Bopha!: Difference between revisions

Bopha!
Bopha!
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Morgan Freeman
Screenplay by	Brian Bird; John Wierick;
Based on	Bopha!; by Percy Mtwa
Produced by	Lawrence N. Taubman
Starring	Danny Glover; Malcolm McDowell; Alfre Woodard; Marius Weyers;
Cinematography	David Watkin
Edited by	Neil Travis
Music by	James Horner
Production; company	Arsenio Hall Communications
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release dates	September 17, 1993 (TIFF); September 24, 1993 (United States);
Running time	120 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$12 million
Box office	$212,483

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Bopha! is a 1993 American drama film directed by Morgan Freeman and starring Danny Glover. It is Freeman's directorial debut. It was adapted from a 1986 play of the same name.

Story

Micah Mangena is a black police officer in South Africa during the apartheid era. Micah is tough but honest, and he believes he is doing the best for his people. He is a sergeant, with a white superior officer and in a mostly-black force. He trains new recruits, all of them black.

His son, Zweli Mangena is in a difficult position – Micah wants him to become a policeman and follow his example. Zweli loves his father, but has doubts about whether it is right to follow in his father's footsteps.

Wider events are barely seen, though they obviously have an influence. In 1986, when the play was written, Nelson Mandela was still in prison. By 1993, when the film was released, he was free but the future was still very uncertain.

Plot

The film opens with a black crowd burning alive a black police officer, from a nearby ghetto that they regard as a traitor. It then switches to the peaceful home of Micah "Baba" Mangena, a black sergeant in the South African Police.

His son Zweli Mangena increasingly questions Micah belief and Micah's wish that Zweli would follow him into the police. Micha's wife also has doubts as the once-peaceful township gets polarised and her neighbours start treating her as an enemy.

The initial issue is the use of Afrikaans in the all-black school. The school children speak English, Afrikaans and their own African language, but they resent being taught Afrikaans. To reply in English is an act of rebellion.

Zweli dislikes the system but fears the consequence of open opposition. He arranges a meeting between some of the hot-heads and Pule Rampa, a respected figure who has been in prison for anti-Apartheid activities. He seems to be trying to calm the situation, but the police have learned of the gathering and break it up, arresting some of the students and also Pule Rampa. He had been trying to slip away quietly, but Micah anticipates this and arrests him. Micah is in charge of the operation and has attempted moderation, letting some of the students go free.

Micah wants to conduct his own questioning. But two members of South Africa's Special Branch have recently arrived and take over. They employ much more brutal methods. Both Micah and his white superior suggest to the Special Branch men that they are perhaps provoking opposition rather than quelling it, by torturing and hanging Pule in his cell.

The situation does indeed escalate. Micah and Zweli are increasingly on opposite sides of a widening gap, even though each of them genuinely cares for the other.

Reception

The film holds a score of 82% on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on 11 reviews, with an average rating of 7.0/10.^[1] It was a box office bomb, grossing only $212,483 against the production budget of $12 million.

DVD release

The film was released as a DVD in 2005 and has a running-time of 114 minutes, 6 minutes shorter than the theatrical version.

References

^ "Bopha!". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved August 24, 2023.

External links

[1] "Bopha!". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved August 24, 2023.

[1]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|1993 American film by Morgan Freeman}}
-{{Infobox Film | name = Bopha!
+{{Redirect|Bopha|the tropical cyclones|List of storms named Bopha}}
-  | image =
+{{more citations needed||date=August 2023}}
-  | caption =
+{{Infobox film | name = Bopha!
-  | director = [[Morgan Freeman]]
+| image = Bophaposter.jpg
-  | producer = [[Lawrence N. Taubman]]
+| caption = Theatrical release poster
-  | writer = [[Brian Bird]]<br>[[John Wierick]]
-  | starring = [[Danny Glover]]
+| director = [[Morgan Freeman]]
+| producer = Lawrence N. Taubman
-  | music = [[James Horner]]
+| screenplay = {{Plainlist|
-  | cinematography = [[David Watkin (cinematographer)|David Watkin]]
+* [[Brian Bird]]
-  | editing = [[Neil Travis]]
+* John Wierick
-  | distributor = [[Paramount Pictures]]
-  | released = [[September 17]], [[1993]]
-  | runtime = 120 [[minute]]s
-  | language = [[English language|English]]
-  | rating = [[PG-13]]
-  | budget =
-  | preceded_by =
-  | followed_by =
-  | imdb_id =  0106464
 }}
+| based_on = {{based on|''Bopha!''|Percy Mtwa}}
-'''''Bopha!''''' is a [[1993 in film|1993]] [[drama film|drama]] [[film]] directed by [[Morgan Freeman]] and starring [[Danny Glover]]. It was adapted from a 1986 [[play]] by [[Percy Mtwa]] and was Freeman's directorial debut.
+| starring = {{Plainlist|
+* [[Danny Glover]]
-==DVD release==
+* [[Malcolm McDowell]]
+* [[Alfre Woodard]]
-The film was released as a DVD in 2005.  The DVD has a running-time of 114 minutes, 6 minutes less than the film.
+* [[Marius Weyers]]}}
+| music = [[James Horner]]
+| cinematography = [[David Watkin (cinematographer)|David Watkin]]
+| editing = [[Neil Travis]]
+| studio = Arsenio Hall Communications
+| distributor = [[Paramount Pictures]]
+| released = {{Film date|1993|09|17|[[1993 Toronto International Film Festival|TIFF]]|1993|09|24|United States}}
+| runtime = 120 minutes
+| country = United States
+| language = English
+| budget = $12 million
+| gross = $212,483
+}}
+'''''Bopha!''''' is a 1993 American [[drama film]] directed by [[Morgan Freeman]] and starring [[Danny Glover]]. It is Freeman's directorial debut. It was adapted from a 1986 play of the same name.
 ==Story==
+Micah Mangena is a [[black (people)|black]] [[police officer]] in [[South Africa]] during the [[History of South Africa in the apartheid era|apartheid era]]. Micah is tough but honest, and he believes he is doing the best for his people.  He is a sergeant, with a white superior officer and in a mostly-black force.  He trains new recruits, all of them black.
+His son, Zweli Mangena is in a difficult position – Micah wants him to become a policeman and follow his example.  Zweli loves his father, but has doubts about whether it is right to follow in his father's footsteps.
-Glover plays Micah Mangena, a [[black (people)|black]] [[police officer]] in [[South Africa]] during the [[History of South Africa in the apartheid era|apartheid era]].  Micah is tough but honest, and he genuinely believes he is doing the best for his people.  He is a sergeant, with a white superior officer and in a mostly-black force.  You see him training new recruits, all of them black.
+Wider events are barely seen, though they obviously have an influence.  In 1986, when the play was written, [[Nelson Mandela]] was still in prison.  By 1993, when the film was released, he was free but the future was still very uncertain.
-His son Zweli Mangena is in a difficult position - Micah wants him become a police and follow his example.  Zweli loves his father but has doubts about whether this is right.
-Wider events are barely seen, though they obviously have an influence.  In 1986, when the play was written, [[Nelson Mandela]] was still in prison.  By 1993, when the film was released, he was free but the future was still very uncertain.  ''Bopha'' says little about such matters.  This is a conflict in a small township involving people the outside world would not have heard of.
-The film is clearly hostile to [[Apartheid]], but is willing to recognise that many decent people served the system.  Danny Glover gives a splendid performance as a man who is utterly sincere and utterly mistaken.
 ==Plot==
+{{more plot|date=September 2015}}
-{{spoiler}}
+The film opens with a black crowd burning alive a black police officer, from a nearby ghetto that they regard as a traitor.  It then switches to the peaceful home of Micah "Baba" Mangena, a black sergeant in the [[South African Police]].
-The film opens with a black crowd burning alive a black man they regard as a traitor.  It then switches to the peaceful home of Micah Mangena, a black sergeant in the South African Police Force.
 His son Zweli Mangena increasingly questions Micah belief and Micah's wish that Zweli would follow him into the police.  Micha's wife also has doubts as the once-peaceful township gets polarised and her neighbours start treating her as an enemy.
-The initial issue is the use of [[Afrikaans]] in the all-black school.  The school children speak English, Afrikaans and their own African language, but they resent being taught Afrikaans.  To reply in English is an act of rebellion.
+The initial issue is the use of [[Afrikaans]] in the all-black school.  The school children speak [[South African English|English]], Afrikaans and their own African [[Languages of South Africa|language]], but they resent being taught Afrikaans.  To reply in English is an act of rebellion.
 Zweli dislikes the system but fears the consequence of open opposition.  He arranges a meeting between some of the hot-heads and Pule Rampa, a respected figure who has been in prison for anti-Apartheid activities.  He seems to be trying to calm the situation, but the police have learned of the gathering and break it up, arresting some of the students and also Pule Rampa.  He had been trying to slip away quietly, but Micah anticipates this and arrests him.  Micah is in charge of the operation and has attempted moderation, letting some of the students go free.
-Micah wants to conduct his own questioning.  But two members of South Africa's Special Branch have recently arrived and take over.  They employ much more brutal methods.  Both Micah and his white superior suggest to the Special Branch men that they are perhaps provoking opposition rather than quelling it.
+Micah wants to conduct his own questioning.  But two members of South Africa's Special Branch have recently arrived and take over.  They employ much more brutal methods.  Both Micah and his white superior suggest to the Special Branch men that they are perhaps provoking opposition rather than quelling it, by torturing and hanging Pule in his cell.
-The situation does indeed escalate.  Micah and Zweli are increasingly on opposite sides of a widening gap, even though each of them genuinely cares for the other.
+The situation does indeed escalate. Micah and Zweli are increasingly on opposite sides of a widening gap, even though each of them genuinely cares for the other.
+==Reception==
-{{spoiler-end}}
+The film holds a score of 82% on review aggregator [[Rotten Tomatoes]], based on 11 reviews, with an average rating of 7.0/10.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bopha! |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bopha |access-date=August 24, 2023 |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |publisher=[[Fandango Media]]}}</ref> It was a [[box office bomb]], grossing only $212,483 against the production budget of $12 million.
-== External links ==
+==DVD release==
+The film was released as a DVD in 2005 and has a running-time of 114 minutes, 6 minutes shorter than the theatrical version.
-*{{imdb title|id=0106464|title=Bopha!}}
+==References==
+{{Reflist}}
+==External links==
-{{1990s-drama-film-stub}}
+* {{IMDb title|id=0106464|title=Bopha!}}
-[[Category:1993 films]]
+* {{Mojo title|bopha}}
-[[Category:Drama films]]
+* {{Rotten Tomatoes|bopha}}
-[[Category:Apartheid in South Africa]]
+* {{TCMDb title|69368|Bopha!}}
+[[Category:1993 films]]
-[[ru:Бофа (фильм)]]
+[[Category:1993 directorial debut films]]
+[[Category:1993 drama films]]
+[[Category:1990s American films]]
+[[Category:1990s English-language films]]
+[[Category:American drama films]]
+[[Category:American films based on plays]]
+[[Category:Apartheid films]]
+[[Category:Films about father–son relationships]]
+[[Category:Films directed by Morgan Freeman]]
+[[Category:Films scored by James Horner]]
+[[Category:Films shot in Zimbabwe]]
+[[Category:Paramount Pictures films]]
+[[Category:Works about apartheid in South Africa]]