Watching An African Boma (1931) - Mostly Just Fences and Snakes

Is it worth the watch?

Only if you really like old-school travelogues or you're doing a deep dive into how people saw Africa in 1931. If you want an actual story with characters, go watch The Seventh Sin instead. This is basically just someone's very old, very dusty home movies from a trip to Rhodesia.

Wynant D. Hubbard is the main guy here. He seems very proud of himself for standing around while other people do the actual work of building a boma.

A boma is basically a big fence made of thorny bushes. They spend a lot of time on this. Like, a lot of time. 🌵

The whole thing feels a bit like those educational strips they used to show in school. But without the teacher to tell you why you should care.

There is a scene with a puff adder that is actually kind of tense. Mostly because the film quality is so bad you can barely see where the snake ends and the dirt begins. It’s a bit scary in a "I hope nobody got bit for this footage" kind of way.

The preparation for the lion hunt is... well, it's mostly just preparation. Don't go in expecting a big action climax. It’s not that kind of movie.

I found myself looking at the background more than the stuff in the front. There’s a lot of empty space that makes the world feel huge and lonely.

It’s weirdly similar to the quiet moments in The Pagan God. Just people staring at the horizon and waiting for something to happen.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Adventures in Africa No. 2: An African Boma (1931) through its definitive frames.

Hubbard has this very specific way of pointing at things. It feels very staged. Like he's making sure the camera knows he's the expert in charge. 🤠

The editing is a bit jumpy. One second they are talking about traps, and the next, someone is just holding a dead animal. It’s abrupt.

I think the most interesting part isn't the animals. It's just seeing the clothes and the tools from a hundred years ago. Everything looks so heavy and hot.

If you're looking for something with more energy, maybe try Full of Pep. This movie has zero pep. It has sand.

It’s short, which is a blessing. It doesn't overstay its welcome, but it also doesn't really leave you with much to think about except maybe needing a glass of water.

• That one guy in the back who looks like he’s never seen a camera before.
• The way the dust never seems to settle.
• Hubbard’s hat is honestly the most consistent character in the film.
• The extremely long shot of the snake that feels like it goes on for three minutes.
• How they use those big branches like they’re nothing.

Is it a masterpiece? No. Is it a weird little window into 1931? Yeah, totally. 🎥

It reminds me of The Code of the Scarlet in the way it treats the "wild" as something to be conquered. Very man-versus-nature but in a very dry way.

Final thought: Watch it if you’re bored and want to see a very old snake. Skip it if you need a plot.