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The decision by the United Nations to maintain only a minimal military presence in Rwanda in 1994 proved fatal for the native Tutsi people. As the UN floundered, some 800,000 Tutsis perished at the hands of powerful Hutu guerillas, who wreaked havoc on the country. A cinematic take on these calamitous events was provided by 2004's HOTEL RWANDA, which dramatized the story of a secret Tutsi refuge camp constructed by brave hotel manager Paul Rusesabagina. A much darker side to the tale unfolds in SHAKE HANDS WITH THE DEVIL, with filmmaker Peter Raymont constructing a fascinating documentary about RomΘo Dallaire, the UN general in charge of the nominal UN military effort in Rwanda. Although drawing on footage from 1994, which depicts some horrific scenes of bloodshed, the most significant portion of Raymont's film sees Dallaire returning to Rwanda some 10 years after the atrocities occurred. Once there, he is given an unforgettable tour of the country, and explains how he tried, and failed, to coax the UN into providing him with enough soldiers to prevent the genocide which followed. A crestfallen man who appears to have a genuine love for Rwanda, Raymont closely follows Dallaire's memoir (entitled SHAKE HANDS WITH THE DEVIL: THE FAILURE OF HUMANITY IN RWANDA), leading to a highly sympathetic depiction of a once-great military man. Dallaire confesses that his post-Rwandan life has been littered with suicidal thoughts and generous doses of anti-depressants--clearly he still believes he could have prevented this terrible event from happening. Raymont's film is a compassionate, eye-opening summation of a life forever tainted by a hugely regrettable experience.

Product Identifiers

EAN5055002553233

eBay Product ID (ePID)61595072

Product Key Features

Film/TV TitleShake Hands with the Devil

Aspect Ratio1.85 Anamorphic Wide Screen

FormatDVD

Release Year2007

LanguageEnglish

FeaturesWidescreen, Commentary by Peter Raymont\commentary by Geoff Pevere\General Dellaire book reading\Reel to reel interview with Peter Raymont\Photo gallery\Reading list\Trailer gallery

GenreDocumentaries & Biographies, Biographies, General

Run Time90 Mins

Additional Product Features

Certificate15

Number of Discs1

ReviewsHollywood Reporter - Fascinating... Puts a human face on a tragedy that is simply unfathomable in its scope and is all the more powerful for it

Sound sourceDolby Digital

Movie/TV TitleShake Hands With The Devil