Cry Freedom (1987)

Explaining the title I think Cry Freedom means that the “black” Africans wanted freedom because they were very suppressed by the “white” government. They were really treated very unfair. They didn’t have the freedom to do anything. But the white could do anything they liked, so there were big differences between black and white people. I think that if you would look very simple to the title and explain it, you could explain it like a cry for freedom. First impression It was quite an impressive movie with lads of different feelings that hit you during the movie. It were mostly sad feelings when you could see how the black people were suppressed by the government. What I think was most impressive was the police just murdering big groups of people. They just shoot anyone they saw, because of nothing actually. Even children were killed by them in front of their parents. And the other way around as well. That made me feel sad. It made me think about that time and how it would be like to be a black child in that time. I think it was terrible, because you could be arrested or shoot at any moment. I think you couldn’t do much of playing or going to school because it was all forbidden for black people. But I think it is hard to imagine because I don’t know such things from here. I never knew much about apartheid, but after seeing this movie and searching on the net, I know much more. At the beginning I thought it was just like discrimination, but the movie showed me that it was much worse. So the movie really impressed me.
Theme of the movie The theme of the movie is Apartheid. Apartheid was a period in the African history where white government suppressed the black people. Everything was separated in that time. For instance, above the entrance of a public toilet were texts like this: And most of the times, the special “white-things” were much better than the “black-things”. So it was really un-fair how the black people were treated. It is a bit like racism. But than much, much worse. Because with racism it is just an opinion of some people, who call them names and stuff. But with Apartheid it were actually almost all white people there who forbade the black people almost everything. The movie is about a white man, Donald Woods, who fights for the freedom and against the suppression of the black. Biography Donald Woods December 15 *The birth of Donald Woods in 1934 is marked on this date. He was a white South African journalist and activist. A fifth-generation South African, he grew up the way most Whites of his generation did, as a believer in apartheid. Wood was from Transkei in remote South Africa, he spoke English and Xhosa. In 1950 after hearing a parliamentary debate, his conservative views changed because of what he called “the great obscene lie of apartheid.” As a law student, he later turned to journalism. In the mid-1970s, he tried without success to persuade government officials to talk to Steve Biko, a Black South African activist. Instead, security police arrested Biko in September 1977. Biko (30 years old) was beaten unconscious and driven naked in chains about 700 miles to the prison where he died. Woods' outraged crusade after that death led to his being "banned" for five years, which confined him to his home and prohibited him from writing or being in the company of more than one other person. Shots were fired at his house. He eventually fled with his family to London. You may recall Woods from the 1987 film "Cry Freedom." Directed by Richard Attenborough, the film starred Kevin Kline as Woods and Denzel Washington as "Black Consciousness" movement leader Steve Biko. As editor of a 30,000-circulation newspaper in coastal East London, South Africa, Woods' attacks against apartheid, his country's now-defunct system of racial segregation, made him the nation's most famous charismatic and controversial journalist. Woods lived long enough to return to his homeland as an honored man after apartheid fell. Donald Woods died in London after a long fight with cancer on August 19, 2001. He was 67. My opinion on Donald Woods I think Donald Woods was a great person. He fought for South Africa in the time of Apartheid like no white man did. Lots of people say they want to change something in the world. He didn’t say it, he did it! I think he really did a great job by publishing the book about Steve Biko. By that book he showed to the world how the people really were hurt by the government during the Apartheid period. I feel sorry for him that he died early. In Dutch there is an expression “Ze plukken de mooiste bloemen als eerst”. Which means that the most beautiful flowers are picked out first. Or in this case, the best humans. One of the characters in detail Steve Biko
Stephen Bantu Biko (December 18, 1946 - September 12, 1977) was a noted anti-apartheid activist in South Africa in the 1960s. Because he was dissatisfied with the National Union of South African Students, he helped found the South African Students' Organisation in 1968 and elected its first president; in 1972 he became honorary president of the Black People's Convention. He was banned during the height of apartheid in March 1973, meaning that he was not allowed to speak to more than one person at a time and so could not make speeches in public. It was also forbidden to quote anything he said, including speeches or simple conversations, or to otherwise mention him. On September 6, 1977 he was arrested at a police roadblock. He suffered a major head injury around September 6th while in police custody and was chained to a window grill for a full day. On September 11, police loaded him into the back of a car and began the 740-mile drive to another prison. He died en route. Police claimed his death was the result of an extended hunger strike. Short summary The story starts when Donald Woods, a journalist, gets photographs of his colleague about a rude irruption in a camp for black people. He doubts before he publishes them. Donald is against black parties. Ones like ‘the black conscience’. He decides to write an article about the leader of that party. His name is Steve Biko. The government hates Steve because he has revolutionary ideas. On the day the article is published, Biko’s wife comes to see Donald. She wants him to meet Steve to listen to his ideas. Donald decides to give it a try and drives to Biko’s house in King William’s Town. Biko can only talk to him in his garden, because he is not allowed to talk to more than one person at the time. Biko is very calm and shows Donald how the black people live. He tells him that the black people get the feeling they’re less worth because they have to live in old and dirty townships. When black people are in “the white world”, they get the feeling they’re less worth because the whites have got everything and they’ve got nothing. Just because they’re black. Steve tells Donald that they don’t want to live like whites. Because they’re so close and call everyone family, so everyone is equal in their world. Steve takes him to a center where black people get education and medical care. Donald seems impressed and decides to write about it. Biko gives a speech at a football-game. That’s the only place where they can have social meetings and whites can’t come. When the police finds out, Steve is caught. To release him a few days later. One night Biko’s whole center is destroyed by a masked person. One man from the center who stayed up late, recognized the policeman who arrested Biko. Next day, when Donald found out, Donald drives to the minister of justice, Mr Kruger, to tell him what happened. Kruger promises to do whatever he can. But actually he is the person who destroyed the center himself! A few weeks later police is coming to Donald’s house because the judge want the names of the witnesses of the destroyed center. If Donald refuses, he can get to jail. He doesn’t give the names. Two of his black journalists are arrested. One of them dies is custody. The press writes she killed herself in jail. But the black society knows that isn’t true. On the 11th of September 1977, Biko gets arrested again and injured very badly. He is that badly injured that he has to go to the hospital. There is one is the neighborhood but the police is afraid he will escape so the police sends him to a hospital 7000 miles away. On the 12th of September 1977, Steve Biko dies in custody. The polices claims he was in a hunger strike and died because he didn’t ate. His family has the right to see the body before it gets buried. Donald publishes photo’s of Steve’s body in his newspaper to show how worse it is. Biko’s funeral is very busy, because all his black followers are there. They sing all together an African song with the text: ‘God bless Africa’. Donald gets punished because he published something about Steve. And is only allowed to talk to one person at the time. Donald wants to help the black and wants to go to England to write and publish his book about Steve. He can’t do that in South Africa because he isn’t allowed to write anything anymore. When Donald tells his wife about his idea, she first doesn’t agree to leave to England. She doesn’t believe he can change it on his own. But when anti-black send burning t-shirts to their kids, she thinks it is a good idea. Donald plans to escape with the alias ‘father Curren’. His wife and children are escaping a few days after him. They will have to pass South Africa on plane which is very hard because all planes are controlled in South Africa. But they make it. They leave in a plane to England…