Duma (2005)

An orphaned cheetah becomes the best friend and pet of a young boy living in South Africa.

Director:

Carroll Ballard

Writers:

Carol Cawthra Hopcraft (book), Xan Hopcraft (book)

Stars:

Alex Michaeletos, Campbell Scott, Hope Davis

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Alex Michaeletos	...	Xan (as Alexander Michaletos)
Campbell Scott	...	Peter
Mary Makhatho	...	Thandi
Nthabiseng Kenoshi	...	Lucille
Hope Davis	...	Kristin
Jennifer Steyn	...	Aunt Gwen
Nicky Rebelo	...	Coach Nagy
Garth Renecle	...	Hock Bender
André Stolz	...	Xan's Teacher
Charlotte Savage	...	Poetry Student
Ronald Shange	...	Policeman
Eamonn Walker	...	Ripkuna
Nadia Kretschmer	...	Tourist #1
John Whiteley	...	Tourist #2
Clive Scott	...	Tourist #3 - Eager Man

Storyline

During a nightly Porsche ride with his doting rascal Xan, white South African farmer Peter finds and adopts an orphaned cheetah cub, dubbed Duma (just Swahili for cheetah). It becomes the boy's inseparable playmate, even taking it to bed. Peter made clear from the start that the cheetah should be returned to the wild before its full adulthood. But the father is stricken down with a disease just before the cheetah could be returned. Xan's mother sells the farm and moves in with a city aunt. The cheetah escapes, but finds Xan at school, where the new boy is bullied. He decides to run away to the mountains with Duma. On the way they face countless perils, which courage, Xan's intelligence and Duma's instinct overcome.

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Plot Keywords:

animal character name as title | one word title | cheetah | boy | africa | 

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Taglines:

Some friendships are wilder than others.

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Family

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for mild adventure peril

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although several Cheetahs play the part of Duma during the film, one in particular stands out. This cheetah has a very obvious scar on their snout on the right side between the eyes. Most of these cheetahs have a very similar look, but the scar is an easy giveaway on closeups of his face from scene to scene that it is not always the same Duma.

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Quotes

Ripkuna: That is a place of many teeth, my friend.

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Connections

Referenced in Movie Friends: Prashant Prabhakar (2013)

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Soundtracks

Rhaliweni (Railway)
Traditional Shangaan Song
Arranged by Philip Miller
Performed by Sun Glen
Courtesy of Worldgoround Records

User Reviews

A fresh touch of poetry

Being used to today's explosion-filled, fast-paced movies being churned out on a weekly basis for the sake of selling tickets, Duma is what I'd like to say a slap in the face for all of us who get excited over the mediocrity that has brought out "The Interpreter," "Stealth," and what else is playing now...? A movie that I would definitely recommend for an entire family to watch together, there's nothing in here that would make you want to cover your kids' eyes or ears up at anytime. Instead you'd want for them, and for yourself, to sit up and pay attention to this smooth, smart movie.

Don't wait for any explosions. There is a story being told in this movie, and its being told with a fresh touch of poetry which I haven't seen in a long time.

I gave this movie an 8/10 because of one reason: Although the movie is set in Africa, its really hard to tell until halfway through the movie. In fact, the place looked whiter than Little Rock, Arkansas! But it got an 8/10 because of the story, the storytelling, and the smooth pace at which the movie flows.

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros. [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 May 2005 (UK)

Also Known As:

How It Was with Dooms

Filming Locations:

Botswana

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$870,067

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$994,790

Company Credits

Production Co:

Gaylord Films, John Wells Productions, Pandora Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1