Shamwari (film)

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Shamwari
Directed byClive Harding
Written by Ian Yule
Starring Ken Gampu
Ian Yule
Tamara Franke
Denny Fathe-Aazam
Josh Makawa
Oliver Tengende
Jon Allen
Jimmy Coburn
Ron Tornborn
Sam Mathambo
CinematographyVincent G. Cox
Edited byMike Dicks
Music byPaul Nissen
Four Jacks and a Jill
Distributed byVideo
US: Media Home Entertainment
Greece: Videosonic
Release date
South Africa 14 May 1982
Running time
1h 33min
Country Rhodesia
LanguageEnglish

Shamwari is a film that starred two of South Africa's leading actors, Ken Gampu and Ian Yule. It is about two escapees that can't stand each other. Chained together they embark on an escape from custody.

Contents

Background

The film was shot on location in and around the city of Salisbury. [1] It was released in the United States on both Beta and VHS through Media Home Entertainment. [2] Ken Gampu played the part of Khumalo, Ian Yule played the part of Mathews and Tamara Franke played the part of Tracy. [3] Dominic Kanaventi also appears the film in one of his early roles, [4] and also in an early role, John Indi makes an appearance as the witchdoctor. [5] Ian Yule was also the co-writer for the film. He was led to believe that the film was a flop. John Hume who produced the film was marketing it under a different name. [6] The soundtrack for the movie was provided by the music group Four Jacks and a Jill. [7]

The film was released in South Africa by Ster-Kinekor and premiered in Johannesburg. [8]

Story

Set during the Rhodesian Bush War, [9] the story is about two men who are bonded together by chains. [10] The film bears a similarity to an earlier film, The Defiant Ones that starred Sidney Poitier and Tony Curtis. Like the characters in The Defiant Ones, there is racial hatred between the two of them. The two main characters who have escaped from a harsh chain gang. To survive they have to bury their hatred as they try to make their way to freedom as they cross the country. [11] [12]

Releases

Beta VCL VL9037 - United States - 1985. [13]

Cast

[14]

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References

  1. WorldCat - Shamwari
  2. Billboard , 20 April 1985 - Page 28 Retailing, NEW RELEASES, HOME VIDEO
  3. BFI - Shamwari (1980)
  4. Zimbabwe's Cinematic Arts: Language, Power, Identity, By Katrina Daly Thompson - Page 219
  5. Interfilmes.com - Shamwari
  6. Noseweek , Issue #55, 1 April 2004 - THE SHOW(DOWN) MUST GO ON
  7. 4 Jacks And A Jill Website - A History of the Band from 1962 - 2000
  8. Noseweek, Issues 52-62 - Page 25
  9. WorldCat - Shamwari
  10. The Cinema of Apartheid: Race and Class in South African Film, By Keyan Tomaselli - Chapter Seven, Marketing a Product
  11. Hollywood's Image of the South: A Century of Southern Films, By Katrina Daly Thompson - Page 58
  12. The San Bernardino County Sun , Sunday, 28 October 1990 - Page 135 THURSDAY 1 November 1990
  13. Billboard, 20 April 1985 - Page 28 Retailing, NEW RELEASES, HOME VIDEO
  14. Imdb - Shamwari (1982), Full Cast & Crew