Weisse Massai, Die (2005)

Director:

Hermine Huntgeburth

Writers:

Corinne Hofmann (novel)
Johannes W. Betz (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

15 September 2005 (Germany)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

Based upon an autobiographical novel by Swiss writer Corinne Hofmann, the film tells of a girl, Carola...

Plot Keywords:

Based On Novel

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Nina Hoss	...	Carola Lehmann
Jacky Ido	...	Lemalian
Katja Flint	...	Elisabeth
Antonio Prester	...	Pater Bernardo (as Nino Prester)
Janek Rieke	...	Stefan
Helen Namaso Lenamarken	...	Lemalians Mama
Nicolas Sironka	...	Mini-Chief
Damaris Itenyo Agweyu	...	Asma (as Damaris Agweyu)
Barbara M. Ahren	...	Carolas Mutter (as Barbara Magdalena Ahren)
Robert Dölle	...	Frank
Barbara Herschbach	...	Jenny
Morgan Lematampash	...	Tom
Kiriniyaga Lenamatiyo	...	John
Christine Namkuny	...	Saguna
John Erick	...	Mike

Also Known As:

The White Massai (International: English title)

Runtime:

131 min | Argentina:131 min (Mar del Plata Film Festival)

Country:

Germany

Language:

German | Swahili | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Hungary:16 | Brazil:16 | Australia:M | Netherlands:12 | Germany:12 | Czech Republic:12 | Finland:K-15 | South Korea:18 | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Kenya

Company:

Constantin Film Produktion

Trivia:

The cast and crew lived in tents among the Samburu during the entire shoot. They also studied their language and customs.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Smagsdommerne: (#3.14)" (2006)

Very good movie even with its flaws

The movie is based on the book "The white Masai", and on the true life of Corinne Hofmann, the author of the book.

She becomes attracted to a Masai man while on a trip to Kenya, and eventually moves in with him and marries him. This movie is about love, cultural differences and hard facts of life. It is very romantic but also heart stopping in the struggles for cultural understanding.

The movie does not strictly follow the story of the book, but makes a good job of squeezing the essentials into a 2 hour movie. The tensions, the hardships etc, are well caught much thanks to good acting performances.

I really miss a lot of information in the movie. E.g. how was her relation with other people in the village, especially with "Mama" in the same hut. Also there is often a lack of explaining what other people in the tribe thought of her actions. Some cultural differences are quite insufficiently covered, e.g. how her way to talk to other men contributed to the jealousy of her husband. Many of the hardships in the book are also left out in the movie.

What is truly great about the movie and the story, is that her failures are not hidden. Its not a movie about that the native life in Africa is "so hard" for a sane westerner to live. The sacrifices made from both sides are vast, from their cultural positions and values, but still they are not sufficient to bridge the gap in so many issues.

It is a really good movie. I recommend it to anyone. Ignore the other whining comments here. The movie does a good job, if not perfect, fitting the story into a 2 hour movie. The cultural differences are there to see and think about, even if some things were left out.