Jamie Uys

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Jacobus Johannes Uys , better known as Jamie Uys (born May 30, 1921 in Boksburg , † January 29, 1996 in Johannesburg ), was a South African film director , film producer , screenwriter , film editor and actor . He was also involved in some of his directorial work as a cameraman .

Uys was the first South African filmmaker to make his international breakthrough with the 1974 documentary The Funny World of Animals . His most successful film was the comedy The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980).

Uys is also credited with a significant role in building the South African film industry. However, his legacy is controversial and continues to be controversial: Critics accuse both his works and himself of being too close to the apartheid ideology .

life and work

Jacobus Johannes Uys was born in Boksburg in 1921 , 20 kilometers from Johannesburg . Both parents were teachers; the father a headmaster. The Scottish neighbors of the family called him Jamie , and he kept this modification of his first name even as an adult.

After finishing school he studied at the Randse Afrikaanse Universiteit and received his diploma from the Pretoria Normal College . Then he worked in a gold mine for two years before returning to Boksburg as a math teacher. There he met Hettie van Rooyen, also a math teacher. In 1945 the two married. Uys moved to near the Palala River located farm of his father, helping him in his trading activities. For a time he was also a lay judge at a peace tribunal .

Beginnings as a filmmaker

Jamie Uys took his first self-taught steps in the film industry in 1949. His brother Jok, a school photographer , was able to borrow a film camera for two weeks, so the two of them planned to shoot a feature film in Afrikaans during their vacation time. There was no script, just a quickly drafted scenario by Jamie in which an awkward farmer falls in love with the new village teacher and his stupid manners lead to some situation comedy. Jamie and his wife Hettie played the leading roles themselves; there was no one else with film experience in the team made up of friends and neighbors. So two weeks turned into two years, until after many complications, re-shoots and dubbing, the film with the title Daar Doer in die Bosveld (literally: “Over there in the bush field”) was finished. It was the first South African color film and it had brought the Uys to the brink of financial ruin.

Jamie Uys had a strong connection with the Kalahari , where several of his films were made. Serious dramas also feature in his filmography, but Uys is best known for his comedies. The Gods Must Be Crazy was an international hit and was shown non-stop in the United States for three years .

Filmography (selection)

Unless otherwise stated, it is a feature film and a film in English.
Abbreviation: D = script, R = director, P = production, F = film editing, K = camera, S = drama

  • 1951: Daar Doer in die Bosveld (English title: Far Away in the Bushveld ), Afrikaans - D, R, P, F, K, S
  • 1953: 50-50 (Vyftig-vyftig) , Afrikaans & English - D, R, F, S
  • 1954: Daar Doer in the Stad , Afrikaans & English - D, R, P, S
  • 1955: Money Soos Bossies , Afrikaans - D, R, P, F, S
  • 1958: Die Bosvelder , Afrikaans - D, R, P, S
  • 1961: Taking a Seat to Die (The Hellions) , directed by Ken Annakin - p
  • 1964: A case for Tom Davis (Dingaka) - D, R, P
  • 1965: All roads lead to Paris (All the Way to Paris , alternative title USA: After You, Comrade) - D, R, P, S
  • 1967: The Professor and the Beauty Queen - D, R, P, S
  • 1969: Death before eyes (title in Afrikaans: Dirkie ; English title: Lost In The Desert ) - D, R, P, S; in all functions with the pseudonym Jamie Hayes
  • 1974: Animals Are Beautiful People (Animals Are Beautiful PeopleSoft) , documentaries and wildlife films - D, R, P, F, K
  • 1976: Watch out, people - camera! (Funny People) - D, R, P, F, K
  • 1980: The Gods Must Be Crazy (The Gods Must Be Crazy) - D, R, P, F, K
  • 1983: Funny People II - D, R, P
  • 1989: The Gods Must Be Crazy II (The Gods Must Be Crazy II) - D, R

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Jamie Uys, 74, the Director Of 'The Gods Must Be Crazy'. New York Times , February 2, 1996, accessed June 22, 2019 .
  2. ^ A b c Jan-Ad Stemmet: Sangoma of the silver screen . Jamie Uys as film maker 1950–1964. Ed .: Ensovoort - Journal for Cultural Studies. January 27, 2015, ISSN  2616-7670 (English, ensovoort.com [accessed June 23, 2019]).
  3. ↑ Lost In The Desert (Dirkie). archive.org , accessed on June 22, 2019 .
personal data
SURNAME Uys, Jamie
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Uys, Jacobus Johannes (real name); Hayes, Jamie (pseudonym)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION South African film director, film producer, screenwriter, film editor and film actor
DATE OF BIRTH May 30, 1921
PLACE OF BIRTH Boksburg , South Africa
DATE OF DEATH January 29, 1996
Place of death Johannesburg , South Africa