This is the story of the life of Stephen Biko (Denzel Washington), an activist known for his fight against apartheid South Africa as seen through the eyes of his friend Donald Woods (Kevin Kline), the chief editor of a white called liberal newspaper Daily Dispatch. Biko want to get well, equality of rights between races in South Africa. Woods wrote, initially, several critical editorials about Biko, but after meeting him for the first time, change your mind. They meet several times and Woods and his family begin to be investigated by the police. Biko was killed by the government in 1977 because of their protests against their mistreatment of black citizens. The South African journalist is forced to flee the country after attempting to investigate the death in custody of his friend the black activist. Additionally, Woods is writing a book about the life of Biko and the only way to get it is published is in the country illegally escape.
Showing posts with label film. Show all posts
Showing posts with label film. Show all posts
Tuesday, 20 January 2015
Film review: Cry Freedom
This is the story of the life of Stephen Biko (Denzel Washington), an activist known for his fight against apartheid South Africa as seen through the eyes of his friend Donald Woods (Kevin Kline), the chief editor of a white called liberal newspaper Daily Dispatch. Biko want to get well, equality of rights between races in South Africa. Woods wrote, initially, several critical editorials about Biko, but after meeting him for the first time, change your mind. They meet several times and Woods and his family begin to be investigated by the police. Biko was killed by the government in 1977 because of their protests against their mistreatment of black citizens. The South African journalist is forced to flee the country after attempting to investigate the death in custody of his friend the black activist. Additionally, Woods is writing a book about the life of Biko and the only way to get it is published is in the country illegally escape.
Movie Review: Cry Freedom Zaid Bousdar
Directed and produced by Richard Attenborough, and released in 1987 this inhuman and violent story about the Apartheid tells how black people suffered from this wild and irrational politic and economic system.
The story is about a journalist and an editor called Donald Woods who is against the Apartheid and his black friend Steve Biko who was an anti-Apartheid activist. Both people tried to stop the Apartheid.
This movie is based on true events. When Biko first appears in the film, he has already been "banned" by the South African government. "Banning" meant he was not allowed to be in the same room with more than one other person outside his immediate family, and not allowed to write anything for either public or private consumption. Additionally, he was not allowed to leave his defined banning area. We can see how cruel and racist white people were. This only with Biko. While with other people they used to kill them.In the begining Woods critisized Biko's actions in his newspaper but later when he met him he knew he was wrong. Biko invites Woods to visit a black town to see the bad and terrible conditions and to witness the effect of theApartheid system. Then Woods understands the situation and tries to help Biko to make South Africa a country where blacks and whites have the same rights and the same opportunities. Biko dies. Then Woods tries to tell the police about the murder of Biko. He meets with Jimmy Kruger, the South African Minister of Justice, but his efforts to expose the truth lead to his own banning. His family are targeted by the police and they try to finish them using some dirty tricks. Woods tries to go to England. After a long trip he escapes to Lesotho and from there he flies to Bostwana where he is helped by an Australian politician.
In the end of the movie they show the names of the anti-Apartheid activist. Most of them commited suicide and some of them are said to have fallen down stairs.
In my opinion this movie represent how corrupted and selfish is the mind of a lot of people. Blacks are humans too. The colour doesn`t matter, but people judge only the appearance of the others not the heart. I think even now black people are looked as inferior and useless but. How many famous black people are there now compared to 60 years ago? The difference is huge and all this was possible because of the effort of black oppositors to stop Apartheid. A lot of people died, yes. But their sacrifice wasn`t in vain. They saved South Africa from a black future.
Black people must have the same rights as white people and white people must respect them more and stop thinking they are superior.
But the most shocking thing I saw in ths movie is the mentality of white people. They only imprison and execute the in case they fight in defense of their rights. Other things I saw is how South Africa was litterally separated in two different races, black and white. This kind of things shouldnt exist. Why this didn't happend to oriental person? Is it because of the colour? Probably. No. Sure, it is because of the colour. In some cultures people see black as somthing which gives you bad luck and it is bad and useless. Just think in the popular black cat. ''If the black cat walks besides you it will give you bad luck for the rest of the day''. It is something stupid. But back in time people believed in this kind of racist things. Why do they don't say that white cat gives bad luck? I think it's because of the religion more than anything. In some religions black people are treated as monsters and demons.
This movie was creepy in my opinion. I can't imagine this kind of things happening now in my country. But well. The good thing in all this is that now black people and white people are equal.
The story is about a journalist and an editor called Donald Woods who is against the Apartheid and his black friend Steve Biko who was an anti-Apartheid activist. Both people tried to stop the Apartheid.
This movie is based on true events. When Biko first appears in the film, he has already been "banned" by the South African government. "Banning" meant he was not allowed to be in the same room with more than one other person outside his immediate family, and not allowed to write anything for either public or private consumption. Additionally, he was not allowed to leave his defined banning area. We can see how cruel and racist white people were. This only with Biko. While with other people they used to kill them.In the begining Woods critisized Biko's actions in his newspaper but later when he met him he knew he was wrong. Biko invites Woods to visit a black town to see the bad and terrible conditions and to witness the effect of theApartheid system. Then Woods understands the situation and tries to help Biko to make South Africa a country where blacks and whites have the same rights and the same opportunities. Biko dies. Then Woods tries to tell the police about the murder of Biko. He meets with Jimmy Kruger, the South African Minister of Justice, but his efforts to expose the truth lead to his own banning. His family are targeted by the police and they try to finish them using some dirty tricks. Woods tries to go to England. After a long trip he escapes to Lesotho and from there he flies to Bostwana where he is helped by an Australian politician.
In the end of the movie they show the names of the anti-Apartheid activist. Most of them commited suicide and some of them are said to have fallen down stairs.
In my opinion this movie represent how corrupted and selfish is the mind of a lot of people. Blacks are humans too. The colour doesn`t matter, but people judge only the appearance of the others not the heart. I think even now black people are looked as inferior and useless but. How many famous black people are there now compared to 60 years ago? The difference is huge and all this was possible because of the effort of black oppositors to stop Apartheid. A lot of people died, yes. But their sacrifice wasn`t in vain. They saved South Africa from a black future.
Black people must have the same rights as white people and white people must respect them more and stop thinking they are superior.
But the most shocking thing I saw in ths movie is the mentality of white people. They only imprison and execute the in case they fight in defense of their rights. Other things I saw is how South Africa was litterally separated in two different races, black and white. This kind of things shouldnt exist. Why this didn't happend to oriental person? Is it because of the colour? Probably. No. Sure, it is because of the colour. In some cultures people see black as somthing which gives you bad luck and it is bad and useless. Just think in the popular black cat. ''If the black cat walks besides you it will give you bad luck for the rest of the day''. It is something stupid. But back in time people believed in this kind of racist things. Why do they don't say that white cat gives bad luck? I think it's because of the religion more than anything. In some religions black people are treated as monsters and demons.
This movie was creepy in my opinion. I can't imagine this kind of things happening now in my country. But well. The good thing in all this is that now black people and white people are equal.
Film review by Zaid Zitan
CRY FREEDOM
Cry freedom is a British film directed and produced by
Richard Attenborough that shows the true of the apartheid and the real
situation of black people. Released in 1987, it is based in true facts written
in the book “Cry freedom” by Donald Woods.
This film tells the life of Steve Biko (performed by Denzel Washington), a black activist; and his friend Donald Woods (portrayed by Kevin
Kline), a liberal man and editor of the famous South African newspaper
“The daily despatch”. Together they are the voice of black ones and their aim
is to raise awareness of people so they fight for their rights. Suddenly, Biko
is killed and then Woods has to deal with the situation alone and go abroad so
that all the entire world could listen to Biko´s ideas.
After this story was released, a lot of thing changed.
Nowadays South Africa is democratic country where it doesn´t matter if you are
white or black, short or tall, thin or fat … and not only in South Africa. All
humanity had improved its thinking, but have we reached the real freedom or it
is like any other lie? Most people think that, unlike few countries, we live in
a completely free world where we can do everything we want and where we have
all facilities we need. My view is completely opposite. We have a long way to
achieve our purposes and aims. For example, there is still a male chauvinist
behaviour in our social life even in European countries and you can easily find
a case where an European and an Arabic with the same CV, doing the same job and
the first one earns more money than the second.
All in all, the world hasn´t already reached the real
freedom; however this situation is changing day after day.
Monday, 19 January 2015
Cry Freedom by Amina Khayat
CRY FREEDOM!
Cry Freedom is a movie released in 1987 and tells the
story of a friendship between a white South African journalist (Donald Woods)
and a young black South African anti-apartheid activist (Steve Biko).
The story takes place in East London, South Africa,
where at first, Woods doesn’t appreciate the ideologies of Biko but with time,
he starts to think that Biko’s views are interesting and starts publishing
those views regularly at the newspaper.
When this gets noticed, Woods is put under arrest.
Biko also is arrested and tortured till his death in custody, that’s when
people from different parts of the country do a rebellion against the
government.
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