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The Importance of Being Elegant

IMDb 5.8

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Synopsis

Set to the soundtrack of Papa Wemba's extraordinary music, this outrageous, funny and eye-opening film depicts the underground world of a flamboyant African cult. Papa Wemba is a well-known Congolese singer. He is also a big cheese in Le Sape, the Société des Ambianceurs et Persons Élégants, which translated into English means a society of people who spend huge amounts of money on designer clothes with the motive of making themselves as conspicuously elegant as possible. The film is a splendid evocation of Papa Wemba's music, but it is also an unusual insight into what it means to be an immigrant in contemporary Europe. The sapeur have borrowed from our own culture, creating something rich and strange and wholly Congolese. Don't miss the scene where they try on fur coats.

Documentary

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Frequently asked questions

What is The Importance of Being Elegant (2004) about?

Set to the soundtrack of Papa Wemba's extraordinary music, this outrageous, funny and eye-opening film depicts the underground world of a flamboyant African cult. Papa Wemba is a well-known Congolese singer. He is also a big cheese in Le Sape, the Société des Ambianceurs et Persons Élégants, which translated into English means a society of people who spend huge amounts of money on designer…

Who stars in The Importance of Being Elegant?

The Importance of Being Elegant stars Papa Wemba (Self), Anti-Gigolo (Self), Archibishop of La Sape (Self), Mere Malou (Self), Minister of the Budget (Self). The film was directed by George Amponsah.

How long is The Importance of Being Elegant?

The Importance of Being Elegant has a runtime of 1 min and premiered in 2004. It is rated PG.

Is The Importance of Being Elegant worth watching?

The Importance of Being Elegant holds an IMDb rating of 5.8/10. Fans of Documentary are most likely to enjoy it — TasteRay can tell you how well it matches your personal taste.

Where can I watch The Importance of Being Elegant?

Streaming availability for The Importance of Being Elegant changes by country and service. TasteRay tracks where it is available across Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Max, Apple TV+ and 50+ other platforms — the current options for your country are shown on this page.