Sarafina! (1992)

Director:

Darrell Roodt

Writers:

Mbongeni Ngema (play), Mbongeni Ngema (screenplay),

Stars:

Leleti Khumalo, Whoopi Goldberg, Miriam Makeba

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Leleti Khumalo	...	Sarafina
Whoopi Goldberg	...	Mary Masembuko
Miriam Makeba	...	Angelina
John Kani	...	School Principal
Dumisani Dlamini	...	Crocodile
Mbongeni Ngema	...	Sabela
Sipho Kunene	...	Guitar
Tertius Meintjes	...	Lieutenant Bloem
Robert Whitehead	...	Interrogator
Somizi Mhlongo	...	Fire (as Somizi 'Whacko' Mhlongo)
Nhlanhla Ngema	...	Stimela
Faca Khulu	...	Eddie (as Faca Kulu)
Wendy Mseleku	...	China
Mary Twala	...	Sarafina's Grandmother
James Mthoba	...	Sarafina's Uncle

Storyline

---

Plot Keywords:

south africa | africa | apartheid | based on play

---

Taglines:

She was their teacher. They were her hope.

---

Genres:

Drama | Musical

---

Details

Country:

South Africa UK France USA

Language:

English Zulu

Release Date:

15 January 1993 (UK)

Also Known As:

Sarafina! Il profumo della libertà

Filming Locations:

Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa

Box Office

Gross:

$7,306,242 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Distant Horizons, Hollywood Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The original Broadway production of "Sarafina!" opened at the Cort Theater in New York on January 28, 1988, ran for 597 performances and was nominated for the 1988 Tony Awards for the Best Musical and Score. Dumisani Dlamini, Leleti Khumalo, Nhlanhla Ngema and 'Mbongeni Ngema' recreated their roles in the movie version. A nomination for the 1988 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical went to Leleti Khumalo.

---

Quotes

Sarafina: Come on, Nelson. Why can't I be a star? What does a star do? Nothing. Look at the camera, flash! Smile at the camera, flash! Look at everybody, big eyes! Say nothing. Stars don't do, stars just be.

---

Connections

Version of Voices of Sarafina! (1988)

---

Soundtracks

"Sarafina!"
Written and Performed by Hugh Masekela

User Reviews

Beyond unrealistic!

I only saw a few minutes of Sarafina!, but I must comment. I think a musical can never be a great teaching tool for anything but a drama class. I have been to South Africa, and granted, it has changed since the days of apartheid, what I saw in this movie is nothing like reality. Even today, the classrooms are not that nice, and the black people I met were nothing like the ones in the movie. I was privileged to see a few concerts of African music, and to spend a large amount of time in classrooms, both in white schools and black schools (yes, they are still segregated, although by location, class and money, rather than law). The general attitude of the people I saw in the movie was inaccurate, as were many details. I couldn't even figure out exactly what story they were trying to tell until I looked it up on TV Guide because it was so generically "African". I am sure that as entertainment and emotional manipulation, the movie is quite effective, but if you are interested in history, please find a more accurate source.