Cry, the Beloved Country Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Cry, the Beloved Country Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 5, 2023

Zoltan Korda's "Cry, the Beloved Country" (1951) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal. The supplemental features on the release include new program with author Mona Z. Smith; archival program with actor Lionel Ngakane; archival interview with author Alan Paton; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Alan Paton’s novel has inspired two completely different films that share its name. Zolan Korda’s film is the earlier of the two and was the more difficult one to track down and see. It was not a lost film, but if one wanted to see it, one had to search hard for it. It looked rough, too. Darrell Roodt’s film, which was made more than four decades later, has always been easy to see. Miramax handled its distribution, so this helped a lot.

Comparing Korda and Roodt’s films to determine which does a better job with the original material from Paton’s novel is a tricky business. Korda shot his film in 1951 on location in South Africa, which is quite an accomplishment considering that at the time the country was still heavily segregated. In 1995, Roodt went to South Africa too, but the country had already dramatically transformed itself, so the working conditions were drastically different. Also, for obvious reasons, these films not only choose different angles to see South Africa, but they choose a different tone for their storytelling as well. The drama that flourishes in them is defined by it, but only one film had the complete freedom to adjust it as needed.

The aging preacher Stephen Kumalo (Canada Lee) receives a letter urging him to travel to Johannesburg and look for his missing son. Sensing that something might have gone terribly wrong, Kumalo grabs his bible and gets on the first train heading to the big city. Immediately after he reaches his destination, Kumalo is robbed by a supposedly friendly young man, but welcomed with open arms by the reverend Msimangu (Sidney Poitier) who promises to help him locate his son.

A day later, Kumalo discovers that his son has made a very young woman pregnant but abandoned her, quite possibly so that he can make ends meet as a hoodlum. Around the same time, news breaks that several hoodlums have attempted to rob the home of a white family and killed a man whose father is a wealthy rancher from the same area Kumalo comes from. After a very short hunt, the police then arrest the hoodlums and identify the killer as Kumalo’s son. As everyone awaits a high-profile trial to begin, Kumalo attempts to understand why he failed to raise a good son but makes some most unusual discoveries about his closest relatives and the parents of the killed man.

In certain areas, the authentic locations and the large number of non-professional actors give the film a quasi-documentary appearance that feels most appropriate. However, it is very easy to tell that Korda and his crew were extremely careful with their movement and the management of the drama. In fact, once the action moves to Johannesburg, which happens very early in the film, there isn’t any illuminating footage that makes it easy to see the film as an invaluable time capsule. While understandable, this is unfortunate because it would have given Kumalo’s journey a very different resonance.

While Lee and Poitier are supposed to lead with equal authority, the former is unquestionably a lot more impressive. Yes, it is true that the screenplay provides Lee’s character with better material to impress, but there are several sequences where Poitier has the opportunity to match the quality of his performance and fails.

Charles Carson and Joyce Carey are both very good as the devastated parents of the killed man. Arguably the most memorable sequence in the entire film comes toward the end where Carson meets Lee and reveals that he wants him to stay because he intends to build a brand new church.

Korda’s director of photography was Robert Krasker, whose credits include such iconic films as Brief Encounter, The Third Man, and The Quiet American.

Cry, the Beloved Country Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Cry, the Beloved Country arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal.

The release is sourced from a new 4K master that was prepared after the film was fully restored by the British Film Instate. I think that the overall quality of the visuals is outstanding. For example, delineation, clarity, and depth are always very pleasing, and fluidity is about as good as I hoped it would be. There are several areas with small density fluctuations, but virtually all are introduced by the original cinematography. Only one transition reveals signs of irreversible aging and is a bit shaky. The grayscale is excellent. The blacks are rich, not boosted, and very stable. There are lovely ranges of grays and whites. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. The entire film looks very, very healthy as well. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Cry, the Beloved Country Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

Even though the audio was fully restored, I think that its overall quality is rather underwhelming. Why? Usually, the dialog is clear. (Some of the accents are quite thick, so it is possible that many viewers would want to use optional subtitles). However, there are many areas where hiss becomes quite prominent. Sharpness and clarity remain pleasing. Dynamic intensity is unimpressive, but this is an inherited limitation. I did not encounter any distortions or audio dropouts to report in our review.

Cry, the Beloved Country Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Canada Lee: An Interview with Mona Z. Smith - in this new program, Mona Z. Smith, author of Becoming Something: The Story of Canada Lee, discusses the life and career of Canada Lee. In English, not subtitled. (36 min).

• An Interview with Lionel Ngakane - in this archival program, Lionel Ngakane recalls how he was cast to play the troubled son of Stephen Kumalo and what the production of Cry, the Beloved Country was like. The program was filmed by Villon Films in 1990. In English, not subtitled. (25 min).

• In Darkest Hollywood - an archival documentary about the ability of cinema to serve as a window to the free world during the Apartheid years in South Africa. The documentary was produced in 1993. In English, not subtitled. (56 min).

• African Mirror Footage of the World Premiere - presented here is archival footage from the world premiere of Cry, the Beloved Country in South Africa. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Africa: Alan Paton - presented here is archival footage with Alan Paton filmed by Reuters in 1962, in anticipation of his being placed under house arrest by the South African government. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Stills Gallery - presented here is a collection of behind the scenes stills.

Cry, the Beloved Country Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The historical value of Cry, the Beloved Country is undeniable because it is the first big film to be made in South Africa during the Apartheid. However, it is a very difficult film to evaluate because it was made with a tremendous awareness of what was safe to say and reveal in it. It is certainly worth seeing, but anyone expecting a fascinating time capsule will almost certainly be underwhelmed by it. StudioCanal's release introduces a strong new 4K restoration of the film that was completed by the British Film Institute. RECOMMENDED