Movies have a great way of promoting a country. They turn people on to the idea of travelling there. Crocodile Dundee sparked a whole generation of American tourists to Australia. After watching Mick Dundee tackling crocs and sweeping a New York broad off her feet, they wanted nothing more than a bit of Down Under action. It is the reason the Australian tourism board put millions into Baz Luhrmann’s Australia. It was a two-hour long ad for Oz. Unfortunately they backed the wrong horse. The storyline was so atrocious, it may have left people thinking Australia was as boring as the movie.
Now before you snigger at the misfortune of the Australian Tourism Board, our big cinematic hooray this year is the film version of Disgrace. But it is far from the ad campaign South Africa needs. Coetzee’s dark story of post-apartheid misery was bad enough as a book. Actually let me restate that, it was a good book, but the worst piece of long copy advertising for South Africa ever made. My wife is Australian. And when her mum read the book, she almost died. If she had been worried about me dragging her daughter off to South Africa before this, reading Disgrace sent her mind into overdrive. While the media reports of rape and murder may have scared her, this book personalised it. Made the story so much more intimate.
Now it’s a movie. With the big vistas and beautiful scenery shots. The type of shots that make us long to be somewhere. But then they are intercut with men abusing their power, women being raped, dogs being put down, loneliness, desperation and the loss of dignity. The only character who presents us with any real sense of humanity is a middle-aged lady who puts down dogs for a living. And they cast an Australian to play her. As if they looked at all of us and thought there is no one here who can portray hope, we’ll have to get someone in.
Disgrace the movie could not have come at a worse time. Especially with the World Cup coming and a worldwide recession already here. Tourists and potential investors are already suspicious. Just look at what Louis Taylor wrote in the Guardian two weeks ago. Her article was titled: Why going to South Africa for the World Cup terrifies me. Disgrace is the 90-minute technicolour expression of that thought.
The only glimmer of hope is that the film is actually not that good. Yes, the story is competently told. But, lucky for us, the director’s shooting style is more suited to the staged storytelling of a Wes Anderson film than a gritty human story like Disgrace. In the hands of a director like Mike Leigh or Ken Loach, who understand how to truly document human torment, no one would be coming to the World Cup next year.
What more can I say? Bring on Matt Damon and Morgan Freeman in Invictus — the feel-good story of the ’95 Rugby World Cup!
God forbid that reality should interfere with marketing, eh?
Damn the J.B. Coetzee ! It’s bad enough he earned a Nobel Prize by presenting his kind as a victim in post-apartheid SA; now he gets to bring that mess into the big screen !
No, seriously though, as much as I don’t care for the book and resentful victim-mongering white expatriates, I’ll be interested to watch the movie, if it is actually a good human story. It may be bad advertisement for SA. However, the only way we can get our country out of the negative limelight is by recreating old inspirational stories or committing to new ones in the light of WC2010.
We can’t stop the outside world for judging us harshly (even unfairly) when we walk away from things that made us a feel-good story in the first place. So, I say to Disgrace : Bring it on, whilst secretly hoping that Invictus will be a better movie.
There is a limit to Invictus type movies also., i.e., we can milk the Madiba magic but so long. Hence we need to display more goodwill towards our own, do a better PR job of the government and country to make folks write better stories and movies about us.
So, I am not that scared of Disgrace The Movie, no matter how damning the story will be. And depending on where we are as a nation, Invictus may be, or not, feel-good nostalgia. However, the way forward is all up to us.
Why do we want to avoid the truth. Maybe “When a Crocodile Eats The Sun” was a mistake. The truth about Zim in too-harsh-a-manner?
Maybe facing the truth about SA now can prevent a Zim.
Hiding the filth under the carpet of feel-good stories is the way to destruction.
Maybe going soft on criminal youths as advocated by the concourt is the way to go
See:
http://www.news24.com/Content/MyNews24/YourStory/1162/b91054e549fa4440a43aa27327eb5c09/16-07-2009%2002-07/Innocence_of_youth
Louise (for indeed she is a girl) wrote a really crap article in The Guardian. Why yes, she did. It’s appalling advertising for SA but it’s also clearly the kind of ‘reporting’ that some of our hacks are renowned for – you know, the kind where you make a cup of tea in the morning with a leaky teabag and then when you’re awake, decipher the words in the bottom of the cup and start your article just like that.
I mean, ‘the Egyptians could build the pyramids so they’d do the World Cup nicely’? Come on. And ‘Egypt has no crime’? This is where I wonder actually about whether your Louis/Louise slip was in fact leaning to the side of correctness. Unaccompanied women may not always have the nicest of times in Cairo unless they like being noisily ogled and having their butts pinched incessantly, locals or foreigners, hijabed or not.
Movies don’t have to advertise their home countries unless a decent amount of production money came from their tourism authority or some such. If it’s a crap movie that’s fine in itself, it will just lie virtually unwatched and uncommented upon. If it’s a fine movie then maybe we need to keep asking those painful questions more and worrying less about what our neighbours think.
First. I don’t see why a movie review should be on thought leader.
Secondly. Rape and murder and white guilt are themes that face South Africans, sweeping them under the carpet won’t help matters.
Thirdly. South Africa is a beautiful country with friendly people and a ugly past. So, come and visit and see the rainbow nation and see how we are getting on if u are interested, or, if you want safe holiday, there are plenty of other pretty island resorts.
Finally, I was a tour guide for four years in Cape Town and have spoken to tens of thousands of tourists. Tourists are here for a beautiful country, nice weather and most of them know about Mandela and the negotiated revolution and are interested in seeing how the country is getting on. To a greater or lesser extent, they also understand why SA has a crime problem, the themes dealt with in Disgrace. The tourists that come should be allowed to make the informed choice on crime and should they choose to be careful with their belonging and where they go, they are always rewarded with a fabulous holiday.
Fair enough but the US makes tons of movies depicting the darker side of their lives and people still flock there. Perhaps no such thing as bad advertising holds true.
By parallel thinking, I would also suggest dismantling the apartheid museum. What Disgrace does for the black South African’s image, the apartheid museum does for the white South African’s image so in fairness if the one is bad for us, so is the other.
So what would you prefer? We candy-coat SA’s reality and push that out the door in the hope that tourists would feel better about visiting SA? I encourage people to experience SA for themselves, because, put simply, it is an extremely beautiful place and I am very proud to call myself South African, but what always counts against us is the stats don’t lie. I live abroad and I can tell you there are many people who are quite nervous about their trips to SA next year. Some have even said they’re not going to bother as the likelihood of being mugged/murdered/car-jacked, etc. etc. whist watching the games on telly in their front room is extremely small. So yes, this doesn’t help, but neither does SA’s murder rate as regularly published around the world….
I don’t like it any more than you do, but that is our reality.
I think Invictus will prove to be a nasty surprise when it shows all white SA men as boorish, loutish, crude racists. The easy old Hollywood stereotype.
Actually, the movie of the year for SA will probably be District 9 – the Peter Jackson produced sci-fi flick arriving on August 28…. i’ve got a strong feeling this film will burn box office circles around disgrace, seeing as it’ll be fun to watch… disgrace is a very bleak story and less likely to pull the popcorn crowd.
Who cares what the world thinks of us, they have there own “disgraceful” stereotypes, only a South African knows the feeling, and its kief!
Movies put an issue on the international screen. A major part of the struggle against apartheid happened on international platforms – movies, conferences, music concerts, you name it.
The lobby to get govt to take crime seriously is also a just struggle. People should rather put pressure on the govt to act properly against crime than say “damn that JB Coetzee”.
One example of the crime rate: My dad was murdered in front of family a year and a half ago. The media made some inquiries to the cops for a couple of months thereafter. All we heard is that the family is hampering the investigation by not being able to remember the killers’ identities. (It was a two minute saga).
A little pressure from the world screens to make this place safer will do not harm, Kholelkile Tshunungwa. And it’s not a “white expat” thing, Kholelkile Tshunungwa. Black, white, Indian, coloured South Africans have all suffered losses through this senseless crime of current SA. Since our tragedy I have had more in common with other South Africans who’ve suffered the same SENSELESS losses.
The best part of Louise Taylor’s article was the butchering she received from The Guardian’s readers (see link below).There is nothing wrong with reporting both the good and the bad about South Africa.But hyperbolic rubbish deserves the brutality that was meted out to Ms Taylor.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2009/jul/07/louise-taylor-south-africa-2010-world-cup
Don’t worry guys. “District 9″ is coming. an alien movie Mzansi style. i reckon it will far outshine the “Disgrace”.
I think the best solution here is to make more movies about South Africa and our stories. So that the bravado oriented Invictus and the darker Disgrace are balanced by many other stories. Ironic perhaps that the stories that get the money to be made either portray our sport achievements or the underbelly of our racial interaction. Surely there’s better popcorn entertainment to be made about a country of character?
Barring a national meltdown of sorts or some natural catastrophe, the 2010 WC is poised to be a huge success. Recent cricket, soccer and rugby events have been very encouraging.
The movie Disgrace is a NON-EVENT in the the context of the WC due to its appeal to a narrow audience. The book was great and the movie, with John Malkovich, sounds just as promising – more exposure for SA.
Its generally always better to have people see all sides of the ugliness and tragedy of apartheid and crime in SA and let them formulate their own opinions. Your Australian mother-in-law’s fears are understandable, however the majority in this world are fortunately not like her. For a few others, like Louis Taylor, no amount of reassurance will ever put them at ease except possibly, medication.
Tonight I watched “crossing over”, painting a picture of how high handed immigration officials treat suspect immigrants. Believable in the context of Guantanabay and certainly not nice.
Does this stop people from visiting the US?
SAfricans seem to think that SA is headline news in the rest of the world. It is not.
SA films, unless prize material, are not noticed.
SA is not of global importance.
Are they not making “The Long Walk to Freedom”.
People are more likely to see that.
I just hope it is well made.
How about a movie then about KAMP STAAL DRAAD?
the funniest thing about all this is that brazil [host of the world cup in 2014] has the exact same problems with crime, unequal distribution of wealth and structural racism that south africa does.
the difference is, of course, that since so much of the crime in brazil is organized [unlike that in south africa] the officials are able to basically bribe the gangs to cut down on the crime. [look up what they do for carnaval and new years.]
in addition, brazilian police are known to be some of the world’s most trigger-happy. they shoot first, and ask questions later. south african police, not so much.
egypt would have been a better host [people are worried about al-qaeda and the muslim brotherhood, completely forgetting that they would have pissed away any hope of sympathy from the muslim world, *especially* if saudi arabia qualifies -- which is a distinct possibility].
*organised* crime can be reasoned with — pay a bribe, get them on your side for the time being, make a de facto truce. it’s the scattered, everyone for himself crime which is the real problem.
to be honest – if alex had gotten everything that soweto has in the past two decades, there would be no real concerns about “crime” at this world cup. but since you can, you know, look eastward out of any tall building in sandton and see the mess that is alex — well, it’s going to be interesting.
Benzol
Mandela is of global importance – which is why we lost the Scorpions.
It was Mandela being protected, Zuma was just the front.
Unfortunately Mandela’s image does not stop corruption or create jobs – the 2 things we need most.
I wouldn’t worry. The film is going to be watched by 25 people: a dozen of them will be english literature students in South Africa, a dozen of them will be American anthropology students hoping to study abroad in Cape Town, and the last one will be the director’s mum.
Nope, if anything going to ruin the 2010 Cup, it’ll be the flippin’ recession.
@Pastor…How about the film by the Freestate University students?
@Lyndal: “Mandela is of global importance -.” So was JF Kennedy, W Churchill, Julius Ceasar…
SA is not!
YES!
David J Smith, what a brilliant idea! Let’s throw away all moving pictures that present the truth about the state of our country. Instead of bothering with any kind of historical accuracy or principles of storytelling, let’s create whimsical, idealistic features about how South Africa’s children frolic, uninhibited in Soda Pop flavoured streams, the well-wishes of a nation gleaming in their eyes like Kimberly diamonds. Hell, why stop there, let’s suspend all accurate accounts of our nation’s past and present until we get past the world cup and any other upcoming international sporting events.
Perhaps you need to go back to Scotland or wherever the teletubbies live.
What is going to be fun is when someone makes a “Last King Of Scotland” film about Mugabe.
We have to wait for the end of the story first.
I wonder who will play Mbeki?
Why ignore or sugar coat the truth.
Rather focus on the solutioms
The day will come when good triumphs over evil and the masses will say enough is enough.
The govt of the day need to start doing what they have promised in their election manifesto
No danger of any further damage being done to SA by Disgrace – remember our history speaks for itself. And I somehow think not too many people travelling to the World Cup will be viewing it. A disappointing movie, especially John Malkovich’s absolutely awful attempt at a South African accent. But I must admit it was thought-provoking in its grimness and hard-hitting truths. Somehow a movie I think every white South African should be made to watch.
A film is not in any way supposed to be an advertising campaign. I know less reflective people end up using them that way. But why are South Africans so afraid of the uglier, harsher side of life? It is real and it is true.
I have read Disgrace and I do not think the book portrays white people as victims of Apartheid at all, black people get raped too. It is a fictional story of one rather unlikeable man and the relatively feeasible things he encounters.
The film will portray a certain type of reality to people, but in the end it is just art, just fiction. Like Slumdog Millionaire, it is artistic interpretation and meant to be taken as so.
It seems that South Africans are desperate to hide different facets of the truth. Why do you only want the happy side shown? It appears you are happy to embrace the censorship of a totalitarian state? The only way to grow is to embrace different stories and truths and ideas and to challenge yourself, and not cover everything with candy.
John Malkovich’s absolutely awful attempt at a South African accent
that’s redundant. south african accents in general, regardless of race or ethnic group, are absolutely awful. it’s agonising. you watch television and actually *hope* that someone is trying to put on airs and talk like a brit because the local accents are so kak.
south african accents are either a plantive whine or a plaintive bark.
is so saying an absolutely awful attempt at a south african accent is like trying to multiply two negatives? would it actually sound good to my non-south african ears?
Disgrace is an extremely complicated and excellent book that has been consistently ‘misread’ by those who view it simply as ‘sociological’ commentary. The film is itself only one reading of the book and a necessarily partial one. Coetzee, consistent with the rest of his works, is concerned primarily with ethics, not politics/realpolitik. The scriptwriter and director have their own agendas as, to judge by your simplistic and flippant ‘column’, you do, too.