Cry Freedom (1987)

Starring: Kevin Kline and Denzel Washington
Grade: A-

Make no mistake about it, Jimmy Kruger is burning in hell.

Summary

We open with a caption stating that with the exception of two characters whose identity were concealed to ensure their safety, all the people and events depicted are true.

On November 24th, 1975, at the Crossroads Settlement slum in Cape Province, Republic of South Africa, police raid the place and assault many. Many are sent back to their respective homelands after being found without work permits and being told to leave previously. On the radio, it’s said there was no resistance to the raid and many of the illegals voluntarily gave themselves up to the police, which we know is a complete and utter lie. Moving back to the scene of the destroyed slum, tanks continue to destroy any building still standing. In a broken-down structure of some sort, a picture of anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko (Washington) is put up.

At the local hospital, Dr. Mamphela Ramphele (Josette Simon) talks to a nurse about the radio report of the raid but assures her that if Biko were caught, they would’ve heard about it. One woman says Biko was with Steve Jones, so he’s probably fine because Jones would’ve called them otherwise. At the newspaper corporation of the Daily Dispatch, editor Donald Woods (Kline) gets a bunch of photographs of the police’s raid from reporter Ken Robertson (Kevin McNally). Robertson asks about Biko because his picture was everywhere at the scene. Though he couldn’t have been there when it happened, Robertson notes that one of his followers mad enough about Black Consciousness could have been trying to make a stand. Woods tells him to leave Biko out of it because he wants the police to be blamed for the raid. Instead, he’ll “take care of Biko in an editorial”. Sometime after, he releases an article entitled “Bantu Stephen Biko – The ugly menace of black racism”. Ramphele goes straight to the Daily Dispatch to complain and is taken to Woods’s office. Woods doubles down and says he’s taking a stance against white prejudice. He says he will take no part in “some sensationalist pushing black prejudice”. An offended Ramphele explains that this isn’t what Biko is about at all. She says he’s one of the very few who can save South Africa and if Wood’s is the honest newsman he claims to be, he should go to King William’s Town to meet Biko because it’s his “banning area”, as he’s not allowed to leave this spot by law. Intrigued, Woods heads to King William’s Town.

Woods finds a church and meets Biko’s wife Ntsiki (Juanita Waterman). She shows him around the church and how they have turned the inside into a community center of sorts. This way they can hold classes and such for the black people of South Africa. In the backyard of the church, Donald Woods finally meets Steve Biko by his lonesome. Biko explains that he legally can’t be seen with more than one person at a time. This is why they didn’t meet inside the church. Even if someone were to bring coffee to the two of them, it would break the ban and the police would arrest him immediately, as they are just across the road waiting for him to mess up. Biko assumes Woods would agree with his banning. Surprisingly, Woods doesn’t approve of banning at all, but he does think Biko’s ideas are dangerous. Biko passes him off as a “white liberal”. Though Woods isn’t ashamed of the title, Biko goes on and talks about how a white liberal like himself shouldn’t have to tell him or his people how to feel about apartheid. Woods wonders how Biko would be as a liberal with the same advantages, but Biko laughs it off and offers him to sit down, so they can talk. Later, the two drive to the Zanempilo Clinic and Health Center, a hospital for and run by black people. While outside, Biko talks about how when he was a student applying for the only jobs they were allowed to have, he came to the realization that the history being taught was made and written by white people. Because of this, it’s not hard to believe that some black people born were made to feel inferior from an early age. He helped start this movement to show his people they have the capacity to be doctors and such.

The problem was that he was recording and writing things down. This is how he was caught.

Once he mentions how the newspapers started to attack him soon after the government did, Woods says he went after him because he was being racist. Pointing out that Woods has never visited a black township, Biko suggests he come see it for himself to see how 90% of his countrymen actually live.

Back at home, Woods meet with his wife Wendy (Penelope Wilton) and tells her how Biko’s followers were able to build a clinic from local money from the community, church money from overseas, and some of the mining companies donating. Wendy jokingly asks if Biko has talked Woods into following Black Consciousness, but he assures her this hasn’t happened. However, he has agreed to go with Biko to see a black township, though he’s not sure how they’ll do this since Biko is banned. At Biko’s house, Ramphele wonders if this is worth the risk and worries Biko will get caught, especially since he has to escape his own house to pull this off, but Biko assures her everything will be fine. That night, Biko and Woods figure out a way to travel into a poor black township together. While surveying the scene, Biko talks about how most black women who have work permits are domestic maids, so they only get to see their kids for a couple of hours on Sundays. Additionally, there is danger at every corner and no matter how hard you or your parents worked, you would only get the education the white man gives you. He boils it down to the fact that whether you’re smart or dumb as a white person, you are born to a better situation than a black person in the same situation. The two go to a local bar with some of Biko’s friends and Biko enjoys himself on the dance floor while Woods asks the others questions. For starters, he thought the Shibeen queens were informers. One guy says they are because if they weren’t, the police would shut down the bar entirely. However, they don’t inform on everything. Woods is also told that Biko is articulate because when he was 17, he was taken to a mission school after his father died.

Biko excuses himself from the dance floor and rejoins his friends. This is where he tells Woods that husbands and wives who can’t find work in the same white town are not permitted to live together in the same black township. Woods explains to him this is the Afrikaner government’s fault and how it’s not all white people’s fault for apartheid. One of Biko’s friends Peter (Jim Findley) interrupts to ask Woods how many maids he has, with Woods admitting he has one. Before they can argue though, the ever-cheery Biko changes the subject by toasting with some alcohol. Later that night, Woods, Biko, Peter, and the rest of Biko’s friends continue to discuss politics. Woods insists the liberals are looking to move towards integration, but they counter with how they still have to go what the white man allows for them, which isn’t fair. As one of the elder statesmen talks about how their culture was before the white people took control and how beautiful it was, Woods tries to bring up the tribal wars they had. Always the quickest one in the room, Biko counters by bringing up World War I and II, which pretty much shoots that argument in the foot. As they continue to talk, Woods starts to loosen up a bit more and is beginning to see Biko’s points. Following this, Woods brings Tenjy Mtinsto (Wabei Siyolwe) and Maptela Mahapi (John Matshikiza) to the Daily Dispatch and adds them to the staff. Robertson is bothered by this, but Woods argues that they will cover real black news for the first time, and it could give them a lot more readers. Later, Woods takes Robertson to a soccer match where a black speaker is talking on a live microphone during the game. Once the guy is done, Biko speaks to the audience in attendance and talks about how they will fight their fight and teach their history, so they don’t believe they are inferior when facing the white man, as well as how no man is superior to the other.

He concludes by saying how they will face the white men any way he chooses. They are prepared for conflict, but they will have an open hand too, as the goal is to work together to make a South Africa worth living in and for equals, black or white.

The applause is loud and Woods joins in. Robertson does so too, but it’s more out of obligation. Soon after, someone informs on Biko, and he’s arrested. At the police station, Captain De Wet (Timothy West) reminds Biko how he was out of his banning area and talking to a crowd. When he talks about a potential trial at the Pretoria court, Biko says everyone is aware of the paid informer saying whatever De Wet wants him to say. De Wet gets angry and promises to put him away. He tries to strike Biko, but Biko stops his hand, prompting the other two cops to grab Biko. De Wet slaps him, so Biko slaps him back. De Wet stops himself from going any further however because he knows Biko will have to go to trial anyway. At the trial, Biko is questioned directly about his statements and criticisms towards the white, minority-controlled South African government. The attorney tries to bate Biko by twisting his words and acting as if he’s advocating violence towards the government because his own documents talk about how important a “confrontation” is, but Biko counters with the fact that he’s in a confrontation with him and they aren’t attacking each other. The judge asks why there’s nothing good about the government stated in his documents, but Biko explains that they do so little in this direction that it’s not even worth commenting on.

Zinger after zinger with this guy.

As he explains the true meaning behind Black Consciousness, we cut to some masked assailants breaking into the church in King William’s Town and destroying everything with bats. One of them unmasks themselves while searching through the area and it’s Captain De Wet. Privately, he’s spotted by one of the men. The next day, Wendy is helping clean up the church and she tells Woods to go to South African Minister of Justice Jimmy Kruger (John Thaw) because he’s always wanted to fight police illegality. Ramphele thinks Kruger would love to hear what happened because of his own personal prejudice, but Woods thinks otherwise. After Father Kani (Zakes Mokae) gets a confirmation from the guy that witnessed everything that it was in fact De Wet, Woods is told Biko went to the clinic to draw off the security police. Wendy tells Woods to fly to Pretoria because the local police will only laugh at him here. In Pretoria, Woods meets with Kruger. There, Woods questions why Kruger has banned Biko and says they need a black leader they can talk to, but Kruger insists he had to ban him. He then goes through the history of the Afrikaners and talks about how they didn’t colonize South Africa, they built it. Kruger suggests Biko wants them to give this all up and tries to trash black people for coming to them for a job. Woods mentions how they had no choice since white people controlled most of the land and how their cheap labor has helped their economy. Kruger agrees that they want to find a way to live together, but it will take time to figure out. Additionally, he doesn’t want white people to just roll over and give everything up overnight. Woods tells Kruger he should meet Biko because he’s much more intelligent than he thinks, with Kruger taking it for consideration.

Then, Woods tells him about the break-in at the church and how he has an eyewitness saying that a member of Kruger’s police force was one of them. He wants Kruger to do something internally because the eyewitness is too afraid to testify, so Kruger agrees to do something. Things are looking up. Sadly, we see the reality of the situation the very next day. At Woods’s home, two members of the security forces demand to know the name of the witness because Woods has to let them know by law. They also say their orders come from the very top, implying Kruger. Woods refuses and tells them to come back with a warrant.

This is just the beginning. With every coming day, Woods learns more and more of the corruption in South Africa and the threats stemming from the Afrikaners in power. His friendship with Steve Biko makes him and his family a target of the country. At the same time, Biko’s message continues to spread, but he won’t be able to escape the evil forces controlling the country for much longer.

My Thoughts:

Informative, insightful, and inspiring, Cry Freedom tells the true story of Bantu Stephen Biko, his unlikely friendship with white journalist Donald Woods, and Woods opening his eyes to see the true horrors of apartheid in South Africa. Directed and produced by Richard Attenborough, the film covers the second half of Biko’s life as an already known public figure in the Black Consciousness Movement stirring up change in his country. Meanwhile, Woods finds himself right in the middle of it as a newsman in the country who initially opposes the leader. Well-acted, powerful in its message and story, and a great showcase of how one can change the mind of many, Cry Freedom is a special epic that should be talked about much more than it is.

Denzel Washington is one of a kind as the articulate, educated, wise-beyond-his-years Steve Biko. Radiating leadership and heroism with just his presence onscreen, the always respected Washington understood the caliber of man he was representing and was able to transfer the young speaker’s aura and power as a thinker and orator onto the big screen for the world to see, so they too could understand the type of person Biko was. Right from his first meeting with Donald Woods, we sense something special about Biko. Starting with the way he’s positioned in his introductory scene, with something obstructing Woods’s vision of him, the audience leans in as they hear the calming voice of Washington telling him of his current situation with the government. Immediately upon stepping away and revealing his face, he emanates a sense of purity and holiness just because of the way Washington carries himself. Accompanied by his charismatic smile and approach to anyone who encounters him, Washington’s respect for Biko is shown through his performance, and it takes no time at all for the audience to be attracted to the leader’s presence. You’ll also enjoy seeing the fun-loving side of Biko just as well. Everyone likes being around the man.

It’s even said that he has “a way with women”. Who’s a better choice to emulate this than Denzel?

Being fearless in the face of villainy that is as powerful as the government you are forced to live under, Steve Biko was an oft-forgotten hero who took on all comers and welcomed discourse just to open the conversation for all to see. His ideas, thoughts, and vision of the future are well respected by screenwriter John Briley. Because of this, there are so many moments where you think to yourself how good of a point he’s making. One point in particular is discussed when Biko mentions the importance of teaching history. He talks about how if the white people in charge keep pushing their history onto the black people of South Africa, they will always feel like they are inferior because it’s as if their own history isn’t worth talking about. It’s purely propaganda by the Afrikaans to avoid touching on the black side of history, which is just as important. This is something he stresses and it’s a great point when discussing the topics of history teaching in general. You’ve probably heard the phrase “History is written by the winners”, reminding us how there’s always a bias when teaching the subject depending on where you’re at. With a few carefully written speeches by Biko that only scratches the surface of who he was, you’ll realize quickly how much he was put up against in such a small amount of time and how some of the stuff he was fighting for is still very relevant to today. This is how well the Biko portions of the movie are handled and how good Denzel Washington is in the role. Every spoken line is said with power and wisdom where you can’t help but follow his every word.

“You can beat me, jail me, or even kill me, but I will not be what you want me to be”.

He was taken down time after time, was banned, had to live in hiding, and had to live his short but eventful life in secret, but he never wavered in trying to fight the tyranny and racism that ruled his country. Watching him as he fights the courts and refuses to back down from the words he said before or fighting them in private like when we watch him hide subversive documents in his child’s clothes when his house is searched, the incredible life Biko lived at such a young age is one worth checking out. It’s not talked about enough. Living in danger and being threatened by the government that should be protecting you is something no one should have to go through, but Biko sees it as his duty to face it so life can be better for the rest of his people. Now, that is a hero. His martyrdom was earned, and Denzel Washington and Cry Freedom honored his legacy with the utmost respect. When the characters go to see his mutilated body and have to practically force their way in to see it, you feel as if you saw one of your own die. It’s devasting to see him killed halfway through the film, but history and the truth can be crushing. Even so, the funeral procession sequence was very moving and worthy of a legend. Everyone is affected by the young man’s death, and it’s a beautiful scene capturing the raw emotion from all of those affected by the tragedy of his death. The images of Biko’s face everywhere and the picture of the black fist on his casket were powerful messages in understanding what he meant to the black people of South Africa. This is where the film is at its best. Up until this point, it’s handled very well.

Sadly, once Steve Biko dies, a part of the movie dies with it.

Though Kevin Kline does a very good job in making his role as Donald Woods mean as much as it does, the movie takes a noticeable dip once Biko is out of the picture. Without the presence of Washington’s Biko being a guiding light for the story and the movie as a whole, the film turns into something else entirely. As Donald Woods tries to figure out what to do next, so does the narrative’s momentum. We start to forget about the Black Consciousness Movement and the people we are introduced to by Biko, as the focus is entirely on Woods and his family. Now, I don’t want to call Cry Freedom a “white savior” movie or an example of “whitewashing” because this would just minimize what Donald Woods actually went through. His daring escape from South Africa to seek political asylum through Botswana to England is legitimately scary stuff, especially with his family being involved and shot at, and his little kids being attacked by unknown assailants who put itching powder on Biko merchandise sent to them. The security forces showing up at Woods’s house and threatening his maid to the point where he has to point his gun at them to get them off his property shows us the fear his family had to live in because of his friendship to a black leader and his growing support of him. Woods’s plight is worthy of documentation just as well, so to pass this off as an example of “whitewashing” is a little disrespectful to what actually happened to the man being depicted. In addition, I can’t say that the third act wasn’t exciting and filled with intense buildup and genuine interest in what was going to happen next. The acting from everyone involved was top notch, and the sense of danger is very real from Kline, Penelope Wilton, and the children as they try to pull off the impossible. When he’s already in his priest disguise and is about to leave before he hugs his older daughter in silence to not alert his smallest children, and he just shares a saddened glance at his son because there’s a possibility that he could be killed during his route is a hard-hitting one.

When the audience sees all the factors that went into what Woods had to go through, and the risks all the people involved had to take to get Woods and his family to safety to publish that book and spread Biko’s message to the world, you’ll see why this was such an incredible story for Donald Woods as well as Biko. This is why in a scene like when Woods is trying to figure his way through the forest, and we cut to Biko saying “In war we take risks. Well, we’re at war”, it hits harder. It makes you and Woods want to push through for Biko.

With that being said, and though Woods is vital to explaining this story as a whole, did we really think his struggle against the government should have superseded Biko’s in importance? Honestly, it felt a little ignorant in that regard. Unfortunately, this may be the unfortunate result of having someone like Attenborough direct this story. The focus shifting to Woods and his family felt like an incredible disservice to the story and real people at hand. I just don’t think Cry Freedom should have been about Woods, at least to the level it’s presented here. When the movie should be getting deeper and darker while delving into the more serious issues within the government, their attacks on their own citizens, and Biko’s followers attempting to continue his fight as Woods does the same, the movie instead does a complete 180 once Biko is killed, and it turns into almost an adventure/escape thriller with some elements of humor (like with Woods’s dance upon getting through the border and cussing out the white guys while dressed like a priest). Again, everything that happened with Donald Woods was movie worthy, Kline was the right choice to play the role, and the action was well handled, but it just felt like we forgot about Biko once things got deeper, which should have never been the case. Thankfully, when we get fully entrenched in the trek Woods is facing, we cut to random asides and quotes from Washington’s Biko just so his face is shown onscreen. Just in these moments, his presence puts us at ease. It’s like his words forever resonate with Woods too, with the way it’s presented. We are given this feeling that Woods wouldn’t have made it without being reminded of Biko and what he meant to him. Not only does it show us the power Washington possesses as a star and how fantastic he was as Biko (saving the action of the third by giving it more meaning), but it just reminds the audience how much we miss the character too.

This is why the second half of the movie feels a little watered down when compared to the first half. We are supposed to be more worried about Woods’s book about Biko than Biko himself. The actual conversation about it between Woods and his wife Wendy was even more strange. When Woods stresses the importance of this book, she has the audacity to accuse him of just wanting a book published and not the significance behind it. Considering everything he’s already been through, this is a pretty outrageous accusation on her part. However, what’s even weirder is that he admits that he does want the book to be published, which complicates the overall motivation of Woods and the viewer’s outlook on the real-life figure. Then, he adds that they can’t just let the government bury Biko’s name and Wendy outrageously exclaims “Who do you think you are? God?”. First of all, where the fuck is this coming from? Wendy knows how important Biko was and how Woods has connected with Biko and his family on a personal level. Why is she this unreasonable? This was the only dialogue exchange that truly stuck out as poor and confusing in a way. However, it was also pivotal in shifting the focus to her and the family, even though truthfully, we don’t really give a fuck about her opinion in the grand scheme of the story. Woods is the one putting himself on the line here. Yes, it sucks for the rest of the family, but Stevie Wonder could see the writing is on the wall for their time in South Africa! For her to not see that boggles my mind. The least she can do is back him up because he’s right in saying he’s the only one who knows Biko’s story like him. Her inability to see the bigger picture and act like this is an ego thing (with him somewhat agreeing with her) was very poorly executed and did not help in winning us over to the side of Woods and his family when compared to Steve Biko and his life.

When it should be getting deeper into Biko, his people’s struggles, the interactions he has with his followers and those were vehemently opposed to him, and his fight against the evils of the government, we constantly go back Donald Woods and his story, as if to say that Woods and his plight was the heart of the issue. This is where the “whitewashing” criticism comes into play, which is why I see both sides to this. Cry Freedom just wasn’t about him. It was all rooted back to Biko. He needed to be more of the focus. Sure, Woods could be used to center the film, but this story was screaming to be much different than what it ended up being by the time the credits came onscreen. We can go back and forth all day about how the movie should have been made, but we do have to face certain facts. Though you could focus things more on Biko and include more from when he first started to gain traction as a public figure, once Donald Woods would inevitably get involved, it would be hard not to include his eventual exit from the country from a dramatic perspective. This part has to be in it. The fact of the matter is that both men will always be tied together, so this story is hard to tell in a film format without going about things the way they do. Even so, there’s still too much of a focus on Woods and his family, and it could have been avoided. In a perfect world (potentially with a different director), the movie could have been structured in a similar way, be focused more on Biko as the main character and when he first starts getting big, and still have the section of Donald Woods escaping with his family without him superseding Biko in importance within the narrative. It would take minor structural changes at best. This is why the final product is a bit frustrating.

I do commend the refocus of the anti-apartheid message once the film is over by showing the suspicious claims of the South African government of all the supposed suicides and unexplained deaths in prison of anti-apartheid activists before the end credits. This was a striking, eye-opening way to highlight the importance of what was going on during that time frame. It’s an ending that will leave you shocked to your very core after you realize what they got away with.

The corruption and lies spread by Jimmy Kruger and the South African government about how Mapetla hung himself (even though Biko got word that the police showed Mapetla a puppet hanging from a string the day before he died) and how Biko was apparently on a “hunger strike” while in jail, the prison scenes and Biko’s treatment while incarcerated, and the police being cleared of any wrongdoing in Biko’s death will sicken you. The harsh realities of life sometimes are more infuriating than anything a screenwriter can come up, and this is very true with a lot of elements of Cry Freedom. By the time we get to the kids protesting in the graphic “Soweto uprising” sequence, you won’t believe the atrocities human beings have put their own through. A moment like this seems made up because of how insane it is but knowing that it actually did happen makes it all the more heart-wrenching. Shedding light on such moments, as scarring as they are, really helps the overall quality and message of Cry Freedom in presenting to the global viewing audience what was going on in South Africa. Considering this is a country that in 1962, legalized imprisonment without trial, it goes to show you that there is so much more to world history than what goes on in the North America. This may seem obvious to some, but it’s still a point that needs to be said. Some people really don’t understand how different life is for the other 150 countries on this planet. There’s so much we don’t know about the rest of the world. When you start doing research and taking a look at the history of others and understanding perspectives on a global scale, you’ll become a more well-rounded and educated person, as you see what others have been through and how completely different life can be on the other side of the planet.

In some cases, this can be the power of film. It can show you perspectives you have never seen before, and it can change the way you think or approach life in general.

It’s like what the man himself said, “Change the way people think and things will never be the same”. If this is Cry Freedom‘s legacy, it’s a good one to hang your hat on. Even though it’s not fully complete from a narrative perspective and maybe not what it could have been, it’s still a wonderful film that does a lot of good. We need more movies like this. We just hope it’s done a little better next time around.