By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Anne Sundberg | Ricki Stern
Country: united_states
Year: 2007
Running time: 85
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0912580/
Bruce says: “A few years back had Brian Steidle looked in the mirror he would have seen a U.S. Marine starring back, a military career man not far removed from the days when he was a college beer drinking champion. Steidle comes from a family of military men and it seemed logical that he himself would have a lifelong career in the military. How time changes things! Today Steidle is an activist dedicated to helping those displaced by acts of war. THE DEVIL CAME ON HORSEBACK is a documentary based on his tour of duty as an ‘observer’ in Darfur and the events that turned his view of the world upside down.
“When he left the Marine Corps, Steidle had no idea what he might pursue next. He answered an ad and got an interview for a job as military observer and U. S. representative to the African Union. He found out that the job was to scour the countryside of Darfur, the western part of Sudan and report on irregularities regarding human rights violations. He was offered the job. Armed with only a camera he began his tour of duty to discover some of the most horrendous atrocities ever seen. Before he set out the killings were thought to be random. What Steidle saw was evidence of entire villages systematically wiped out, the people brutally tortured and slaughtered. Weekly he submitted reports to officials. No feedback was forthcoming.
“Once back in the USA after his tour of duty was over, Steidle was tormented by what he had seen and the lack of response from those with whom he had shared the information he collected. He still had his photos. His father thought he should keep them to himself but others disagreed. Through a series of connections he met Nicolas Kristof at the New York Times. Kristof thought the world should see the photos and they soon appeared on the op ed page. Steidle wondered if he were making a mistake – how many people would bother reading an op ed column? The answer is hundreds of thousands. The genocide that Steidle had witnessed in Darfur was suddenly became the new hot topic. Brian suddenly found himself on talk shows, meeting with high government officials and a popular attraction on the lecture circuit.
“I have not seen the other Darfur films – DARFUR NOW and ALL ABOUT DARFUR – so I cannot make comparisons in terms of which film offers the viewer the best understanding of the political and social issues. Although THE DEVIL CAME ON HORSEBACK touches on issues that are behind the genocide, it is more apolitical in its approach. It tells the story of how the actions of a single person can make a huge difference, how one’s views of the world can and does change. Filmmakers Ricki Stern and Anne Sundberg interplay their own footage of Africa with Steidle’s photos and talking heads who add information and opinions. 4 1/2 cats”