‘Bushman’ Blu-Ray Review – Forgotten Drama Blurs The Line Between Reality And Fiction

In 1968, Peace Corps veteran David Schickele enlisted his friend Paul Eyam Nzie Okpokam to star in a light-hearted comedy about the adventures of a young Nigerian intellectual in San Francisco. Using a docu-fictional style reminiscent of Cassavetes’ Shadows, the film observes the foibles of late 1960s African-American culture with an outsider’s incisive eye. The result is a vibrant snapshot of the nation’s racial politics, from interracial romance to cross-cultural misunderstandings and countercultural joy. The film morphs into a documentary when the director’s voice abruptly intrudes to narrate its star’s enraging fate: Okpokam was accused of a crime he did not commit and was thrown in prison before being expelled from the country.

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Video Quality

Bushman makes its Blu-Ray debut thanks to Milestone Films with a new 1080p master that looks terrific. The film has been restored from the 35mm Original Camera Negative by the University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive and The Film Foundation completed in 2022. For a film that has barely been available for public consumption for decades, this is a rewarding release for cinephiles. The inviting black-and-white photography sparkles with natural grain intact and resolved with care. An impressive amount of detail is spotlighted with textures on the costumes and the production design. 

A few minor blemishes linger, but there is no doubt this has been preserved and cleaned up with care. The restoration shows off a sterling amount of depth and enhanced detail within the film’s composition. Black levels are lovely with no serious occurrence of black crush or compression artifacts. The contrast is properly defined, and the track only experiences a fleeting amount of flicker and density fluctuation in the print. Milestone Films has put forth their standard level of high quality. 

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a pleasing DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that represents this movie well considering its age and release history. Dialogue occasionally gets overshadowed by background noises, but things mostly stay in harmony with all competing elements. This track avoids serious instances of age-related wear and tear and hissing and crackles. The track sounds a bit thin during some bustling moments that reach their peak, which likely traces back to the source elements. Any music never plays well with the dialogue and other important information. Most will be satisfied with this audio presentation. Optional English SDH subtitles are included for the feature film.

Special Features

• Audio Commentary: Film historian Daniel Kremer and filmmaker Rob Nilsson provide an engaging commentary track which is especially valuable since Nilsson was best friends with director David Schickele. There are great insights into how this film came to be, the qualities of the features, and the overlooked nature of the feature. 

• Give Me A Riddle (1966): A nearly 68-minute documentary is provided here that follows an ex-Peace Corp volunteer who returns to Nigeria during a golden age of cultural enlightenment. 

• Tuscarora (1992): A 59-minute documentary is provided that looks at a small Nevada town that is threatened by encroaching mining forces. 

• Re-Release Trailer: The minute-and-a-half-long trailer is provided. 

• Booklet: A small booklet is provided that features writing on the filmmaker and some of his works. 

Final Thoughts

Bushman is a very surprising narrative experience that upends your expectations before arriving at something quite powerful. The film is a significant artistic achievement, but it transcends simply being an “important” work. Not even David Schickele knew what the film would become when they started it, and it is all the more devastating due to that. Milestone Films and Kino Lorber have delivered a Blu-Ray release that sports a grand A/V presentation and a first-rate selection of special features. If you appreciate the subtle line between documentary and fiction, this is worth seeking out. Recommended 

Bushman is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray. 

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Milestone Films and Kino Classics have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.