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Alan Paton adapted his own for the big screen and helped craft one of cinema’s first discussion about Apartheid in South Africa. Zoltan Korda creates a distinguished if heavily sentimental affair that has its heart in the right place. Movies about big, important social issues are often like this: well intentioned if awkward, stately and distant when trying to present as intelligent and rational discussions of problems that wind up feeling sluggish and cool.
Cry, the Beloved Country tells the story of a black preacher (Canada Lee) who discovers that his son has killed the white son of a landowner (Charles Carson). The problems of racial inequality and economic disparity, which are often intertwined to the point of being blurred together, are highlighted while the two races form a hard-fought respect for each other. There’s a naivety about how easily Apartheid would be overcome, since when have entrenched systems been cleanly disrupted and replaced, that hampers these social issues films.
At least Beloved Country has great performances from Lee and Carson. Sidney Poitier has a small role as a priest in Johannesburg that helps Lee uncover the truth of the matter, and he’s electric even in this early stage of his career. The ingredients are all there for a searing film, but Korda seems more concerned with stately prestige than emotional depth. Cry, the Beloved Country is respectable and nothing more.
