Remake Of ‘Beloved Country’ Dated, Yet Poignant

Fri., May 10, 1996

Dan Webster Staff Writer

About 20 minutes into the new Pamela Anderson Lee movie, I was hit again by the usual thud of realization that there are no new plots.

“Barb Wire,” believe it or not, is a remake of “Casablanca.”

This may seem to be a strange way to begin a review of “Cry, the Beloved Country,” the newest movie rendering of Alan Paton’s classic novel of South African politics. But it’s really not.

For while Paton’s 1948 novel was one of the original studies of apartheid injustice, its near-half-century-old plot offers little that hasn’t been reworked numerous times since then.

For one thing, Paton’s novel was first filmed in 1951 (starring Sidney Poitier). For another, such subsequent South Africa-themed films as “Cry Freedom,” “A Dry White Season” and “Bopha!” have further acquainted us with the basic pressures that continue to fester there.

“Cry, the Beloved Country” is a prequel to such films. It is a look back at a country so divided that two men can live in the same township all their lives and never take the opportunity to speak. That is, they never do so until a senseless murder forces it upon them.

One, a dignified black minister (James Earl Jones), travels to Johannesburg from his backcountry village both to search for his missing sister (and the friend of a fellow villager) and to support his son.

The other, a wealthy white rancher (Richard Harris), has come to Johannesburg also because of his son - who has been murdered.

Here’s the irony: The minister, a man of God, has a son who murders; the rancher, a man unwilling to share his living space with native blacks, has raised a man who will be murdered by one of them. Further, the murdered man had been working to end the very system that spawned his killer.

“Cry, the Beloved Country” is an examination of how this crime affects these two men, at once so different and yet so similar.

Director Darrell James Roodt has several things going for him, including the simple grace of Paton’s story. His use of location shots effectively contrasts a beautiful mountainous landscape with an undercurrent of fear, poverty and simmering violence.

Most of all, however, he benefits from the performance of Jones. A man of unquestionable strength, who has portrayed every powerful character from boxer Jack Johnson to Darth Vader, Jones underplays his performance here to perfect Anthony Hopkins-like proportions.

Held together by his uncompromising faith - a stand that apparently has set him apart from his family (particularly his radical brother, played by Charles S. Dutton) - Jones’ holy man nearly unravels under the strain of the sin committed by his son. Yet he doesn’t, as Jones so capably demonstrates. He holds it together, though barely.

Unfortunately, Roodt can’t match Jones’ efforts.

Overall, his film is simply content to retell a story that, although poignant, feels as dated as yesterday’s “Oprah.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo

MEMO: Two sidebars appeared with the story: 1. “Cry, the Beloved Country” **-1/2 Location: Magic Lantern Cinemas Credits: Directed by Darrell James Roodt, starring James Earl Jones, Richard Harris, Vusi Kunene, Leleti Khumalo, Charles S. Dutton and Eric Miyeni Running time: 1:51 Rating: PG-13 Other views Here’s what other critics say about “Cry, the Beloved Country:” Bob Fenster/The Arizona Republic: “Cry, the Beloved Country” is long and slow, and tells nothing new. Jones is a presence on the screen, as he always is. Harris is restrained as a racist who comes to a religious awakening. But restraint is not what Harris does best. You can’t fault the film’s political sentiments, but that alone doesn’t make the film an effective vehicle for communicating emotional or political messages. Kevin Thomas/Los Angeles Times: … the new “Cry, the Beloved Country” confers a mythic, tragic dimension to South Africa’s brutal past while evoking a spiritual dimension in pointing to a future of racial equality and harmony. Soren Andersen/Scripps-McClatchy Western Service: “Cry, the Beloved Country” is the first international film to be made in South Africa since the abolition of apartheid and the election of Nelson Mandela as that nation’s president. As such, it is a heartfelt homage to the kinds of small but significant human connections that brought about those seismic, positive changes in that nation’s politics and culture. Chris Hewitt/St. Paul Pioneer Press: The movie is obviously a valiant labor of love - John Barry contributes a glorious musical score and, when things lag, there are beautiful African vistas to gaze upon. But the movie strains for 90 minutes to depict the conflict Paton summed up in one passionate sentence: “Cry, the beloved country, for the unborn child who is the inheritor of our fears.” Desmond Ryan/Philadelphia Inquirer: In a remake that involves a great deal of rethinking, director Darrell James Roodt uses hindsight to bring a highly effective and affecting perspective to this wrenching story. … The new “Cry, the Beloved Country” has a solemn, almost biblical, resonance that takes the edge off its sharpest dramatic confrontations. Jay Carr/The Boston Globe: “Cry, the Beloved Country” is a handsome production of a classic novel. This is simultaneously its strength and its drawback. It’s an earnest and respectful film that seems too smotheringly aware that it’s based on a novel of unimpeachable stature, and its two distinguished lead performances can do only so much to bring it to compelling dramatic life.

Two sidebars appeared with the story: 1. “Cry, the Beloved Country” **-1/2 Location: Magic Lantern Cinemas Credits: Directed by Darrell James Roodt, starring James Earl Jones, Richard Harris, Vusi Kunene, Leleti Khumalo, Charles S. Dutton and Eric Miyeni Running time: 1:51 Rating: PG-13 Other views Here’s what other critics say about “Cry, the Beloved Country:” Bob Fenster/The Arizona Republic: “Cry, the Beloved Country” is long and slow, and tells nothing new. Jones is a presence on the screen, as he always is. Harris is restrained as a racist who comes to a religious awakening. But restraint is not what Harris does best. You can’t fault the film’s political sentiments, but that alone doesn’t make the film an effective vehicle for communicating emotional or political messages. Kevin Thomas/Los Angeles Times: … the new “Cry, the Beloved Country” confers a mythic, tragic dimension to South Africa’s brutal past while evoking a spiritual dimension in pointing to a future of racial equality and harmony. Soren Andersen/Scripps-McClatchy Western Service: “Cry, the Beloved Country” is the first international film to be made in South Africa since the abolition of apartheid and the election of Nelson Mandela as that nation’s president. As such, it is a heartfelt homage to the kinds of small but significant human connections that brought about those seismic, positive changes in that nation’s politics and culture. Chris Hewitt/St. Paul Pioneer Press: The movie is obviously a valiant labor of love - John Barry contributes a glorious musical score and, when things lag, there are beautiful African vistas to gaze upon. But the movie strains for 90 minutes to depict the conflict Paton summed up in one passionate sentence: “Cry, the beloved country, for the unborn child who is the inheritor of our fears.” Desmond Ryan/Philadelphia Inquirer: In a remake that involves a great deal of rethinking, director Darrell James Roodt uses hindsight to bring a highly effective and affecting perspective to this wrenching story. … The new “Cry, the Beloved Country” has a solemn, almost biblical, resonance that takes the edge off its sharpest dramatic confrontations. Jay Carr/The Boston Globe: “Cry, the Beloved Country” is a handsome production of a classic novel. This is simultaneously its strength and its drawback. It’s an earnest and respectful film that seems too smotheringly aware that it’s based on a novel of unimpeachable stature, and its two distinguished lead performances can do only so much to bring it to compelling dramatic life.