Drum - truth at all costs

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Movie
German title Drum - truth at all costs
Original title Drum
Country of production South Africa
USA
Germany
original language English , Afrikaans , German
Publishing year 2004
length 94 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director Zola Maseko
script Jason Filardi
production Dumisani Dlamini
music Terence Blanchard
Cédric Gradus Samson
camera Lisa Rinzler
cut Troy Takaki
occupation

Drum - Truth at Any Price (Original Title: Drum ) is a South African-US-American-German film drama from 2004 by director Zola Maseko with Taye Diggs and Gabriel Mann in the leading roles.

action

The film is set in the 1950s and is based on real people and events. It is about the employees of the South African magazine Drum , which is produced in the Sophiatown district of Johannesburg . South Africa is ruled by apartheid at this time , people of different skin colors do not work together as equals. An exception is the Drum editorial team , where black and white people treat each other on a friendly basis. The focus is on the young editor Henry Nxumalo , portrayed by the American Taye Diggs, and the chief photographer, Jürgen Schadeberg , born in Germany , played by Gabriel Mann. At that time, Sophiatown was the place where the urban culture of black South Africans was most pronounced. The editors of Drum , such as the journalists Can Themba and Todd Matshikiza , as well as Nelson Mandela , who was also often portrayed in Drum in reality , are also shown in the film.

The film begins with a report by Nxumalo about a boxing match in which Nelson Mandela takes part as a spectator (Lindane Nkosi). Nxumalo leaves his wife Florence (Moshidi Motsheegwa) at home and begins an affair with a singer. Drum editor Jim Bailey ( Jason Flemyng ) asks Nxumalo to write a report on the criminal scene in the townships . Nxumalo agrees. During his research in Sophiatown, he sees gang boss Slim ( Zola ) killing a person. Encouraged by his wife and Nelson Mandela and with the help of Jürgen Schadeberg, Nxumalo dares to work as an investigative journalist . He lets himself be employed on a potato farm and, as an undercover agent, reports on the catastrophic living conditions on the farm. Finally, he lets himself be thrown into jail and then reports on the conditions. These actions bring him great success.

Nxumalo fights against racism and apartheid, which can also be found in Sophiatown. But even as a journalist, he has no chance against the rulers who are driving the residents of Sophiatown and tearing the district down. At the end of the film, he falls victim to a conspiracy . Nxumalo is stabbed to death by unknown perpetrators as he tries to oppose the demolition of Sophiatown.

backgrounds

Originally, Zola Maseko planned a six-part television series called Sophiatown Short Stories, but not enough financial resources were available. Drum - Truth at Any Price is Maseko's first feature film. The budget was around 30 million rand , at that time around four million euros. The recordings were made in South Africa. They started in May 2004 and lasted around six weeks. On May 29, 2004, producer Dumisani Dlamini was shot in the head. The soundtrack consists mostly of jazz music of the type that was particularly popular in Sophiatown in the 1950s.

Unlike portrayed in the film, Nxumalo was stabbed to death while investigating an abortion scandal.

Nxumalo, Schadeberg and Bailey were played by American actors, the other actors come from South Africa.

Premieres

The premiere took place in September 2004 at the Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto . It was then shown at various film festivals, for example in Germany as the opening film of the Munich Film Festival on June 25, 2005, and in a dubbed version on distribution from December 1, 2005. The film was released in South African cinemas in July 2006. In the USA, however, the film was only released as a DVD version.

Reviews

The film received mostly positive reviews.

"... an intelligent, moving film steeped in an authentic sense of time and place. (... an intelligent, moving film, immersed in an authentic feeling for time and place.) "

- Sura Wood, The Hollywood Reporter

“… An intelligent and affecting take on political radicalization in 1950s Johannesburg. (... an intelligent and touching recording of the political radicalization in Johannesburg in the 1950s.) "

- Joe Leydon, Variety

"... unoriginal plotting techniques to convey the story of an investigative journalist attempting to expose racial injustices in a society coming to grips with the newly introduced edicts of apartheid ... depends on just a few too many big-screen cliches and predictable plot-turns . (... unoriginal plot techniques to portray the plot of an investigative journalist trying to expose the racist injustices of a society grappling with the newly introduced apartheid decrees ... depends on too many on-screen clichés and predictable storylines .) "

- Francesca Dinglasan, Boxoffice Magazine

“... The film wants to set a sign of hope and give an example that social interaction between races is possible, even if not without controversy. Although not always geared towards historical accuracy, the film tears a little-known chapter of South African apartheid history from oblivion in a touching way. "

- Lexicon of international film

Awards

Others

In 1988 the documentary Have You Seen Drum Recently? by Jürgen Schadeberg, who deals with the same topic.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Article on the role of post-apartheid films in South Africa, especially Drum , accessed on April 23, 2011
  2. ↑ Drum - Truth at Any Price in the Lexicon of International FilmsTemplate: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used , accessed April 23, 2011