Will to Power
HD video on Blu-ray . 14 minutes . colour . stereo . 2006-2010 . Edition 5

Will to Power
HD video on Blu-ray . 14 minutes . colour . stereo . 2006-2010 . Edition 5

FILM CREDITS –

Written & Directed – Michael MacGarry
Produced – Michael MacGarry, Jaco van Schalkwyk
Cast – Lindiwe Matshikiza, Nataniel Malekane, Andries Lubhede
Director of Photography – Robert Wilson
Editor – Jaco van Schalkwyk
Costume Design – Lisa Jaffe
Camera Assistant – Jo-Ann May
Location Manager – Jan-Henri Booyens
Blood FX – Renier du Toit
Armourer – Wolverine QTG

Shot on location in Johannesburg, at the Nirox Foundation and the Great Zimbabwe Ruins. Sincere thanks go to Wesley de Wit, the Nirox Foundation and to cast and crew on this project.

TREATMENT –

“Assassination, is simply an extreme form of censorship.”

– George Bernard Shaw

[Anything which]... “is a living and not a dying body... will have to be an incarnate will to power, it will strive to grow, spread, seize, become predominant – not from any morality or immorality but because it is living and because life simply is will to power... ‘Exploitation’... belongs to the essence of what lives, as a basic organic function; it is a consequence of the will to power, which is after all the will to life.”

– Nietzsche, F. ; Beyond Good and Evil, s.259, W.Kaufmann transl.

“Murder has its sexual side.”

– Jenny Holzer, Truisms, 1977-79

“To make a film all you need is a girl and a gun.”

– Jean-Luc Godard

Will to Power concerns both a contextual and thematic refiguring of the 1973 film The Day of the Jackal. Based on the book of the same title by Frederick Forsythe, The Day of the Jackal was directed by Fred Zinnemann and released in 1973. The film’s narrative follows the repercussions of the Evian Accords, signed in 1962 which gave Algeria independence from France. French nationals living in Algeria sought to have the African nation integrated into France. The OAS (Organisation de l’Armée Secréte) was composed of French Nationals, French Army personnel and members of the French Foreign Legion and they fought to keep Algeria for France. There was a military revolt in 1961 and many of the leaders of the revolt were taken into custody. Some escaped to lead the OAS which carried on a terrorist campaign in Algeria and France. Riots were initiated, public buildings were bombed, and banks were robbed. There were also attempts to assassinate French President Charles de Gaulle. One of the main appeals is the pseudo-documentary style used throughout the film, rendering the viewer seemingly implicit the unfolding narrative, as well as in the Jackal’s planning and implementation of his objective.

Will to Power aims to analyze the ideological and political motivations for assassination. With the act of assassination read as an extreme form of censorship as well as a manifestation of public and political will, whilst questioning the role it plays in the broader issues of politics and governance within Sub-Saharan-African nation-states post independence. Namely, the model of the struggle-era veteran leader unable or unwilling to deliver effective, accountable and transparent governance and political leadership yet holding office for decades through centralised power, one party political systems and coercion. The recent establishment of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation signals a move to address this issue of governance and leadership deficit – arguably the major obstacle to development and growth in the region. The Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership is awarded to a former executive Head of State or Government in Sub-Saharan-Africa, candidates will have taken office through a validated election process, and have left office after serving the constitutional term stipulated when taking office. The prize consists of US$ 5 million over 10 years and US$ 200,000 annually for life thereafter. The inaugural recipient of the prize for 2007 was President Joaquim Chissano, the former President of Mozambique. Another aspect of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation is The Ibrahim Index of African Governance – a new, comprehensive ranking of Sub-Saharan-African nations according to governance quality.

Will to Power, both exists concurrently with the Ibrahim model, whilst simultaneously predating it. The film offers a specific, dense and fictional scenario premised on regime change – yet; while piety is nice, altruism is always slave to self-interest.

REFERENCE –

Film poster: The Day of the Jackal
© N.R.C.

THEATRICAL PROP & ASSOCIATED WORKS –

The Device
Armalite M4A1 Modular Weapon System (MWS) in 5.56x45 mm NATO replica with SOCOM sound suppressor, Harris bipod, Tasco 4x40 mm telescopic sight and Rail Interface System (RIS)
950 x 270 x 120 mm
2010
Principle theatrical prop from: Will to Power

The Instrument
From: Will to Power
Private collection

Michael MacGarry