[Director] Dornford-May deftly balances the details of his setting with the universality of his themes, exploring every dusty corner of a village thrumming with tension between patriarchal leaders and strong-willed women.
U-Carmen eKhayelitsha
2005 · 2h 2m · N/A
Drama, Music, Romance
Directed by
Mark Dornford-May
Overview
U-CARMEN is a feature film based on Georges Bizet's 19th-century opera that was filmed on location in a modern South African township setting. The energy, compassion, and heat of township life in all its elements create a constantly visually interesting and dynamic background for the unfolding of the story, which owes part of its huge popularity to the thrilling combination of a violent gangster tale with a passionate, almost supernatural love story. As it unfolds, it explores issues of fame and wealth, the position of a strong and independently minded woman in a very masculine society and, perhaps most importantly, the incomprehensible attraction between abuser and victim. Bizet's opera, based on Prosper Merimée's novel, premiered in Paris on March 3, 1875. Set in a poor area of Seville, the story of the magnetic woman who seduces, loves, and ultimately destroys her lover and herself...
Director and cast
- Mark Dornford-May Director
- Pauline Malefane as Carmen
- Andile Tshoni as Jongikhaya
- Lungelwa Blou as Nomakhaya
- Zweilungile Sidloyi as Lulamile Nkomo
- Andries Mbali as Bra Nkomo
- Zamile Gantana as Captain Gantana
- Andiswa Kedama as Amanda
- Ruby Mthethwa as Pinki
- Noluthando Boqwana as Manelisa
- Ross Garland as Policeman
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
No one can know whether Bizet would have approved of the movie musical U-Carmen e-Khayelitsha. But you suspect that he would have admired the filmmakers' gall.
A vivacious film that is a treat for eyes and ears.
This was basically the best idea ever.
Performances and singing are both on the money, and the film's organic, realistic feel seems to have been bolstered by the translation contribution that thesps Malefane and Andiswa Kedama made to the screenplay.
More films
2046 (2004)
Drama · Romance · Science Fiction · R
Women enter and exit a science fiction author's life over the course of a few years after the author loses the woman he considers his one true love.
- Runtime
- 2h 8m
- Director
- Wong Kar-Wai
- Cast
- Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Maggie Cheung, Gong Li
Tsotsi (2005)
Crime · Drama · R
A young South African boy from the Johannesburg ghetto named Tsotsi, meaning Gangster, leaves home as a child to get away from his helpless parents. Now a teenage thug, Tsotsi finds a baby in the back seat of a car he's just stolen. He decides that it is his responsibility to care for the infant and in the process learns that maybe the...
- Runtime
- 1h 34m
- Director
- Gavin Hood
- Cast
- Presley Chweneyagae, Jerry Mofokeng, Terry Pheto
Dolls (2002)
Drama · Romance · Not Rated
Dolls takes puppeteering as its overriding motif, which relates thematically to the action provided by the live characters. Chief among those tales is the story of Matsumoto and Sawako, a young couple whose relationship is about to be broken apart by the former's parents, who have insisted their son take part in an arranged marriage to...
- Runtime
- 1h 54m
- Director
- Takeshi Kitano
- Cast
- Miho Kanno, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Tatsuya Mihashi
Heavenly Creatures (1994)
Drama · Fantasy · R
Precocious teenager Juliet moves to New Zealand with her family and soon befriends the quiet, brooding Pauline through their shared love of fantasy and literature. This friendship gradually develops into an intense and obsessive bond.
- Runtime
- 1h 49m
- Director
- Peter Jackson
- Cast
- Melanie Lynskey, Kate Winslet, Sarah Peirse
The Lorax (2012)
Animation · Family · PG
A 12-year-old boy searches for the one thing that will enable him to win the affection of the girl of his dreams. To find it he must discover the story of the Lorax, the grumpy yet charming creature who fights to protect his world.
- Runtime
- 1h 26m
- Director
- Kyle Balda, Chris Renaud
- Cast
- Danny DeVito, Zac Efron, Ed Helms
Home Makeover (2010)
Animation · Comedy · Family · N/A
When a social worker visits Gru’s house to assess its suitability for children, chaos ensues. Margo, Edith, and Agnes, along with the ever-mischievous Minions, scramble to give the home a makeover in record time. Their attempts to create a warm and inviting environment quickly spiral into hilarity as the Minions’ unorthodox methods lea...
- Runtime
- 5m
- Director
- Kyle Balda, Samuel Tourneux
- Cast
- Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier, Elsie Kate Fisher
Orientation Day (2010)
Animation · Comedy · Family · N/A
The Minions embark on their first day of work, eager to prove themselves in their new roles. After watching a hilariously outdated 'Initiation Video,' three rookie Minions take on bomb-carrying duty. Predictably, their enthusiasm quickly spirals into chaos as they bungle the simplest of tasks. Packed with slapstick comedy and the Minio...
- Runtime
- 4m
- Director
- Kyle Balda, Samuel Tourneux
- Cast
- Pierre Coffin, Rob Huebel
Comments
Talk about the film with other members