This treatise explores Tunde Kelani’s movie Saworide (1999), with a view to examining the functions of proverbs in movie production. A textual analysis of some selected proverbs in the movie was carried out to demonstrate the implications of this phenomenon in an attempt by the producer to project the themes of political legitimacy, accountability and institutional checks on corruption in a changing socio-political structure. The study highlighted the importance of proverbs in films, and showcased how proverbs serve as a crucial device of story-telling in the re-creation of a genuine and believable Nigerian democratic story. The study revealed that proverbs in the movie serve as material resources in generating the plot development, criticizing actors’ actions, depicting, transmitting and preserving the Yoruba culture, and projecting the moral and thematic purposes of the movi
