A Dry White Season (1989)

A white middle class South African suburbanite with no interest in politics agrees to help his black gardener find his jailed son. His investigation opens his eyes to the horrors committed by the secret police and turns him into a target.

Director:

Euzhan Palcy

Writers:

André P. Brink (novel) (as André Brink), Colin Welland (screenplay)

Stars:

Donald Sutherland, Janet Suzman, Zakes Mokae

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Donald Sutherland	...	Ben
Janet Suzman	...	Susan
Zakes Mokae	...	Stanley
Jürgen Prochnow	...	Captain Stolz (as Jurgen Prochnow)
Susan Sarandon	...	Melanie
Marlon Brando	...	McKenzie
Winston Ntshona	...	Gordon
Thoko Ntshinga	...	Emily
Leonard Maguire	...	Bruwer
Gerard Thoolen	...	Col. Viljoen
Susannah Harker	...	Suzette
Andrew Whaley	...	Chris
Rowen Elmes	...	Johan
Stella Dickin	...	Susan's Mother
David de Keyser	...	Susan's Father (as David De Keyser)

Storyline

Ben du Toit (Donald Sutherland) is a schoolteacher who always has considered himself a man of caring and justice, at least on the individual level. When his gardener, Stanley's (Zakes Mokae's) son, Jonathan (Bekhithemba Mpofu), is brutally beaten up by the Police at a demonstration by black school children, he gradually begins to realize his own society is built on a pillar of injustice and exploitation.

---

Plot Keywords:

anti apartheid activist | state violence | tortured prisoners | gardener | south africa | 

---

Taglines:

One man has opened his eyes to the truth.

---

Genres:

Drama | Thriller

---

Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Reportedly, the making of this movie was spied upon by the South African government during this movie's production in Zimbabwe.

---

Goofs

When Marlon Brando is in court grilling the Doctor. His glasses are on, then they pan away from him for a moment then back to him and his glasses are up on his head. Then they pan away for just a second, and when they go back to him, they are down again. Very subtle but easy to notice.

---

Quotes

Ben du Toit: You must not give up hope, Emily.
Stanley Makhaya: Hope's a white word, laanie. It's not hope we need.

---

Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Robert Redford (1992)

---

Soundtracks

UNOMATHEMBA
Written by Joseph Shabalala
Performed by Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records
Produced by Danny Lawson for Night After Night Ltd.

User Reviews

we will never be the same now

We are pupils in the10th grade in Dumont d'Urville in Normandy (France). We are all sixteen and we have been learning English for six years. We watched the film A dry white season in class and we had to write a review on it.

It is a film shot by Euzhan Palcy in 1997 which is based from a novel by André Brink.

The main characters are Ben du Toit played by Donald Sutherland, Captain Stolz played by Jürgen Prochnow, Stanley played by Zakes Mokae and Gordon played by Winston Ntshona.

The plot deals with apartheid in South Africa in 1976. A naïve history teacher Ben du Toit decides to avenge his gardener's death, Gordon, a black man. He is tortured to death by the white police. Ben becomes aware of the issue of segregation in his country and he sides with the blacks.

We all liked this film because it gave another vision of apartheid, more shocking and violent than the one we had imagined. This film is educative because too many people ignore what white men did to the blacks at that time and even recently. Nowadays, colored people endure discrimination in many countries even if apartheid, slavery have been abolished, so it is a very interesting film, it shows a real and current problem : racism which still exists in our society. We don't know if it can make people's mentalities evolve but it will certainly make people question themselves.

We would recommend this film to our friends because we think people are not informed enough about apartheid.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

Afrikaans Zulu English

Release Date:

20 September 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Dry White Season

Filming Locations:

Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$9,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$202,507, 24 September 1989

Gross USA:

$3,766,879

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,766,879

Company Credits

Production Co:

Davros Films, Star Partners II Ltd., Sundance Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1