Cry Freedom | 
| Director: Richard Attenborough
Actors: Denzel Washington, Kevin Kline, Josette Simon, Wabei Siyolwe, John Matshikiza
Studio: Universal Studios
Category: DVD
List Price: $12.98
Buy New: $3.20
You Save: $9.78 (75%)
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Rating:  50 reviews
Sales Rank: 5517
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Subtitled
Languages: English (Original Language), French (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled)
Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
DVD Layers: 2
DVD Sides: 1
Picture Format: Letterbox
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 157 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5 x 0.6
MPN: 62020516
ISBN: 0783230532
UPC: 025192051623
EAN: 9780783230535
ASIN: 0783230532
Theatrical Release Date: November 6, 1987
Release Date: February 23, 1999
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Amazon.com essential video
Sir Richard Attenborough (Gandhi) directs this semi-successful drama about the relationship between South African black activist Steven Biko and a sympathetic newspaper editor (Kevin Kline). Attenborough's typical sweep of the life and times of Biko is particularly rewarding in the first half of the film, but once the leader comes to his untimely end at the hands of white police, the story shifts entirely to Kline's character and the latter's efforts to escape the country with his family. That change is a tactical error in the script that robs the film of its initial power and makes the arguably unfortunate choice of emphasizing the destiny of a white character when Biko himself deserved an entire feature for his story and causes. --Tom Keogh
Product Description
Editor donald woods fights apartheid with activist steve biko. Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 08/22/2006 Starring: Denzel Washington Kevin Mcnally Run time: 157 minutes Rating: Pg Director: Richard Attenborough
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| Customer Reviews: Read 45 more reviews...
 The future is absent April 17, 2009
Jacques COULARDEAU (OLLIERGUES France)
A long film about a very important character from South Africa, Stephen Biko. He is one of these Blacks who did not survive apartheid, who actually died a long time before their normal time. The already old film though does not show how important Biko was, what he really represented. His life and his teaching is reduced to little, at best a few witty remarks. The film being from 1987, the objective was to push South Africa over the brink that would lead her to liberation. So the film aims at showing how irrational the South African supporters of apartheid are, in 1987. To show this the film has to look beyond Biko's death, hence to center its discourse not on Biko but on a white liberal journalist and his escaping the absurd system in which he is living. His escape is made necessary because of the victimization he is the victim of, along with his family, and because he wants to publish the first book on Biko, after his death, and that can only happen in England. The film shows a way to escape South Africa, while apartheid is still standing and killing. So do not expect this way to be realistic and true. It could not be. But the film has tremendously aged because it does not show South Africa with any historical distantiation, the very distantiation that has taken place under Nelson Mandela's presidency and that is called forgiveness provided those who want to be forgiven speak up and out. The film is strong and emotional but that very historical limit makes it rather weak today, especially since the film does not mention the third racial community, the Indians. Panegyric books or films all have that defect: they are looking at the person they are supposed to portrait from only one point of view. That explains why the film has aged so much, seems to be coming from so long ago, as if nothing had changed at all. A remake is necessary.
Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne, University Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines, CEGID
 Yes!!! March 26, 2009
A. McManus (Tennessee)
Loved, loved, loved this movie! Denzel once again does a superb job of depicting Biko....don't know why I hadn't seen it earlier.
CRY FREEDOM March 14, 2009
Loves To Read (Twin Cities, MN USA)
Based on a true story and book by the same name the film starts out in 1975 in South Africa with the police raiding a black township and destroying almost the entire village along with killing and wounding many residents. Donald Woods, a liberal newspaper editor, captures some of the photos of the raid and publishes them along with a piece about Steve Biko, the black activist leader, accusing him of reverse racism. A black woman medical doctor manages to get thru to Woods and challenges him to personally meet Biko and see if he is really racist. Woods accepts the challenge and begins a friendship between two unlikely people in apartheid South Africa. Both men eventually must put their lives and families' lives at risk in the cause of overturning apartheid. Another one of several outstanding films portraying the struggle of blacks in South Africa for the freedom and dignity so many of us took for granted. The cinematography and music are outstanding along with Denzel Washington. Can be viewed by the whole family except younger children. Enjoy!
Inspirational and Illustrative January 27, 2009
DR (USA)
One biggest complaint about the movie is that it fools you at first into thinking it will address an evolving relationship between Donald Woods and Steve Biko. But when Steve dies suddenly you realize abruptly that that plot line is over!
I find the movie inspirational because it illustrates so well the power of right ideas, and the trust placed in those who understand to the core the implications of these ideas.
But most of all what I enjoy about this movie is the core theme of what happens when governments attempt to steal from people those God-given rights we all share. For like all other animals on this planet, who have the rights to be and to exist as they were created, so do we humans have the right from birth and till death to be as humans are to be, whatever the form and without coercion from a master force, within a properly limited government. As Steve says in one scene, "We [South African blacks] don't want to be forced into your [South African whites] society. I'm going to be me as I am and you can beat me or jail me, or even kill me. But I am not going to be what you want me to be." As another of Steve's friends says in the same scene, "The best you want for us is to be allowed to sit at your table, using your silver and your china, and if we can learn to use it like you do, then you will kindly let us stay." "...but it's an African table. And we will learn to sit at it in our own right." The essence of the human spirit.
Cry Freedom illustrates what happens (and will always eventually happen) when government attempts to remove that which it has no power or right to. Apartheid was the codification of this attempt in South Africa. (As an aside, in the name of government "unions" taking shape all over the world in various forms, unfortunately we see first-hand power being abstracted farther from the people and closer to the hands of the few, making it a simple matter for some distant powerful body to trample the rights of the many for the comfort of the few.)
Please watch this movie.
Honest and Powerful. November 27, 2008
M. Eubanks (Gulf Coast, TX USA)
This is a difficult show to watch, but one that compels you to stay with it until the end. We are studying African history currently in one of our competitive academic teams, and this one left all of us, my students included, speechless. This is a must watch, but be prepared to have some silent reflection time afterwards.
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