| Cry Freedom | |
|---|---|
 Home video release poster | |
| Directed by | Richard Attenborough |
| Screenplay by | John Briley |
| Based on | Biko and Asking for Trouble Donald Woods |
| Produced by | Richard Attenborough |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Ronnie Taylor |
| Edited by | Lesley Walker |
| Music by | George Fenton Jonas Gwangwa |
Production company | Marble Arch Productions |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures (United States) United International Pictures (International) |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 157 minutes |
| Country | |
| Languages | English Afrikaans Xhosa Zulu Sesotho |
| Budget | $29 million |
| Box office | $15 million(theatrical rentals)[2] |
Cry Freedom is a 1987epicbiographicaldrama film directed and produced byRichard Attenborough, set inapartheid-eraSouth Africa in 1977. The screenplay was written byJohn Briley based on a pair of books by journalistDonald Woods. The film centres on the real-life events involving South African activistSteve Biko and his friend Woods, who initially finds him too radical, and attempts to understand his way of life.Denzel Washington stars as Biko, whileKevin Kline portrays Woods.Penelope Wilton co-stars as Woods's wifeWendy.Cry Freedom delves into the ideas of racism, segregation, disenfranchisement, socioeconomic inequality, political corruption, and the repercussions of violence.
A joint collective effort to commit to the film's production was made byUniversal Pictures and Marble Arch Productions and the film was primarily shot on location inZimbabwe due to not being allowed to film in South Africa at the time of production. It was commercially distributed by Universal Pictures, opening in theUnited States on 6 November 1987. South African authorities unexpectedly allowed the film to be screened in cinemas without cuts or restrictions, despite the publication of Biko's writings being banned at the time of its release.[3]
The film was generally met with favourable reviews and earnedtheatrical rentals of $15 million worldwide. The film was nominated for multiple awards, includingAcademy Award nominations forBest Supporting Actor (for Washington),Best Original Score, andBest Original Song. It was nominated for sevenBAFTA Awards, includingBest Film andBest Direction, and wonBest Sound.
Following a news story depicting the demolition of a slum inEast London in the south-east of theCape Province inSouth Africa,liberalwhite South African journalistDonald Woods seeks more information about the incident and ventures off to meet theanti-Apartheid black activistSteve Biko, a leading member of theBlack Consciousness Movement. Biko has been officiallybanned by thegovernment and is not permitted to leave his defined 'banning area' atKing William's Town. Woods is opposed to Biko's banning, but remains critical of his political views. Biko invites Woods to visit a blacktownship to see the impoverished conditions and to witness the effect of the Government-imposed restrictions, which make up theapartheid system. Woods begins to agree with Biko's desire for a South Africa where blacks have the same opportunities and freedoms as those enjoyed by thewhite population. As Woods comes to understand Biko's point of view, a friendship slowly develops between them.
After speaking at a gathering of black South Africans outside of his banishment zone, Biko is arrested and interrogated by the South African security forces (who have been tipped off by an informer). Following this, he is brought to court in order to explain his message directed toward the South African Government, which iswhite minority-controlled. After he speaks eloquently in court and advocates non-violence, the security officers who interrogated him visit his church and vandalise the property. Woods assures Biko that he will meet with a Government official to discuss the matter. Woods then meets withJimmy Kruger (John Thaw), the South African Minister of Justice, in his house inPretoria in an attempt to prevent further abuses. Minister Kruger first expresses discontent over their actions; however, Woods is later harassed at his home by security forces, who insinuate that their orders came directly from Kruger.
Later, Biko travels toCape Town to speak at a student-run meeting.En route, security forces stop his car and arrest him asking him to say his name, and he says, "Bantu Stephen Biko". He is held in harsh conditions and beaten, causing a severe brain injury. A doctor recommends consulting a nearby specialist in order to best treat his injuries, but the police refuse out of fear that he might escape. The security forces instead decide to take him to a police hospital inPretoria, around 700 miles (1,100 km) away from Cape Town. He is thrown into the back of a prison van and driven on a bumpy road, aggravating his brain injury and resulting in his death.
Woods then works to expose the police's complicity in Biko's death. He attempts to expose photographs of Biko's body that contradict police reports that he died of ahunger strike, but he is prevented just before boarding a plane to leave and informed that he is now 'banned', therefore not able to leave the country. Woods and his family are targeted in a campaign of harassment by the security police, including bullets fired into the family home, vandalism, and the delivery of t-shirts with Biko's image that have been dusted withitching powder. He later decides to seek asylum inBritain in order to expose the corrupt and racist nature of the South African authorities. After a longtrek, Woods is eventually able to escape to theKingdom of Lesotho, disguised as a priest. His wifeWendy and their family later join him. With the aid of Australian journalistBruce Haigh, theBritish High Commission inMaseru, and theGovernment of Lesotho, they are flown underUnited Nations passports and with one Lesotho official over South African territory, viaBotswana, toLondon, where they were grantedpolitical asylum.
The film's epilogue displays a long list of anti-apartheid activists (including Biko), who died under suspicious circumstances while imprisoned by the Government whilst the songNkosi Sikelel' iAfrika is sung.
The premise ofCry Freedom is based on the true story ofSteve Biko, the charismatic South AfricanBlack Consciousness Movement leader who attempts to bring awareness to the injustice ofapartheid, andDonald Woods, theliberal white editor of theDaily Dispatch newspaper who struggles to do the same after Biko is murdered. In 1972, Biko was one of the founders of theBlack People's Convention working on social upliftment projects aroundDurban.[4] The BPC brought together almost 70 different black consciousness groups and associations, such as the South African Student's Movement (SASM), which played a significant role in the 1976 uprisings, and the Black Workers Project, which supported black workers whose unions were not recognised under the apartheid regime.[4] Biko's political activities eventually drew the attention of the South African Government which often harassed, arrested, and detained him. These situations resulted in his being 'banned' in 1973.[5] The banning restricted Biko from talking to more than one person at a time, in an attempt to suppress the rising anti-apartheid political movement. Following a violation of his banning, Biko was arrested and later killed while in the custody of theSouth African Police (the SAP). The circumstances leading to Biko's death caused worldwide anger, as he became a martyr and symbol of black resistance.[4] As a result, the South African Government 'banned' a number of individuals (including Donald Woods) and organisations, especially those closely associated with Biko.[4] TheUnited Nations Security Council responded swiftly to the killing by later imposing anarms embargo against South Africa.[4] After a period of routine harassment against his family by the authorities, as well as fearing for his life,[6] Woods fled the country after being placed underhouse arrest by the South African Government.[6] Woods later wrote a book in 1978 entitledBiko, exposing police complicity in his death.[5] That book, along with Woods's autobiographyAsking For Trouble, both being published in theUnited Kingdom, became the basis for the film.[5]
Every exterior (outdoor) scene was filmed inZimbabwe, as were roughly 70% of interior shots. The remaining interior shots were all filmed inEngland.[7] Principal filming took place primarily inHarare inZimbabwe because of the tense political situation inSouth Africa at the time of shooting.[8]
The film includes a dramatised depiction of theSoweto uprising and massacre, which occurred on 16 June 1976. Indiscriminate firing by police killed and injured hundreds of black South African schoolchildren during a mostly peaceful protest march.[5]
The original motion picture soundtrack forCry Freedom was released byMCA Records on 25 October 1990.[9] It features songs composed by veteran musiciansGeorge Fenton,Jonas Gwangwa and Thuli Dumakude. At Biko's funeral they sing the hymn "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika". Jonathan Bates edited the film's music.[10]
A live version ofPeter Gabriel's 1980 song "Biko" was released to promote the film; although the song was not on the film soundtrack, footage was used in itsvideo.[11]
The title song was nominated for theGrammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media at the31st Annual Grammy Awards, but lost to "Two Hearts" fromBuster, performed byPhil Collins.
Among mainstream critics in the U.S., the film received mostly positive reviews.Rotten Tomatoes reported that 74% of 27 sampled critics gave the film a positive review, with an average score of 6.5 out of 10.[12]Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 59 out of 100 based on 15 critic reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews."[13] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[14]
| "It can be admired for its sheer scale. Most of all, it can be appreciated for what it tries to communicate about heroism, loyalty and leadership, about the horrors of apartheid, about the martyrdom of a rare man." |
| —Janet Maslin, writing inThe New York Times[15] |
Rita Kempley, writing inThe Washington Post, said actor Washington gave a "zealous, Oscar-caliber performance as this African messiah, who was recognized as one of South Africa's major political voices when he was only 25."[16] Also writing forThe Washington Post,Desson Howe thought the film "could have reached further" and felt the story centring on Woods's character was "its major flaw". He saw director Attenborough's aims as "more academic and political than dramatic". Overall, he expressed his disappointment by exclaiming, "In a country busier thanChile with oppression, violence and subjugation, the story of Woods' slow awakening is certainly not the most exciting, or revealing."[17]
Roger Ebert in theChicago Sun-Times offered a mixed review calling it a "sincere and valuable movie" while also exclaiming, "Interesting things were happening, the performances were good and it is always absorbing to see how other people live." But on a negative front, he noted how the film "promises to be an honest account of the turmoil in South Africa but turns into a routine cliff-hanger about the editor's flight across the border. It's sort of a liberal yuppie version of thatDisney movie where the brave East German family builds a hot-air balloon and floats to freedom."[18]
Janet Maslin writing inThe New York Times saw the film as "bewildering at some points and ineffectual at others" but pointed out that "it isn't dull. Its frankly grandiose style is transporting in its way, as is the story itself, even in this watered-down form." She also complimented the African scenery, noting that "Cry Freedom can also be admired for Ronnie Taylor's picturesque cinematography".[15] TheVariety Staff felt Washington did "a remarkable job of transforming himself into the articulte [sic] and mesmerizing black nationalist leader, whose refusal to keep silent led to his death in police custody and a subsequent coverup." On Kline's performance, they noticed how his "low-key screen presence serves him well in his portrayal of the strong-willed but even-tempered journalist."[19] Film criticGene Siskel of theChicago Tribune gave the film athumbs up review calling it "fresh" and a "solid adventure" while commenting "its images do remain in the mind ... I admire this film very much." He thought both Washington's and Kline's portrayals were "effective" and "quite good".[20] Similarly, Michael Price writing in theFort Worth Press viewedCry Freedom as often "harrowing and naturalistic but ultimately self-important in its indictment of police-state politics."[21]
| "Attenborough tries to rally with Biko flashbacks and a depiction of the Soweto massacre. But the 1976 slaughter of black schoolchildren is chronologically and dramatically out of place. And the flashbacks only remind you of whom you'd rather be watching." |
| —Desson Howe, writing forThe Washington Post[17] |
Mark Salisbury ofTime Out wrote of the lead acting to be "excellent" and the crowd scenes "astonishing", while equally observing how the climax was "truly nerve-wracking". He called it "an implacable work of authority and compassion,Cry Freedom is political cinema at its best."[22] James Sanford, however, writing for theKalamazoo Gazette, did not appreciate the film's qualities, calling it "a Hollywood whitewashing of a potentially explosive story."[23] Rating the film with3 Stars, criticLeonard Maltin wrote that the film was a "sweeping and compassionate film". He did, however, note that the film "loses momentum as it spends too much time on Kline and his family's escape from South Africa". But in positive followup, he pointed out that it "cannily injects flashbacks of Biko to steer it back on course."[24]
John Simon of theNational Review calledCry Freedom "grandiosely inept".[25]
In 2013, the movie was one of several discussed byDavid Sirota inSalon in an article concerningwhite saviour narratives in film.[26]
The film opened on 6 November 1987 in limited release in 27cinemas throughout the U.S. During its opening weekend, the film opened in 19th place and grossed $318,723.[36] The film was originally set to debut on November 20, 1987, but it was delayed to January–February 1988 as proposed.[37] The film expanded to 479 screens for the weekend of 19–21 February[38] and went on to gross $5,899,797 in theUnited States andCanada,[39] generatingtheatrical rentals of $2 million.[2] Internationally, the film earned rentals of $13 million, for a worldwide total of $15 million.[2]
It earned £3,313,150 in the UK.[40]
Following its cinematic release in the late 1980s, the film was released to television in asyndicated two-night broadcast. Extra footage was added to the film to fill in the block of time. The film was later released inVHS video format on 5 May 1998.[41] TheRegion 1widescreen edition of the film was released onDVD in the United States on 23 February 1999. Special features for the DVD include: production notes, cast and filmmakers' biographies, film highlights, web links, and the theatrical cinematic.[42] It was released onBlu-ray Disc by Umbrella Entertainment inAustralia in 2019, and in 2020 byKino Lorber in the US. It is also available in other media formats such asvideo on demand.[43]
