Movie: Drums from the Past

  • HomePage

  • Overview

    Filmed in May 1971 in Niger, this short documentary records a possession ritual performed by the Simiri people in response to a locust invasion. The ceremony centers on the beating of the archaic drums Tourou and Bitti, used to invoke spirit forces through music, dance, and trance. Shot in a single continuous take, the film documents a concentrated moment of collective ritual practice, reflecting Jean Rouch’s first-person ethnographic approach and direct participation in the event.

  • Release Date

    1971-01-01

  • Average

    6.389

  • Rating:

    3.2 starts
  • Tagline

  • Genres

  • Languages:

    Français
  • Keywords

Recommendations Movies

Orgasm Inc: The Story of OneTaste
61%

Orgasm Inc: The Story of OneTaste(en)

2022-11-05

A sexual wellness company gains fame and followers, then members come forward with shocking allegations.

Return to Jurassic Park
66%

Return to Jurassic Park(en)

2011-02-05

A multi-part documentary about the making of the Jurassic Park trilogy. Each part walks through the making of part of one of the films, including the hurricane during the shooting of the first film, and how advances in CGI for Jurassic Park helped change the world of special effects forever. All interviews for these retrospective documentaries come with comments from Spielberg, Johnston, Neill, Dern, Goldblum, the effects crews, the child actors, and Peter Stormare. This documentary is broken into six parts: Dawn of a New Era (25 min), Making Prehistory (20 min), The Next Step in Evolution (15 min), Finding the Lost World (28 min), Something Survived (16 min), and The Third Adventure (25 min).

McQueen
75%

McQueen(en)

2018-06-08

Alexander McQueen's rags-to-riches story is a modern-day fairy tale, laced with the gothic. Mirroring the savage beauty, boldness and vivacity of his design, this documentary is an intimate revelation of McQueen's own world, both tortured and inspired, which celebrates a radical and mesmerizing genius of profound influence.

The Class of ‘92
71%

The Class of ‘92(en)

2013-12-01

A detailing of the rise to prominence and global sporting superstardom of six supremely talented young Manchester United football players (David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Phil and Gary Neville). The film covers the period 1992-1999, culminating in Manchester United's European Cup triumph.

Un Chien Andalou
74%

Un Chien Andalou(fr)

1929-06-05

Un Chien Andalou is an European avant-garde surrealist film, a collaboration between director Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dali.

The Dogs of War
58%

The Dogs of War(en)

1980-12-17

Mercenary soldiers Jamie and Drew are hired by a large corporation to liberate Zangaro, a small African nation, from an despot. Havoc ensues.

The Walking Dead: The Return
73%

The Walking Dead: The Return(en)

2024-02-15

Stars of "The Walking Dead," Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira, walk down memory lane and visit iconic locations where pivotal moments between their characters, Rick and Michonne, were filmed.

No Mercy
58%

No Mercy(en)

1986-12-19

An unconventional undercover Chicago cop and his partner are recruited to commit the murder of a New Orleans criminal kingpin.

The Last Kumite
68%

The Last Kumite(en)

2024-05-09

When Karate champion Michael Rivers wins the last tournament of his career, shady businessman Ron Hall offers him the opportunity to fight in an illegal Kumite in Bulgaria against the world’s best martial artists. When Michael declines, Hall has his daughter kidnapped and, in order to rescue her, Rivers is left with no choice but to compete in the deadly tournament. Arriving in Bulgaria, he finds out that he is not the only fighter whose loved one was taken. Rivers enlists the help of trainers Master Loren, and Julie Jackson but will it be enough for him to win the tournament and save his daughter’s life?

Powaqqatsi
73%

Powaqqatsi(en)

1988-04-29

An exploration of technologically developing nations and the effect the transition to Western-style modernization has had on them.

Girl Rising
70%

Girl Rising(en)

2013-03-07

Nine filmmakers each profile a young girl from a different part of the world to weave a global tapestry of youth in the 21st century.

Dahomey
66%

Dahomey(fr)

2024-09-11

Thousands of royal artifacts of Dahomey, a West African kingdom, were taken by French colonists in the 19th century for collection and display in Paris. Centuries later, a fraction returned to their home in modern-day Benin. This dramatized documentary follows the journey of 26 of the treasures as told by cultural art historians, embattled university students, and one of the repatriated statues himself.

Trainwreck: The Real Project X
60%

Trainwreck: The Real Project X(en)

2025-07-07

A night of drunken chaos rocks a quiet Dutch town in this shocking documentary about a teen's birthday invite that accidentally went viral on Facebook.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
64%

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus(en)

2009-10-01

After a carnival troupe saves his life, a man agrees to help its immortal leader collect five souls and win a bet with the devil.

God Is a Bullet
60%

God Is a Bullet(en)

2023-06-22

Vice detective Bob Hightower finds his ex-wife murdered and daughter kidnapped by a cult. Frustrated by the botched official investigations, he quits the force and infiltrates the cult to hunt down the leader with the help of the cult’s only female victim escapee, Case Hardin.

The Night Caller
72%

The Night Caller(fr)

1975-04-09

A serial-killer frightens Paris by phoning young ladies at night, telling them insults about their lives. Minos, as he calls himself, wants to prevent the world from free women and he targets at first these ones. Commissaire Letellier is given the investigation and he has hard work with the maniac.

Capital in the Twenty-First Century
65%

Capital in the Twenty-First Century(en)

2019-09-12

Film adaptation of French economist Thomas Piketty's ground-breaking global bestseller of the same name: an eye-opening journey through wealth and power.

Kirikou and the Sorceress
74%

Kirikou and the Sorceress(fr)

1998-12-09

Drawn from elements of West African folk tales, it depicts how a newborn boy, Kirikou, saves his village from the evil witch Karaba.

Americana
63%

Americana(en)

2025-08-15

When a rare Lakota Ghost Shirt falls into the black market in a small town in South Dakota, the lives of local outsiders and outcasts violently intertwine.

Baraka
82%

Baraka(en)

1992-09-15

A paralysingly beautiful documentary with a global vision—an odyssey through landscape and time—that attempts to capture the essence of life.

Similar Movies

Daughter of Mobius
0%

Daughter of Mobius(ko)

1981-01-01

Daughter of Mobius shows the struggles of an independent women living in the early 80s - an era when it was much more difficult for women to be independent. The movie follows a 29-year-old single woman - who at the time was the object of social prejudices - through her daily life, showing the sights of Seoul in the early 80s and the life of the woman, in documentary style.

United in Grief
0%

United in Grief(en)

2023-09-22

Suffering debilitating grief from the passing of his best friend who introduced him to the world of dance, Derrick must confront a monster that seeks to separate him from everything he loves.

Wheel of Time
64%

Wheel of Time(de)

2003-10-30

Wheel of Time is Werner Herzog's photographed look at the largest Buddhist ritual in Bodh Gaya, India.

Circumcision
48%

Circumcision(fr)

1949-01-01

Rites and operation of the circumcision of thirty Songhai children on the Niger. Material of this film has been used to make "Les Fils de l'Eau".

The Decimation of Sanity
0%

The Decimation of Sanity(en)

2021-10-25

A small skit-documentary hybrid, written, shot and edited all in the space of a couple of hours on the 25th of October 2021, by exclusively myself, for a university project.

An immersion into the Divine Feminine
100%

An immersion into the Divine Feminine(en)

2017-08-15

By drawing a parallel between the Indian Durga Puja festival and other forms of celebrating the divine feminine, Santa Shakti reveals the Sacred Power beyond languages and religions.

What a Glorious Feeling: The Making of 'Singin' in the Rain'
70%

What a Glorious Feeling: The Making of 'Singin' in the Rain'(en)

2002-09-24

Movie and stage icon Debbie Reynolds hosts the making of "Singin' in the Rain". The short documentary includes Donald O'Connor, who played the comical "Cosmo Brown", Stanley Donen, one half of the directors next to Gene Kelly, and Kathleen Freeman, who played Phoebe Dinsmore, Lina Lamont's (Jean Hagen) voice coach.

Born For This: The Tia Bee Stokes Story
0%

Born For This: The Tia Bee Stokes Story(en)

2024-12-06

"Born For This" chronicles the inspiring journey of Tia Bee Stokes, a mother of five who, while battling cancer, danced for 15 minutes every day, turning her fight into a powerful testament of resilience and hope.

Walter Hus, a Musical Journey
0%

Walter Hus, a Musical Journey(fr)

2021-12-30

During his thirty-year career, Walter Hus, a Belgian composer and pianist, has taken a thousand musical faces. While he wanted to compose a new work, a crisis blocked his creation. During an exchange with his therapist, he comes to an existential question: "Who am I musically? » Through the portrait of this composer, as abundant as it is fascinating, the film aims to give access to his creative process and thus to the endurance and beauty of creation.

The Irreplaceables: Dance Movie
10%

The Irreplaceables: Dance Movie(en)

2019-05-09

Join Dance Moms stars, Kendall Vertes, Chloe Lukasiak, and Kalani Hilliker as they perform on The Irreplaceables Tour. Watch along as the girls tour around Peru and perform their world-famous dances for eager fans.

No Voice
50%

No Voice(en)

2021-05-28

She now lives many miles away from her mother, who is waiting to hear from her. It is a bittersweet, restless, nostalgic moment, and she remembers those vanished years.

Africa Uncensored
47%

Africa Uncensored(it)

1971-11-05

Documentary film making at its best as it narrates very exotic and esoteric rituals of the primitive peoples of Africa.

Celebrity Exorcism
20%

Celebrity Exorcism(en)

2021-10-22

With the help of an acclaimed exorcist, this cast of infamous celebrities team up for a haunted paranormal experience.

Blood, Sweat and Sequins
0%

Blood, Sweat and Sequins(en)

2013-01-24

Blood, Sweat and Sequins follows three women as they face daily preconceptions about who they are and what they do, as they battle it out for the title of Miss Pole Dance Australia. This is a chance to change their lives and challenge the stereotypical views even some loved ones hold.

Portrait of A Dancer
0%

Portrait of A Dancer(en)

The Finnish modern dancer Noora Hannula dances through this documentary film in her own explosive style. Noora’s life has always been very connected to the artist environment with her grandfather, Simo Hannula, who throughout his entire life dedicated him fully to his art. Noora and her grandfather crossed paths when Noora used a picture of his dead body in her show and now we meet Noora working on her newest show: The Era of No Talent Rising, while she is trying to figure out where her own limits are.

Jag Mandir: The Eccentric Private Theatre of the Maharaja of Udaipur
64%

Jag Mandir: The Eccentric Private Theatre of the Maharaja of Udaipur(de)

1991-11-10

Jag Mandir is a quiet and often overlooked film in the vast oeuvre of Werner Herzog. Apparently, 20 hours of footage was shot that covered the whole fest and the film hardly presents us a twentieth of that. A native walking into the film in between may well fail to immediately realize that it is his country that is being shown and these are figures from the mythology of various sections of his nation. The bulk of the film consists of footage of an elaborate theatrical performance for the Maharana Arvind Singh Mewar at the City Palace of Udaipur, Rajasthan staged by André Heller.

Maurice Hines: Bring Them Back
50%

Maurice Hines: Bring Them Back(en)

2019-11-10

Maurice Hines -- actor, director, singer, and choreographer -- navigates the complications of show business while grieving the loss of his more famous, often estranged younger brother, tap dance legend Gregory Hines.

Daughters
69%

Daughters(en)

2024-08-09

Four young girls prepare for a special Daddy Daughter Dance with their incarcerated fathers, as part of a unique fatherhood program in a Washington, D.C., jail.

How To Strip For Your Man by GiO
70%

How To Strip For Your Man by GiO(en)

1987-01-23

This sizzling video is guaranteed to add spice to your love life. In the privacy of your boudoir do something delightfully naughty but nice for yourself and your man by following the easy step-by-step moves of GiO. According to the San Diego Times Union "We learned to walk like sex goddesses, pose like sex goddesses, dress like sex goddesses…(and) how to take off (our) clothes with panache…" GiO will put it all together for you and teach you everything you always wanted to know about striptease.

Lila
0%

Lila(fr)

2022-06-06