then learns the French and Belgians have withdrawn their support at the last minute owing to American objections, leaving him to face the ''Armée Nationale Congolaise'' alone. Denard fights on, but is defeated and is forced to retreat into Rwanda. As the film ends, Denard observes that there will be more wars in Africa and hence more work for men like him.
Production
The film was shot in
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
in the fall of 2010.
Cast
*
Clovis Cornillac-
Bob Denard
Robert Denard (born Gilbert Bourgeaud; 7 April 1929 – 13 October 2007) was a French soldier of fortune and mercenary. He served as the Military Leader of The Comoros twice with him first serving from 13 May 1978 to 15 December 1989 and again ...
*
Marc Zinga
Marc Zinga (born 21 October 1984) is a Congolese-Belgian actor, singer and filmmaker.
Born in Likasi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zinga moved to Belgium with his family at the age of five. He was one of the lead singers of the group ''The ...
-General
Mobutu Sese Seko
Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu Wa Za Banga (; born Joseph-Désiré Mobutu; 14 October 1930 – 7 September 1997) was a Congolese politician and military officer who was the president of Zaire from 1965 to 1997 (known as the Democratic Republic o ...
*Christophe Vandevelde-Lieutenant Rossi
*Dan Herzberg-Lieutenant Fourier
*
Pascal N'Zonzi
Pascal N'Zonzi (born 1 January 1951) is a French actor and stage director.
Filmography
Theater
Dubbing
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:N'Zonzi, Pascal
1951 births
Living people
French male film actors
French male telev ...
-Premier
Moïse Tshombe
Moïse Kapenda Tshombe (sometimes written Tshombé) (10 November 1919 – 29 June 1969) was a Congolese businessman and politician. He served as the president of the secessionist State of Katanga from 1960 to 1963 and as prime minister of the Re ...
*Richard Lukunku-Lieutenant Oka
*Lawrence Joffe-CIA agent.
*David Dukas-CIA agent.
*Leigh Bremridge-the first wife of Bob Denard
*
Hubert Koundé-Colonel Sango
*Jacques Combault-sergeant.
*Rosalind Jacobs-Mother Superior.
*Mélodie Abud-nun.
*
Thomas Vincent-the survivor.
*Gaëtan Schmidt-doctor.
*
Danny Keogh
Danny Keogh (3 March 1948 – 23 July 2019) was a Ugandan-born South African actor known for his roles in South African television programs such as ''Known Gods'', ''Interrogation Room'', and Julius Galt in '' Charlie Jade''.
He was born on 3 ...
- Walker Van Dijk
*Arnold Kapend-messenger for Tshombe
*
Zikhona Sodlaka-the girl with the gun.
*Adam Neil-Jean de Bruxelles
*Gina Haller-Marie Elise
*Aladin Reibel-
Jean Schramme
Jean "Black Jack" Schramme (25 March 1929, Bruges, Belgium – 14 December 1988, Rondonópolis, Brazil) was a Belgian mercenary and planter. He managed a vast estate in the Democratic Republic of the Congo until 1967.
Planter
Schramme was born ...
*
Olivier Rabourdin
Olivier Rabourdin (born 3 March 1959) is a French film actor. He has appeared in more than seventy films since 1985. In 2010 he was nominated for a French César Award in the category of Best Supporting Actor (Meilleur acteur dans un second rôle) ...
-SDECE agent.
*François Loriquet-SDECE agent.
*Maëva Pasquali-the mistress of Bob Denard.
Reception
Cornillac won the Best Actor at the 2011 ''Festival de Fiction'' in
La Rochelle
La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle''; oc, La Rochèla ) is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. With ...
for his performance in ''Mister Bob'' while Vincent won the Best Director award at the same film festival.
The French critic Guillaume Fraissard praised the film, writing: "The difficulty of this kind of telefilms, inspired by real events, is to manage to draw an impassable line between hagiography and historical narrative. ''Mister Bob'' achieves this thanks to his
incent'sscriptwriting skill, his flashback construction and the choice of the lesser known period of the mercenary".
The French critic Marie Lebon praised the film for showing the different sides of Denard, writing: "Very versatile, Robert Denard represents the hidden face of France after decolonization, pulling strings to preserve his interests, without really caring about the populations subjected to the violence of the roughnecks. His choices are dictated by contradictory impulses and his allegiance to the French secret service. A soldier in need of recognition, manipulator or manipulated? It is all in the art of Clovis Cornillac to have been able to render on the screen the figure of this soldier of fortune".
The French critic Isabelle Hanne gave the film a positive review, praising Zinga's performance as Mobutu, writing he "brilliantly embodies this Shakespearian and bloodthirsty figure."
Hanne wrote: "So is Denard a coward? Played by a superb and moustachioed Clovis Cornillac, the character is all rough: in love but an executioner, an adventurer but not political, a brave military leader and respected by his men, but humiliated by the pundits of French intelligence. So was Denard manipulated? The skill of the screenplay, co-written by one of Denard's sons, is to show a man torn between his convictions and his common military sense, his ideas and his career plan. Above all, the film places him at the heart of a story whose strings he does not pull."
References
{{Reflist
2011 films
French war drama films
Films set in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
2010s French films