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An Act of Defiance

Original title: Bram Fischer
  • 2017
  • TV-14
  • 2h 3m
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
528
YOUR RATING
An Act of Defiance (2017)
Trailer 1
Play trailer2:24
1 Video
10 Photos
Biography

In apartheid-ruled South Africa, a renowned lawyer struggles to hide his secret affiliation to the nation's chief resistance movement - as he takes on defending a group of its arrested membe... Read allIn apartheid-ruled South Africa, a renowned lawyer struggles to hide his secret affiliation to the nation's chief resistance movement - as he takes on defending a group of its arrested members, including its leader, Nelson Mandela.In apartheid-ruled South Africa, a renowned lawyer struggles to hide his secret affiliation to the nation's chief resistance movement - as he takes on defending a group of its arrested members, including its leader, Nelson Mandela.

  • Director
    • Jean van de Velde
  • Writers
    • Dominic Morgan
    • Matt Harvey
    • Jean van de Velde
  • Stars
    • Peter Paul Muller
    • Antoinette Louw
    • José Domingos
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.2/10
    528
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Jean van de Velde
    • Writers
      • Dominic Morgan
      • Matt Harvey
      • Jean van de Velde
    • Stars
      • Peter Paul Muller
      • Antoinette Louw
      • José Domingos
    • 2User reviews
    • 6Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 8 wins & 4 nominations

    Videos1

    Bram Fischer
    Trailer 2:24
    Watch Bram Fischer

    Photos10

    An Act of Defiance (2017)
    Peter Paul Muller in An Act of Defiance (2017)
    Peter Paul Muller in An Act of Defiance (2017)
    An Act of Defiance (2017)
    Peter Paul Muller and Antoinette Louw in An Act of Defiance (2017)
    Peter Paul Muller and Antoinette Louw in An Act of Defiance (2017)
    Peter Paul Muller at an event for An Act of Defiance (2017)
    An Act of Defiance (2017)
    An Act of Defiance (2017)

    Top cast

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    Peter Paul Muller
    • Bram Fischer
    Antoinette Louw
    • Molly Fischer
    José Domingos
    • Percy Yutar
    Conrad Kemp
    Conrad Kemp
    • Joel Joffe
    Sello Motloung
    • Nelson Mandela
    Daniel Janks
    Daniel Janks
    • George Bizos
    Morné Visser
    Morné Visser
    • Officer Dirker
    Fezile Mpela
    • Bruno Mtolo
    Willie Esterhuizen
    • Lieutenant Swanepoel
    Izel Bezuidenhout
    Izel Bezuidenhout
    • Ilse Fischer
    Hannes Brummer
    • Bob Hepple
    Zak Hendrikz
    • Dave Kitson
    John-Henry Opperman
    • Denis Goldberg
    Dan Robbertse
    • Judge de Wet
    Russel Savadier
    Russel Savadier
    • Sir Harry Oppenheimer
    Sylvaine Strike
    Sylvaine Strike
    • Hilda Bernstein
    Jana Strydom
    • Shirley Hepple
    Leroux van Diemen
    • Paul Fischer
    • Director
      • Jean van de Velde
    • Writers
      • Dominic Morgan
      • Matt Harvey
      • Jean van de Velde
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      For the South African release, the producers decided to dub Peter Paul Muller's (Bram Fischer) voice, as the they felt that his Dutch accent was too strong for the South African audience. His voice was dubbed by well known Afrikaans actor and director Andre Odendaal.

    User reviews2

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    A History Triumph: Outstanding Script, Acting, & Direction
    Very well scripted and acted portrayal of the 1963 arrest and trial of Nelson Mandela and nine other ANC "trialists" (aka defendants) in apartheid-era South Africa. The focus is on their Afrikaner (white) defense lawyer, a well established advocate but political outlier from his own tribe as a closet communist and ANC supporter, whose whole life and family are roundly threatened by his sincere and dedicated, but predictably abortive, legal defense of the accused. An intriguing ethnic and cultural counterpoint is provided by the persona of the state's main prosecutor, a Jew whose role in prosecuting all ten defendants includes three who are also Jewish -- and is very motivated to do so for personal ideological reasons. As a period piece, this film feels very authentic, capably capturing the moods, sentiments, and affects of the privileged yet ever-fearful Afrikaners, the militant cadre of black resisters against apartheid, and the white supporters of that cadre in the South Africa of that era. The dialogue often varies delightfully between the serious and sporty, with most of the main characters seamlessly weaving English and Afrikaans verbiage together. The only real complaint is with the subtitles: They contain many mistakes in transcription and punctuation, and others are simply superfluous (e.g., "engine noises"). Not to worry, though, as the overall flow of meaning is usually clearly understandable, nonetheless. For all of South-Africa-philes, courtroom-drama aficionados, and history buffs, this is a very moving and insightful film that illustrates that good and evil can sometimes be intermixed and that even well intentioned people can suffer the burden of a complex of beliefs, motivations, fears and emotions that aren't always honorable.
    helpful•7
    0
    • wpeigles
    • Dec 31, 2019

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    Details

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    • Release date
      • March 1, 2017 (South Africa)
    • Countries of origin
      • Netherlands
      • South Africa
    • Languages
      • Afrikaans
      • English
      • Zulu
    • Also known as
      • Bram Fischer
    • Filming locations
      • South Africa(location)
    • Production companies
      • Spier Films
      • BNN-VARA
      • Cool Beans
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Budget
      • $3,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross worldwide
      • $180,706
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      2 hours 3 minutes
    • Color
      • Color

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