Year
1987
Distributor
California Newsreel
Country
US
Video Standard
NTSC
OCLC
1323163967
Language
ENG
This first major feature from Zaire capitalizes on the country's vibrant musical scene and one of its superstars, Papa Wemba, "Le Roi de la SAPE," (Société des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Élégantes). Kuru (Papa Wemba), a poor rural musician journeys to Kinhasa to make his fortune in radio and television. Working as a domestic, the charming trickster uses an elaborate series of deceptions to win a young woman, Kabibi, back from his greedy boss, Nuvandu, and to achieve his dream of "playing electric" in his employer's club. Diviners play a key role in this comedy which unites traditional village values with a lively urban lifestyle

La Vie est belle tells the rags to riches story of Kourou, a poor rural musician who realizes that to succeed in today's music world he must go to the city and break into radio and television. In Kinshasa he uses his wit and talent to win a beautiful wife, trick his greedy boss and succeed in singing his "theme song" on national television. Although the film is primarily entertainment, it reveals much about class divisions, male-female relations, the desires of the urban poor, and the economic and social problems confronting rural immigrants to the cities of Zaire
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