A United Kingdom (2016)
Country: US/GB/CZ
Technical: col 111m
Director: Amma Asante
Cast: David Oyelowo, Rosamund Pike, Jack Davenport
Synopsis:
When the heir to the kingdom of Bechuanaland falls for the sister of a London missionary, their intended marriage sparks waves of retrenchment and protectionism in the homeland and Commonwealth Office alike.
Review:
Not a love story at all, actually, but more a political film, in which the young chief must, as he puts it, out-manoeuvre the post-war British government, which seeks to avoid upsetting South Africa at all costs. Perhaps that is why the romance itself is arrestingly underwritten and the second half of the film is far more effective, but we still feel the absence, especially as the character of Ruth Williams is, for the most part, a somewhat passive one. Pike acquits herself well, nevertheless, in a beautifully heartfelt performance, and Davenport provides outstanding support.
Country: US/GB/CZ
Technical: col 111m
Director: Amma Asante
Cast: David Oyelowo, Rosamund Pike, Jack Davenport
Synopsis:
When the heir to the kingdom of Bechuanaland falls for the sister of a London missionary, their intended marriage sparks waves of retrenchment and protectionism in the homeland and Commonwealth Office alike.
Review:
Not a love story at all, actually, but more a political film, in which the young chief must, as he puts it, out-manoeuvre the post-war British government, which seeks to avoid upsetting South Africa at all costs. Perhaps that is why the romance itself is arrestingly underwritten and the second half of the film is far more effective, but we still feel the absence, especially as the character of Ruth Williams is, for the most part, a somewhat passive one. Pike acquits herself well, nevertheless, in a beautifully heartfelt performance, and Davenport provides outstanding support.
Country: US/GB/CZ
Technical: col 111m
Director: Amma Asante
Cast: David Oyelowo, Rosamund Pike, Jack Davenport
Synopsis:
When the heir to the kingdom of Bechuanaland falls for the sister of a London missionary, their intended marriage sparks waves of retrenchment and protectionism in the homeland and Commonwealth Office alike.
Review:
Not a love story at all, actually, but more a political film, in which the young chief must, as he puts it, out-manoeuvre the post-war British government, which seeks to avoid upsetting South Africa at all costs. Perhaps that is why the romance itself is arrestingly underwritten and the second half of the film is far more effective, but we still feel the absence, especially as the character of Ruth Williams is, for the most part, a somewhat passive one. Pike acquits herself well, nevertheless, in a beautifully heartfelt performance, and Davenport provides outstanding support.