Movie Review: A United Kingdom
Love beats a geopolitical storm
Botswana, a landlocked country in Southern Africa, has a landscape defined by the Kalahari Desert and the Okavango Delta, which becomes a lush animal habitat during the seasonal floods. The massive Central Kalahari Game Reserve, with its fossilized river valleys and undulating grasslands, is home to numerous animals including giraffes, cheetahs, hyenas and wild dogs. Source: Google
“A United Kingdom” can be called a romance drama movie. Released in theatres in 2017 it runs for one hour and fifty minutes (1 hour, 50 min) under the genres of History, Biography, and Drama.
The Director was Amma Asante, and the Producers were Brunson Green, Peter Heslop, Charlie Mason, Rick McCallum, Justin Moore-Lewy, and David Oyelowo. Harbinger Pictures, Perfect Weekend, and Pathé comprised the production company, and the movie grossed $3.9 million at the Box Office.
Female British film-maker of Ghanaian heritage, director Amma Asante, broke several glass ceilings with A United Kingdom, her third feature film.
I had been meaning to watch this movie for ages, and am glad that I have just got to see it. Rosamund Pike plays the love interest of Prince Seretse Khama of Bechuanaland. The Prince is played by the handsome David Oyelowo. All the characters in the movie are brilliantly portrayed by the actors and actresses, in my opinion.
The movie is based on extraordinary true events. It is rated PG.
Eye in the Sky screenwriter Guy Hibbert’s screenplay (from Susan Williams’s 2006 book Colour Bar) revisits an often forgotten chapter of postwar history that might be filed under “stranger than fiction”.
In 1947, Prince Seretse Khama of Bechuanaland is studying law in Britain in preparation for his eventual ascension to the throne. There, he falls in love with a white British clerk, Ruth Williams, and they plan to marry.
While they suspect that his uncle, the Regent, would disapprove, nothing prepares them for the diplomatic firestorm and domestic political tumult their defiant love would spark.
The international opposition is unyielding with the British holding their land as a protectorate, and fearful of South Africa’s racist backlash to this affront to their apartheid domination.
Against all odds, the couple persist.
While some reviewers say the film is too restrained or the Director “plays it safe”, resulting in cliched scenes, I say that such a viewpoint is based upon high expectations and experiences with the topic or content of the movie.
Having known nothing about current-day Botswana or its predecessor, Bechuanaland, I dove into this movie with gusto. If you are like me, and you hang onto every word, you will be surprised, dismayed, angry, shocked, angry, happy, and relieved throughout “A United Kingdom.” At one point, being a “softy” I even shed tears.
Some say that Asante was saddled with a script from Guy Hibbert that spells out everything for the audience and oversimplifies its theoretically complex characters. But if you are inexperienced (not knowledgeable) about international relations or about the history of Botswana, you may be glad that things are spelled out for you.
Without giving any more away, I’ll end by saying that I agree with what the Guardian says about “A United Kingdom.”
This true-life romance between an English office clerk and the future king of Botswana is a beautifully shot, crowd-pleasing gem. The audience can laugh at its wry humour and cheer its moments of triumph.
Its true-life tale of unity in the face of cultural apartheid and political expediency remains as relevant as ever in these divided times. “A United Kingdom” is well watching, if you get a chance to see it.