A DRY WHITE SEASON

US, 1989, 107 minutes, Colour.
Donald Sutherland, Zakes Mokae, Janet Suzmann, Susan Sarandon, Marlon Brando, Jurgen Prochnow.
Directed by Euzhan Palcy.

A Dry White Season is a most moving film, based on the novel by South African author Andre Brink. The screenplay was written by Colin Welland (Chariots of Fire, Twice in a Lifetime) and reworked by the director Euzhan Palcy (the young Martinique director of Sugar Cane Alley).

The film has an international cast, designed for making its impact on the wide audience outside South Africa. It is an attempt, especially by the black director, to create characters who are credible, both black and white, but will make the appreciation of the abuses of apartheid clear to the predominantly white audience.

Donald Sutherland gives a very moving performance as the schoolteacher who comes to an awareness of the oppression of apartheid in South Africa. Janet Suzmann is his uncomprehending wife. Jurgen Prochnow is the cruel head of the Special Branch. Susan Sarandon is a journalist and there is an impressive guest role by a huge Marlon Brando as an English lawyer.

The cast also includes many South African actors, especially Zakes Mokae, and in guest roles, British actors like Michael Gambon and Ronald Pickup.

Filmed in Zimbabwe, set in 1976, the film focuses on the response of one family to apartheid and oppression - and makes its point tragically.

1. The impact of the film? On world audiences? South Africa and its issues? Apartheid and race?

2. For whom was the film made? The stars and the perspective of the plot? The perspective of the director? The combined effect?

3. The viewpoint of the story? Black point of view, white point of view? The emphases in the dialogue? The final violence and the killing of the director of the special branch? (The whites contributing what they could, the blacks taking action.) The final statistics about torture and disappearances?

4. The title and its ironies? 1976? The whites in South Africa before '76, after?

5. The credits and the two boys playing, the subsequent history of each boy? The symbolism of each boy? Jonathan, his arrest, his death? The white boy and his living, changing perspective?

6. Jonathan, the arrests, playing, the caning and its effect? The protest by the schoolchildren? Their plan, the march, singing? Smoke bombs, the shooting? The number of children shot? The riots, chases and death? The little girl being killed, Jonathan helping, his arrest and disappearance?

7. The portrait of Gordon and Emily? Their concern, their children? Gordon as the gardener, his discussions with his children and their future, going to school? Emily and her strength? Going to Ben, the explanations, the easy relationship, master and servant? Getting the information from McKenzie? Ben thinking that something must have merited the punishment, and that nothing could be done? Jonathan's death, no body and information? Gordon and his desire for justice, getting the affidavits, the interviews? The night arrest, the taking of the documents? The brutality of the torture? His death? His body laid out, the violence of its wounds? Emily and her decision to fight, getting the group together, Stanley and his co-ordination? Ben and his presence? Emily in court, the losing of the case? Embracing Ben? The eviction from her home? The children taken in the night, into the truck? Her being beaten, her death? Gordon and Emily as the symbols of the oppression of apartheid?

8. Stanley, his mysterious presence, taxi-driver, attitudes? Friendship with Gordon, at school with Emily? The confrontation with Ben, taking him to view Gordon's body? The contacts? Susan's reaction to him? The gathering of the affidavits, the discussions with Ben - and nicknaming him Lannie (Honky)? Drunk at Christmas, the final plan, Melanie and the documents? His finally shooting the head of special branch? His motivation - approved of or not? Violence or not?

9. Donald Sutherland's portrayal of Ben: with his family, the football, playing with his boy, with his grandson, his daughter and her husband, Susan? His age, going along with the regime, presumptions? A decent man? Friendship with Gordon? His work at school, teaching Dutch History? The dinners? The family discussions? Benign? The information, trying to help, contact with McKenzie?, the news of Jonathan's death? The friendships on the staff and in the staff room? His son and the sport, his carving? His pride in his family? His decision to go to see Gordon's corpse, the effect? The dangers and hiding in the taxi? His refusal to be interviewed by Melanie? Going to the colonel, being reassured? The autograph for Stolz? Their warnings to him? His decision to go to court, the interview with Mc Kenzie and the argument? The presentation of the case, his being aghast at the evidence, the case being lost? His embracing Emily, the photos in the paper? His being snubbed in the staff room, his eventually being sacked, his being asked to remove his son from the school? The collection of the documents, the range of interviews with the schoolgirl, the officer, the hospital personnel? The secret hideout? The search for the documents? Susan and her giving the information? The arguments within the family, Stolz and his search of the house? Susan and her reaction, her decision to leave? His daughter and her concern about her husband's future? The warnings by Stolz? Melanie and the plan, Zimbabwe? His son and the documents, the explosion in the home, the shots in the night? His daughter as decoy, the pain with the betrayal of his daughter? His pride in his son? Getting the material to the papers? His meditating, his violent death? A symbol of a South African coming to awareness - memories of his childhood and growing up, talking with Stanley, and yet his power position? The change? A decent man? Audiences identifying with him?

10. Susan as a typical South African: ordinary, her presuppositions, appearances, white domination, the past, the winning of the land, every inch? The meals and the discussions? Love for her family, the horror of what was happening, not being able to stay with Ben? The search of the house, the brutality on her boy? Siding with her daughter and her husband? Their bigotry, mockery, violence? The betrayal by the daughter, Stolz thanking her?

11. The son, young boy, ordinary, at school, sport? His siding with his father, the interrogation and the boy's brutality? The outings with his father, love for his mother? Shrewd about his sister's observations, hiding the documents? His riding the bike and delivering them to the papers? The future generation and his consciousness?

12. Stolz, his brutality, the beatings, the torture? The African witness seeing him - and later being shot after giving testimony? Wanting Ben's autograph? In the court, his smugness, his presuppositions? The search of the house, his comment on Ben's taste, the warnings? Suzette, getting the documents, his smouldering anger, his brutality in killing Ben, driving back over him? The final expose? Stanley killing him?

13. The presentation of the South African authorities: the magistrate and his bigotry, his findings on the case? The prosecutor? The colonel and his warnings? The military, both black and white? The torture teams?

14. McKenzie? and Marlon Brando's presence: size and accent, his realism and the justice in South Africa, changing the laws? His ideals, arguing the situation with Ben? Taking the case, his cross-examinations, his witty making of points, incisive questions, presenting the photos of torture? His losing the case - and his desperate cynicism about South African law?

15. The people in the court, the dentist and his answering according to plan, Ben's later visit to him and his resisting the truth? The imprisoned doctor and his house being bugged, giving testimony? The tortured black prisoner and his fearlessness against Stolz? His disappearance and death?

16. Apartheid, the dramatisation of Soweto? The poor housing, conditions? The contrast with the whites, their homes? The black servants - and the whites talking about them as they served? The court and its segregation? A just portrait of apartheid at work in South Africa?

17. The film's stand against apartheid, ideas, practice, injustice? The emotional argument for a world-wide audience?