1. Endervidualism Agora - Cry Freedom (1987) - reviewed by Tom Ender http://www.endervidualism.com/agora/cry_freedom_1987.htm
Cry Freedom (1987)
Reviewed by Tom Ender
“The true story of the friendship that shook South Africa and
awakened the world.” I Write What I Like
Steve Biko, Aelred...
Steve Biko (Denzel Washington) was a dynamic and charismatic
young black leader in South Africa in the 1970s. Donald Woods
(Kevin Kline) was a middle aged white liberal newspaper editor,
also in South Africa in the 1970s. Cry Freedom is Richard
Attenborough’s movie of the true story of their meeting,
developing friendship, surrounding conflict in South Africa and the
DVD consequences of their actions. Paperback
The movie begins by showing a military/police invasion of a black
settlement in the Republic of South Africa in 1975. After the
invasion, the settlement is destroyed by bulldozers and its people
dispossessed. Later, after publishing a story on activist Steve Biko
accusing him of black racism, Woods meets Dr. Ramphele (Josette
Simon) who is a reader of his newspaper, but radically disagrees
with Wood’s assessment of Steve Biko. She convinces Woods to The Testimony of Steve
Biko
meet Biko.
Biko has been “banned.” This means that he can only be with
members of his immediate family or meet with only one other
person at a time. He can not legally address a crowd, or even hold
a conversation with two non-family members. Woods and Biko
Paperback meet and discuss Biko’s ideas on black pride and independence Paperback
from the dominating white South African culture and state. As they
get to know each other better the two men develop a growing
respect and friendship.
Biko tours Woods through a black township showing apartheid and
its consequences. Biko is arrested for violating his banning and is
shown in court debating with the prosecuting lawyers and judges.
Biko advocates peaceful but resolute resistance to the injustice of
Cry Freedom
the state and dominant culture to which the black South African
George Fenton, Jon...
majority is subjected. He disarms his antagonists with words in
open court. Words such as the following -- Judge: "Why do you
people call yourselves black? You look more brown than black."
Steve Biko: "Why do you call yourselves white? You look more
pink than white."
VHS After Woods observes Biko and his fellow activists for a while, he Soundtrack CD
hires a few of them to work at his newspaper. This action and
others like it taken by both Biko and Woods challenge many
shibboleths of the dominant white South African culture. The
resulting consequences for all are what form the balance of the
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2. Endervidualism Agora - Cry Freedom (1987) - reviewed by Tom Ender http://www.endervidualism.com/agora/cry_freedom_1987.htm
movie.
Cry Freedom is a depiction of the horribly unjust system of
apartheid which once held in the Republic of South Africa. It
shows with brutal honesty just how evil and corrupt that system
was. It also shows the individual heroism of the people which
eventually defeated it. That would be enough for me to recommend
the movie. However, Cry Freedom is more than that.
Cry Freedom is also a movie about the modern police state.
Enforcing a system like apartheid can no longer be done (if it ever
could be done) with merely social pressure and cultural
conventions. The power and force of the state through police and
military enforcement of legislation is required. There is no shortage
of demonstrations in this movie of the inevitable abuse of state
power. Although individual villains exist in the story, the central
villain is the state system enforcing apartheid: a system which
necessarily did away with civil liberties and due process. Although
that system was mainly oppressive to the native black African
majority, it also reserved special attention for those white South
Africans who worked to bring justice to their society.
Like many other stories set in police states, such as Casablanca
and White Nights, Cry Freedom is also a story of escape to
freedom. Although all the main characters do not reach a happy
end, some do. We also know that in the end apartheid, as it
previously existed in South Africa, was defeated. However, there
are some sad ironies associated with this film. It was filmed in
Zimbabwe. When Cry Freedom was made Zimbabwe may have
seemed like a hopeful place to film such a movie. I doubt that this
film could be made in Zimbabwe today as it now has a very similar
police state, with the difference that a black African is the current
leader. There are many fine performances in this film, but the real
“star” is the story itself. I hope you view and enjoy Cry Freedom.
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