Le caractère exotique et inusitée de la parenthèse africaine de Carola n'échappe pas à Hermine Huntgeburth, célébrant la singularité de ce peuple à la manière d'un document anthropologique. Or sa véritable sympathie demeure toujours rivée à cette belle étrangère égarée en terre africaine, n'accordant à l'entourage que le statut de figurant ou de caricature (...). Du film émane une splendeur de surface, celle d'une contrée lointaine illuminée par un soleil de plomb et baignée de sonorités envoûtantes.

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THE WHITE MASAI est d'abord un best-seller autobiographique de Corinne Hofmann, traduit en 16 langues, dont quatre millions d'exemplaires ont été vendus dans le monde. (...) Adaptation réussie, le film d'Hermine Huntgeburth raconte toutefois cette improbable histoire vécue sans grande inspiration. Ceci n'enlève rien aux interprétations parfaites de Nina Hoss et Jacky Ido dans les rôles principaux. Mais la mise en scène surligne parfois les émotions par de plates idées, comme celle de faire tourner la caméra autour du couple devenant amoureux.

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While based on a well-known autobiography in Europe, this film version, WHITE MASAI (Die Weisse Massai), is a startling experience for North American viewers unfamiliar with the true story of Corinne Hofmann. The Swiss-born woman fell in love with a Masai warrior while on holiday in Kenya. She eventually married the man only to face seemingly insurmountable cultural obstacles to establishing a reasonably settled home in the bush with the warrior. Thanks to a collaboration between veteran German director Hermine Huntgeburth and actress Nina Hoss, this woman (...) comes across as no hippy adventuress, but rather a charming though problematic combination of idealist and stubborn pragmatist. (...) Hoss is extraordinary in her portrayal of a woman of towering strengths yet understandable vulnerabilities. The film also enjoys a huge contribution from Jacky Ido, who provides a window into a way of thinking and living, which a Westerner may find backwards yet is so rooted in generational culture as to be unshakable. (...) The natural beauty of rural East Africa makes a gorgeous setting for the story, and the many native actors and extras root the movie in a documentary-like reality.

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Visually stunning, THE WHITE MASAI is an unforgettable love story that takes us deep into the heart of Kenya. The course of true love is never smooth, and the story of a Swiss woman who marries a Masai warrior is romance at its most exotic. Based on the autobiographical novel by Corinne Hofmann, we feel every bump in the long dusty road in the middle of the African bush that Nina Hoss's Carola takes, as she sets out to start a new life. Hoss gives a superb performance, and emotionally we make the leap with her. With a body that puts Calvin Klein underwear models to shame, Jacky Ido is striking as Lemalian, his larger-than-life features showcased at every angle. (...) There are some miraculous moments, and the vision of a white bride in the midst of colourful tribal costume is incongruity at its most sublime. (...) The mix of sweeping orchestral score with rhythmic African music helps keep pace and compellingly reflects the cultures. The beauty and vastness of the African landscape saturates us, and our journey is one of immense emotional investment.

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Based on the international bestseller of the same name, THE WHITE MASAI reps a visually knockout adventure-romance about a Swiss woman who gets married to a Masai warrior and settles in the Kenyan bush. Efficiently, if somewhat stolidly written, the pic explores the culture clash between protags with fairness, even though its sympathies lie ultimately with its not-always-likeable heroine. Prolific German helmer Hermine Huntgeburth (THE TRIO) paces the trek well, despite the pic's long running time. (...) Script by Johannes W. Betz doesn't pull punches about endemic police corruption either, making this ultimately a pretty unflattering look at the culture. As balance, helmer Huntgeburth illustrates the upside of living in the bush with sweeping widescreen, crane-shot vistas of the savannahs, and lots of colorful footage of tribal ceremonies.

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