Cry Freedom

Year:

1987

Duration:

157 min | Canada:147 min (Ontario)

Genres:

Biography | Drama | History

IMDB rate:

7.5

Director:

Richard Attenborough

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 11 nominations

Details

Country: UK

Release Date: 1987-11-06

Filming Locations: Avondale, Harare, Zimbabwe

Earnings

Budget: $29,000,000

Opening Weekend: $318,723 (USA) (8 November 1987)

Gross: $5,899,797 (USA)SEK 1,774,142 (Sweden)

Cast

Actor

Character

Philip Bretherton

Judy Cornwell

Josette Simon

Dr. Ramphele

Wabei Siyolwe

Tenjy

John Matshikiza

Mapetla

Juanita Waterman

Ntsiki Biko

Evelyn Sithole

Nurse at clinic

Xoliswa Sithole

Nurse at clinic

James Coine

Young boy

Kevin Kline

Donald Woods

Kevin McNally

Ken

Albert Ndinda

Alec

Andrew Whaley

Sub-Editor

Shelley Borkum

Woods' receptionist

Denzel Washington

Steve Biko

Penelope Wilton

Wendy Woods

Kate Hardie

Jane Woods

Graeme Taylor

Dillon Woods

Adam Stuart Walker

Duncan Woods

Hamish Stuart Walker

Gavin Woods

Spring Stuart Walker

Mary Woods

Sophie Mgcina

Evalina

Jim Findley

Peter Jones

Patricia Gumede

Shebeen Queen

Angela Gavaza

Shebeen Queen's niece

Nocebo Mlambo

Aunt

Walter Matemavi

Nephew

Clement Muchachi

Father

Ruth Chinamando

Mother

Basil Chidyamathamba

Brother-in-law

Marcy Mushore

Niece

Alton Kumalo

Speaker

Lawrence Simbarashe

Informer

Timothy West

Captain De Wet

Carl Chase

Policeman

William Morgan Sheppard

Policeman (as Morgan Sheppard)

Tichatonga Mazhindu

Dilima

Zakes Mokae

Father Kani

John Thaw

Kruger

Miles Anderson

Lemick

Neil McPherson

Lemick's assistant

Hepburn Graham

Soga

Claude Maredza

1st Rugby player

Carlton Chance

2nd Rugby player

Glen Murphy

1st Secuity guard

Russell Keith Grant

2nd Security guard

Munyaradzi Kanaventi

Samora Biko

George Lovell

Nkosinathi Biko

Andrew McCulloch

Policeman Nel

Graham Fletcher-Cook

Nel's partner (as Graham Fletcher Cook)

Karen Drury

Young secretary

Niven Boyd

1st Roadblock policeman

Tony Vogel

2nd Roadblock policeman

Christopher Hurst

3rd Roadblock policeman

Gerald Sim

Police doctor

Peter Cartwright

Senior police officer

Gary Whelan

Police sergeant

Dudley Dickin

Nationalist Party delegate

David Trevena

Mortician

Badi Uzzaman

Mortician's assistant

Robert Phillips

Speaker at funeral

Fishoo Tembo

Biko's brother

Peggy Marsh

Helen Suzman

Gwyneth Strong

Girl at funeral

Julian Glover

Don Card

John Hargreaves

Bruce

Paul Herzberg

Beukes

Robert MacNamara

Security policeman

Hans Sittig

Security policeman

Kimpton Mativenga

Black security policeman

David Henry

Afrikaner farmer

Michael Turner

Judge Boshoff

Ian Richardson

State Prosecutor

Mawa Makondo

Jason

Kalie Hanekom

Magistrate Prins

Paul Jerricho

Sergeant Louw

Star Ncube

1st Prisoner

David Guwaza

2nd Prisoner

Tommy Buson

Tami

Joseph Marcell

Moses

Hilary Minster

1st Passport Control officer

James Aubrey

2nd Passport Control officer

Peter Cary

White frontier policeman

Dominic Kanaventi

Black frontier policeman

Sam Mathambo

Lesotho passport officer

Walter Muparutsa

Lesotho businessman

Alec McCowen

Acting High Commissioner

Gwen Watford

Wendy's mother

John Paul

Wendy's stepfather

Louis Mahoney

Lesotho government official

Michael Graham Cox

3rd Passport Control officer

John Hartley

4th Passport Control officer

Simon Shumba

Young Lesotho official

Garrick Hagon

McElrea

Nick Tate

Richie

Marilyn Poole

Acting High Commissioner's wife

William Marlowe

Police captain at Soweto

Leonard Boucher

(uncredited)

Ian McNeice

(uncredited)

Did you know?

Trivia

Often shown in two 80-minute parts, allowing for a convenient intermission in cinemas and for the two parts to be shown, for example, a week apart on television.

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A 1960 Chevrolet was seen where Woods was making his way to the Lesotho border.

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This film was part of a cycle of pictures made during the 1980s that featured journalists covering war. The movies include Salvador (1986), Under Fire (1983), Circle of Deceit [Circle of Deceit (1981)], Witness in the War Zone (1987), Cry Freedom (1987), The Killing Fields (1984) and The Year of Living Dangerously (1982).

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Goofs

When the Woods family are on the beach planning their getaway (supposedly the beach close to East London, South Africa) the "sea" has vegetation growing out of it (trees, branches etc.). No filming could take place in South Africa at the time, so this scene was filmed at Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe.

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An extra that played a heavily wounded protester (shot in the back during the revolts) in Soweto jumped out of his lying position in a lively fashion when other extras (that were supposed to carry him off) started lifting him off the ground.

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Although the film is set in South Africa, circa 1977, one of the buses arriving at Steve Biko's funeral plainly bears advertising for Charon's - a Zimbabwean brand of sweets not known in South Africa.

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Quotes

Steve Biko: I just expect to be treated like you expect to be treated. Come on, what are you so afraid of? Once you try you see there's nothing to fear. We're just as weak and human as you are.

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Steve Biko: ...but you a black child, smart or dumb, you're born into this and smart or dumb, you'll die in it

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State Prosecutor: But your own words demand for DIRECT CONFRONTATION!

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