Blog 4: Cry Freedom

1. Who was your favorite character from the film? Why?

I would say that my favorite character is Steve Biko, and just because of they way he is, o well said, he is shown. I like the simplicity of his personality, and how he deals with the problems of apartheid and, specially, his banning. I also like the character of Donald Wood because he represents the white part who doesn’t support apartheid, but he is still part of the problem, even when he does not replicate certain behaviors of “white supremacy”.

2. What was your favorite scene from the film? Why?

My favorite scene was the one where Steve Biko is called to testify and to answer some questions in his trial, where he and his friends were arrested for giving political speeches before a local football game. There he is asked for a text he wrote where he talks about his beliefs and criticies white supremacy and the apartheid. I like the scene because with his personality he answer calm and wisely all the questions that tries to incriminate him.

3. How does the film differ from the other films? Use the article from The Guardian to help you

I would say that this film is different from other because the main story is based in a different character. I mean, the struggle against apartheid remains as the main point, but the films shows different point of view and every film with different main characters. Also, in previous films we saw how big parties take place in the struggle, such as the ANC and the African Communist Party. However, in Cry Freedom there’s no space for this parties because Biko wasn’t part of them. Clearly, Steve Biko was an important person in terms of the struggle against apartheid, but, as the article of The Guardian says, he never had the due recognition for the contribution he made to the struggle because he wasn’t a member of the ANC.