PALACE CRISIS MOVIE REVIEW

PALACE CRISIS by: Austin brako (University of Ghana, Legon)


Palace Crisis is a movie written by Gabriel Moses, directed by Ifeanyi Azodo and produced by the Moses brothers (that is Gabriel Moses and Damian Moses).

It is oft said that, movies are like mirrors echoing societal values and traditions in time and space. In other vein, movies depict the ways of a particular society be it good or evil.

The movie Palace Crisis epitomizes the changing values and cherished traditions that are fast gripping African societies. From the coast of Accra in Ghana, to the coast of Dar es salaam in Tanzania, cutting across the coast of Tripoli in Libya to the land locked Lusaka in Zambia of the continent Africa, there is one recurrent theme which is; that adult males and females must be given the opportunity to choose their life partners.

This theme though depicted vividly in the movie shows how difficult it has become for the older generation to give in easily to the changing times of the continent.

In Palace Crisis, the inability on the part of Ngozi Ezeonu the Queen and Olu Jacob the King to allow Van Vicker, the Prince to choose his life partner shows the tenacity of the older generation’s grip on tradition, however outdated.

Palace Crisis is a movie with an admixture of 33 actors and actresses with fine touch on stage. Embedded in the cast are fine and astonishingly accomplished actors and actresses like Olu Jacob (King), Ngozi Ezeonu (Queen), Mercy Johnson (Ekwy) all Nigerian bred and Van Vicker from the Ghanaian pot.

The movie opened in the house of Chinyere Nwabueze known in the movie as Carol (Mother “tinted”) with a visit from Chika Ihekwuamba as Mercy the mother of Ebele Mercy Johnson’s friend in the movie.

The opening statement in the movie was by Chinyere Nwabueze, Carol (Mother Tinted) that is, “times are tough actually but not for tough people like me… Mother tinted”.

Times indeed are hard for Mercy and her family struggling to rear their head up out of poverty. Coupled with the poverty, is a wife controlled by her husband.

The life style portrayed by Chika Ihekwuamba (Mercy) and Chinyere Nwabueze (Carol also called
Mother Tinted) are antithetical. Whereas Mercy portrayed the well composed life of a wife committed to the maintenance of the family business commonly associated with the continent that of Carol “Mother Tinted” is that of a woman who craves all the freedoms in the world to engage in matters of “her heart” like prostitution, partying, and breaking of other people’s families.

Again, the extravagant and opulence life she introduced her daughter, Ekwy (Mercy Johnson) into even to the total disagreement of the daughter spells the inner yell of mothers to create their children in their liking.

However, Carol (Mother Tinted) may be signaling the continent that it was high time the women were given a “break” by their men to indulge in businesses close to their heart. This may go unheeded but it reeks with a timeless truth that has enveloped the “empowerment business” of our women in the continent.

Mercy portrayed a life controlled by her husband in her statement at the beginning, “Carol, you know my husband…I can’t even mention it”.

The crisis in the Palace was indeed worth it.

It was a crisis between traditionalism and modernism. The end of the movie shows the villain and the protagonist of the crisis.

Consciously or unconsciously, the Moses brothers were exposing the clash of cultures that has been brewing in the pre and post independence eras.

You got to watch the movie now!!

It is a movie worth its salt. The setting of the movie mixed with the flourishing and ingenious actors and actresses make it a must watched.

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