You are here:

Dragonard

Name: Dragonard
Director: Gérard Kikoïne
Released: 1987
Duration: 93 min

Representation Score

5.7/10

Fair

1987

Director

Gérard Kikoïne

Runtime

93 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

Dragonard is a historical drama that excels in its systemic critique of 18th-century colonial structures. By transitioning from an individual's survival to a collective uprising, the film emphasizes the ability to act of those typically underrepresented in period pieces. While the film effectively portrays racial resistance and anti-colonial themes, it remains limited in other areas. Gender dynamics rely on established formulas where women act as plot catalysts, and the narrative lacks LGBTQ+ or disability-focused representation. Overall, the film succeeds as a study of power and liberation, prioritizing the dismantling of institutional cruelty over the preservation of historical Western order.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does Dragonard have LGBTQ+ representation?

Limited

The film focuses on a heterosexual relationship between the protagonist and his owner's wife, and there are no indications of LGBTQ+ identities or subtexts.

How does Dragonard portray gender?

Fair

The story challenges patriarchal ownership through the protagonist's defiance, but the female lead mainly serves as a catalyst for punishment rather than as an independent character.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Dragonard?

Excellent

The narrative highlights the high ability to act of underrepresented individuals by shifting from a single Scotsman's struggle to a collective slave revolt, offering a nuanced view of racial power dynamics.

How does Dragonard represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The film strongly critiques Western colonial institutions and the corrupt sugar-planter class, framing the 'dragonard' whip as a symbol of institutionalized violence.

Does Dragonard include disability representation?

Minimal

There are no specific mentions of characters navigating physical or neurodivergent disabilities. The plot focuses on the physical trauma of the whip.

Present on Screen

Strong engagement with racial ability to act and collective resistance against colonial oppression.
Effective systemic critique of 18th-century Caribbean power structures and institutional violence.
Nuanced transition from individual rebellion to a broader movement for liberation.

Limited or Absent

Lack of explicit LGBTQ+ representation or non-cisgender identities.
Female characters function more as narrative catalysts than independent, autonomous agents.
Absence of characters navigating physical or neurodivergent disabilities.

Official Synopsis

In 1747, a handsome but rebellious Scotsman named Richard Abdee is auctioned off as a slave on a Caribbean island controlled by French and British sugar-planters. When caught having sex with his owner's wife, Abdee is given 100 lashes with the dreaded "dragonard" whip. This sentence is meant to be fatal but Abdee survives and later joins in a slave revolt which puts an end to the island's era of savage whippings.

How are these scores produced? →