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Wah-Wah
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Photos (see all 27 | slideshow) Videos
Wah-Wah (2005) -- Open-ended Trailer from Samuel Goldwyn Films

Overview

User Rating:
6.9/10   1,597 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 16% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Richard E. Grant
Writer:
Richard E. Grant (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for Wah-Wah on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
2 June 2006 (UK) more
Genre:
Drama more
Tagline:
Every family has its own language.
Plot:
Set at the end of the '60s, as Swaziland is about to receive independence from Great Britain, the film follows the young Ralph Compton... more | add synopsis
Awards:
4 nominations more
NewsDesk:
Grant Not Planning Swaziland Documentary
 (From WENN. 2 July 2008, 5:14 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
Saw premier of Wah-Wah at Edinburgh more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Gabriel Byrne ... Harry Compton

Emily Watson ... Ruby Compton

Julie Walters ... Gwen Traherne

Nicholas Hoult ... Ralph Compton - 14 years

Miranda Richardson ... Lauren Compton

Zac Fox ... Ralph Compton - 11 years old
Celia Imrie ... Lady Riva Hardwick
Julian Wadham ... Charles Bingham
Fenella Woolgar ... June Broughton
John Matshikiza ... Dr. Zim Mzimba
Sid Mitchell ... Vernon
John Carlisle ... Sir Gifford Hardwick
Mathokoza Sibiya ... Dozen
Sindisiswe Nxumalo ... Regina
Michael Richard ... Tobias
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Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
Wah Wah (International: English title) (informal alternative title)
more
MPAA:
Rated R for some language and brief sexuality.
Runtime:
USA:120 min | Canada:97 min (Toronto International Film Festival) | Argentina:120 min
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby Digital | DTS
Filming Locations:
Swaziland
Company:
Scion Films more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The teacher in the school scene actually taught history to Richard E. Grant at school in the very classroom where the scene takes place. more
Goofs:
Factual errors: The movie supposedly starts in 1969 with the date appearing on the screen. Yet Swaziland received independence on 6 September 1968. more
Movie Connections:
References Tarzan the Ape Man (1932) more
Soundtrack:
Stay As Sweet As You Are more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
34 out of 40 people found the following comment useful:-
Saw premier of Wah-Wah at Edinburgh, 19 August 2005
10/10
Author: from United Kingdom

Saw Wah-Wah at the Edinburgh International Film Festival – this is a really wonderful film. The story is told from the point of view of Ralph, a child witnessing the breakdown of his parent's marriage and dealing with his father's alcoholism and hasty remarriage. Both the colonial life and the adult relationships are seen, unflatteringly, from Ralph's perspective, and this could easily have been just another caricature of colonial decadence and the end of empire. In fact, despite the sombre story, it has humour and warmth as well as emotional impact. It also looks stunning: it is hard to believe this is Richard Grant's first film. All the cast give strong performances, even if most of them are hardly playing against type: Celia Imry could probably do the "upper-class bitch" and Julie Walters the "blowsy but good-hearted neighbour" in their sleep: but the core relationship between Ralph and his father Harry, played by Gabriel Byrne, is just electrifying. Byrne is totally convincing as the dedicated colonial administrator whose unresolved feelings for his first wife and fears for his future after independence drive him to alcoholism and nearly wreck his second marriage (to the also excellent Emily Watson). According to the press the film has yet to find a distributor: let's hope it is quickly picked up – this is ten times better than any of this summer's blockbusters, and deserves to be seen.

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