James Whyle Movies

While on a special assignment to Africa to photograph an endangered bird, a wildlife photographer runs into a dashing experienced stranger. Though she is engaged to her publisher, the photographer embarks upon a wild night of passion with the stranger, unaware that in so doing, she is about to become a pawn in an international struggle involving a list of the world's greatest assassins. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Whoopi Goldberg stars in this musical take on the South African struggles against Apartheid in the mid-1970s, during the imprisonment of Nelson Mandela. An adaptation of Mbongeni Ngema's popular musical, which ran on Broadway from 1988 to 1989, Sarafina! recounts the political coming of age of the title character, a high school girl involved in the Soweto student protests of 1976. At first just a petulant bundle of energy, more interested in boys than civil rights, Sarafina (Leleti Khumalo) learns of the Afrikaaner oppression through the underground lectures of her teacher, Mary Masembuko (Goldberg). Sarafina's mother, who works as a servant in a white household and never sees her children, urges Sarafina to toe the line. But she can no longer turn a blind eye when the government imprisons her teacher and slaughters her would-be boyfriend during an arson protest. Incited to rebellion, the students kill a crooked black constable, leaving Sarafina to wrestle with their decision to use violence against the government's strictures. Ever tightening its grip, the ruling regime would kill 575 blacks over eight months in an attempt to quell the civil unrest. The sober subject matter is leavened by Ngema's jubilant songs and Michael Peters' electric choreography. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide

In this drama, the witness to a brutal killing launches a private investigation and discovers a seething hotbed of local corruption. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This futuristic drama offers the classic story of Shane seved up with a few Mad Max moments and some interesting twists. The tale is set in the smouldering, decimated post-World War III town of Meridian, where locals scrabble to keep their meager farms watered in the midst of a desert wasteland. Bad-guys - a powerful landowner and his cronies - try to monopolize the precious local water supplies by bullying, kidnapping and even murdering citizens. To this beleaguered place comes the enigmatic swordsman/ warrior Nomad who has come in search of his mentor's killer. The town takes him on as their "Peacemaker" and he is able to end their problems and get his revenge to boot. The story was filmed on location in the deserts of South Africa. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

It took many years of filmmaking in South Africa before this first anti-apartheid drama saw the light of the silver screen. Commendable for its ground-breaking message, its scenes of suffering at the hands of white oppressors are well-integrated with a completely realistic storyline. After a black farmhand is driven to stealing a chicken to help feed his family, he is beaten to death by his white farm boss. Gracie (Gcina Mhlophe) wants to bring the farm boss to justice for the death of her brother and ultimately finds some assistance in a reporter (James Whylie) who has been sent to the area to cover the fighting that is going on. The local priest warns the reporter not to get involved, but his advice is not taken, and further confrontations result. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide