Wow! What can I say but wow. Seeing iconic literature brought to life astounds me.
If you give me the chance, I could talk about movies all day. This one in particular is one of my favourites, and I refer to it as The King’s Horseman because of the story it tells. Elesin Oba is another tasteful film in the vein of the Woman King. This being a Nigerian film means that everything is set up and ready to go.
A brief summary of the fantastic qualities of this movie.
About Elesin Oba: The King’s Horseman
Elesin Oba: The King’s Horseman is a Yoruba film that was directed by Biyi Bandele and is managed by Netflix. The film is a historical drama. The screenplay for the film was adapted from Wole Soyinka’s Death and the King’s Horseman, a play he created during his political exile from Nigeria when he was a student at Churchill College in Cambridge. The story in the book is based on a true event that occurred in Yoruba territory under British colonial administration.
Odunlade Adekola stars as the lead character in Elesin Oba: The King’s Horsemen, with supporting roles played by Brymo, Shaffy Bello, Jide Kosoko, Langley Kirkwood, Omowunmi Dada, Joke Silva, and others.
Elesin Oba: The King’s Horsemen Plot
Elesin Oba: The King’s Horsemen is based on a true story that took place in the 1940s in Oyo Town, which is located in southwestern Nigeria. According to Elesin Oba custom, when a monarch dies, his horseman must commit ritual suicide to accompany him to the afterlife, ensuring that the king has a smooth journey to the country of the gods and protecting the society from disaster.
Elesin Oba’s sexual lust distracted him from his responsibilities, leading to a deadly showdown with the British and terrible results. And when the horseman dies without having done his last duty for his king, his spirit remains on Earth, wreaking havoc and bringing misery to the land and its inhabitants.
Elesin Oba: The King’s Horseman Cast
- Odunlade Adekola
- Olawale Oloforo
- Shaffy Bello
- Omowuni Dada
- Mark Elderkin
- Jenny Stead
- Jide Kosoko
- Kevin Ushi
- Taiwo Ajai-Lycett
- Langley Kirkwood
- Joke Silva
Elesin Oba: The King’s Horseman Production
Netflix and Ebonylife TV studio collaborated to develop the film Elesin Oba: The King’s Horseman, with Biyi Bandele at the helm. Nigerian linguist Kola Tubosun dubbed the film into English then transcribed it into Yoruba. One of the “movie’s more ticklish conceits,” in his words.
On September 9, 2022, the film made its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival before making its debut in Nigerian theatres on October 28, 2022, and on Netflix on November 4, 2022.
Prof. Wole Soyinka’s first acted work, Elesin Oba: The King’s Horseman, will be the first Yoruba-language film to have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. Biyi Bandele, the film’s director, died in August of 2022.
In the event that you were curious about the source material for this film, it is obviously an adaptation of Professor Wole Soyinka’s book.
Happy viewing!
