Mister Johnson (1990)

In 1923 British Colonial Nigeria, Mister Johnson is an oddity -- an educated black man who doesn't really fit in with the natives or the British. He works for the local British magistrate, ... See full summary »

Director:

Bruce Beresford

Writers:

William Boyd, Joyce Cary (novel)

Stars:

Maynard Eziashi, Pierce Brosnan, Edward Woodward

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Maynard Eziashi	...	Mister Johnson
Pierce Brosnan	...	Harry Rudbeck
Edward Woodward	...	Sargy Gollup
Beatie Edney	...	Celia Rudbeck
Denis Quilley	...	Bulteen
Nick Reding	...	Tring
Bella Enahoro	...	Bamu
Femi Fatoba	...	Waziri
Kwabena Manso	...	Benjamin
Hubert Ogunde	...	Brimah (as Chief Hubert Ogunde)
Sola Adeyemi	...	Ajali
Jerry Linus	...	Saleh
George Menta	...	Emil
Steve James	...	Aliu
Tunde Kelani	...	Jamesu

Storyline

In 1923 British Colonial Nigeria, Mister Johnson is an oddity -- an educated black man who doesn't really fit in with the natives or the British. He works for the local British magistrate, and considers himself English, though he has never been to England. He is always scheming, trying to get ahead, which lands him in a lot of hot water.

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Plot Keywords:

nigeria | worker | emir | british colonialism | hit in the face | 

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Taglines:

Africa 1923: A clash of cultures between British imperalists and a black man too smart for his own good.

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

April 1991 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Kano, Kano State, Nigeria

Box Office

Gross:

$1,464,242 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Avenue Pictures Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

User Reviews

Mister Johnson

Poignant exploration and depiction of a person with dreams and aspirations. Not your typical film. Based on novel by Joyce Cary (very good novel) and pretty much sticking to the book's plot etc., this story should touch your feelings fairly deeply and perhaps make you think about the illusions (delusions) and impossibilities that drench many people's lives. Beresford (Driving Miss daisy, Breaker Morant) directs tautly and beautifully. Watching this film should make you a wiser, deeper person--don't miss it. (will probably have to buy copy from Amazon or ebay or perhaps from netflix.) Set in Africa, colonial theme is important. Moreover, racial dimension (protagonist is black) makes the story edge towards the politically incorrect. The hero's skin color is significant, but he is not a victim of racism--at least not in liberal's knee-jerk way.