Cry, the Beloved Country

Canada Lee stars as a village priest in South Africa who must travel to the dreaded city of no return - Johannesburg to find his sister, now a prostitute and his son, who, when he finally finds him, has been arrested for the murder of a white man.

Based on the acclaimed novel, this is a deeply serious but quite subtle essay on the inevitable coming of apartheid in South Africa. Whilst it is all rather depressing, the story still gives hope for the country slowly descending into the abyss. Lee is convincing as the gentle, goodly but deeply naive man of god, who ultimately must redeem himself. This is against a wealthy white land owner and father of the murdered man, played by Charles Carson who learns from his dead son's writings that segregation is not the answer. The supporting cast is strong with solid turns from Geoffrey Keen, Joyce Carey, Michael Goodliffe and Sidney Poitier in an early role as a devout, but strong and powerful priest who helps Lee.

Serious and compelling stuff. Sad that the poster for the film only shows the supporting white cast members, sort of missing the point.