Cry, The Beloved Country

Starring:Tsholofelo Wechoemang, James Earl Jones, Richard Harris, Charles S. Dutton, Dolly Rathebe, Ramalao Makhene, Jack Robinson (IV), Jennifer Steyn, Patrick Ndlovu, Darlington Michaels, King Twala, Somizi Mhlongo, Sam Ngakane, Vusi Kunene, John Whiteley, Lillian Dube, Tembsie Times, Tiny Masilio, Babes Jazz Band, Dambisa Kente
Director: Darrell Roodt
Studio: Miramax
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

This moving 1995 adaptation of Alan Paton's celebrated novel stars James Earl Jones as a beloved, rural minister in South Africa who makes his first trip to Johannesburg in search of his son. The latter's destiny has been linked with that of a doomed, young white man, whose racist father (Richard Harris) is approached by Jones's character in the spirit of mutual understanding. Directed by Darrell James Roodt (Sarafina!), the film is most powerful in those scenes featuring Harris and Jones together, though early sequences grounded in the hard life and times of Jones's community are colorful and dramatic. It's impossible not to be touched by the cautious but real connection made between the principal characters and by the moral authenticity of the actors. --Tom Keogh

Description

Powerful and uplifting, CRY, THE BELOVED COUNTRY was widely hailed as one of the best films of the year! In a land torn by hatred and injustice, James Earl Jones (CLEAR & PRESENT DANGER) and Richard Harris (GLADIATOR, THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO) are two fathers -- one a man of peace, the other a man of power and privelege -- whose lives seem destined for a violent collision. But instead, in the wake of a tragic killing, these extraordinary men form an unlikely union ... and together find the kind of understanding that could heal a nation! Based on the acclaimed novel, this electrifying motion picture will both entertain and inspire you!

Customer Reviews:

Visual Aid for Discussing book.......2006-11-10

The film follows the book extremely well. Minor changes do not affect the author's purpose. Emotional performances by recognizable actors such as Jones and Harris are appealing to current audiences. The film makes thoughtful discussion easier than simply reading and discussing Paton's novel.

James Earl Jones Shines in Noble Performance.......2006-02-09

Darrell Roodt chose carefully when it was time to direct the first film of South Africa after the abolition of Apartheid. Alan Paton's novel was first filmed in 1951, and "Cry the Beloved Country" is a tale that seems as much a part of the South African collective zeitgeist as Twain or Hemingway or Steinbeck is part of America's.

This film version is centered around perhaps James Earl Jones' most powerful screen performance. He stars as the Reverend Stephen Kumalo, a clergyman from a small town in South Africa. He is a strong man of faith and leads a congregation in matters both religious and practical. His son ran away to Johannesburg to work in the mines, and his sister went away also to join her husband. His brother, John, is also in the city, an outspoken black activist who has abandoned the ways of religion because religion is not creating justice for blacks. The film opens with Reverend Kumalo receiving word that things are not all well in Johannesburg.

Richard Harris has the role of James Jarvis, a wealthy white landowner from the same small town. His son has also gone to Johannesburg, where he works as an activist trying to improve the repressed condition of the South African Blacks who are only starting to come under the evil thumb of Apartheid.

The whites and blacks are so separate that although they are two of the most prominent figures in a small town, Mr. Jarvis and the Reverend Kumalo have not even met as the movie opens. Tragedy strikes, more than once, and without spoiling the plot I'll just reveal that it involves the two sons of these two characters.

Roodt goes out of his way to display the noble suffering of Reverend Kumalo. He never speaks a discouraging word, even when confronting terrible injustice. The story hinges on Kumalo's innate goodness, and Mr. Jones brings this to life in a way that carries the story along.

It is worth mentioning a single scene - the one in which Kumalo and Jarvis first meet. The previously mentioned tragedy has already occurred and both men are in a kind of mourning. Kumalo knows Jarvis while Jarvis vaguely recognizes Kumalo. The Reverend confides in the powerful white man that "My greatest sorrow is also your greatest sorrow". The performances by these two great actors in this powerful scene would be reason alone to watch this film, but I would still recommend the movie with that centerpiece scene removed.

It is clichéd to say that the world would be a better place if we were collectively more understanding and tolerant of those who were different from us, but "Cry the Beloved Country" brings this sentiment forward in a way that is realistic and powerful.

Cry The Beloved Country.......2005-07-27

Very excellent movie, James Earl Jones did a wonderful
job. I read the book and the movie stayed true to it.

A simple film about two fathers that leaves you amazed........2005-06-29

Talk about a relief from our sardonic, nihilistic world. I felt like I popped in a handful of Poignant Pills after I saw this film.

I could use words like captivating, rapturous or brilliant to describe the screenplay, the acting, the mood of this film; but I'm not going to. To do so would be wrong, for this film does something that most films can not - it speaks for itself.

In it, we have two fathers. One, a minister (Earl Jones) during apartheid in South Africa. Another (Harris) is a rich man who never understood his son. When the pastor's son fearfully and regretfully kills the rich man's son, we witness the human condition at its frailest core. The pastor's shame all but consumes him while the rich man is more pained by the fact that he never was able to know his son who so painstakingly worked to restore racial harmony long before it was popular. Instead of adding to the pastor's guilt, grief and pain at what his son has done, he restores him by graciously forgiving the man and his child. It is as if each man knows his place and is unwilling to move above it. Jones' character cannot forgive himself for what his son has done and Harris' character cannot forgive himself for refusing to reach a bit further into his boy's life. They find healing in one another, and this adds to the tone of the film.

This film is altogether amazing, both story-wise and visually. Both men tread upon great pains in this film, pains that cut them to the heart, but both persevere.

One of the top twenty-five films I've ever watched and one of the most under appreciated movies of all time.

5 out of 5.

A Moving, Powerful Film.......2004-12-26

(my favorite film in my short lifetime among many good ones)
Cry, The Beloved Country is a triumph of redemption and hope in the face of terrible tragedy. How two men (wonderfully portrayed by screen legends James Earl Jones and Richard Harris) transcend their roles in life and move beyond the faultlines of race and vengeance is a story no one should miss. The country is beautiful, the characters are compelling and the story an invaluable contribution to anyone's understanding of South Africa's troubled past.

Average customer rating:

Charlie Rose with (December 13, 1995)

Manufacturer: Charlie Rose
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Description

First, Colonel David Hackworth of Newsweek magazine discusses his recent visit to Bosnia, the situation in Bosnia compared to the Vietnam War, and his thoughts on NATO. Then, a conversation with actor James Earl Jones about his current film, Cry, the Beloved Country, co-starring Richard Harris. He also weighs in on politics in South Africa, Nelson Mandela and his influences in preparing for the role in this film.

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