British social drama from the book by Alan Paton, from London Films and director Zoltan Korda has Reverend Kumalo (Canada Lee) living and working in a small farming village in South Africa. When he receives word that his sister is ill in Johannesburg, he journeys there and learns some terrible truths about not only his own family, but his nation as a whole. Kumalo is assisted by Johannesburg priest Msimangu (Sidney Poitier), and his Kumalo's discoveries bring him into contact with James Jarvis (Charles Carson), the wealthiest white farmer near Kumalo's church. Also featuring Geoffrey Keen, Joyce Carey, Vivien Clinton, Michael Goodliffe, Albertina Temba, Edric Connor, and Lionel Ngakane.
This was a shocking look at apartheid conditions in South Africa, a situation that wasn't widely known or discussed in Europe or the U. S. Stage star Canada Lee is heartbreaking as a good man facing miserable truths. Lee died soon after filming from a heart attack after being summoned to testify at the HUAC hearings. Many of the local performers were non-professionals, and it shows, but the film gains a sort of Italian neo-realist vibe. I've also see the 1995 film version featuring James Earl Jones and Richard Harris. That's worth seeing as well, but making it wasn't a possible legal problem for the participants, unlike the 1951 version.
This was a shocking look at apartheid conditions in South Africa, a situation that wasn't widely known or discussed in Europe or the U. S. Stage star Canada Lee is heartbreaking as a good man facing miserable truths. Lee died soon after filming from a heart attack after being summoned to testify at the HUAC hearings. Many of the local performers were non-professionals, and it shows, but the film gains a sort of Italian neo-realist vibe. I've also see the 1995 film version featuring James Earl Jones and Richard Harris. That's worth seeing as well, but making it wasn't a possible legal problem for the participants, unlike the 1951 version.