Sarafina the movie
It is true, we should treat everyone as an equal, when we demand respect for ourselves. Speaking of “Sarafina” the movie, we see problems of black people in the USA in the 1980s. The main character is a schoolgirl Sarafina who dreams of becoming a star, but realizes, she cannot achieve this, without being free. We observe a racy nation, loving and supporting each other, suffering from injustice. Their dances are original and sometimes wild. Their songs combine sadness and energy, hope and love. Their language is unique; and the people are not ashamed of it (McKinney). The nation is very strong and it deserves freedom and happiness.
Indication of the subject, issues, themes and purpose in the “Sarafina” movie.
“Sarafina’s” main subject is apartheid of black people when schoolchildren adopted a campaign of resistance. The whites made the blacks obey their rules: learn and teach in accordance with their curriculum, without any additional material. They had to forget about their own culture, traditions, history and uniqueness. No wonder, after the blacks had been constantly abused, soon they used force in response. The purpose of the movie is to show young people all over the world that violence causes violence. Moreover, all people are unique and free.
The plot and setting description.
The main action takes place in one of the schools of the USA in the1980s. The black teenager Sarafina is brought up in a large family. She does not often see her mother, as the woman provides for the whole family by serving the whites. The girl goes to a school for the blacks, run by a black-skinned principle, but is monitored by white soldiers with guns. The principle is too weak to fight the system of oppression. The only person who is not afraid is a school history teacher- Mary Masombuka. She inspires her students to love their nation, language and history and to learn the mistakes of previous generations. After her imprisoning, Sarafina and other students rebel and soon are arrested. Though changed, they do not lose their hope. It is the film with a happy ending but the story is not finished (Kozol).
Screenplay, acting, direction, production values and music.
The film was shot in 1992. It is rather old and the quality leaves much to be desired. Nevertheless, the acting is brilliant: Whoopi Goldberg is magnificent; she makes the movie attractive for everybody. The film is directed by Darrell Roodt, a South African film director. “Sarafina!” is the most popular film of his. As any musical, it is full of songs and dances, charming and energetic. The screenplay is catchy and touches to heart.
Literary techniques description and comparing the previous facts and those in the film.
Speaking on literary techniques one cannot help mentioning Sarafina’s character development. Young and naive in the very beginning, she becomes adult and mature in the end. Though we understand, it is not the time that matters, these are wounds in her life, soul and heart. The film is historically accurate. I do not think, it contradicts the facts we learned in class on the issue of apartheid and segregation. It proves and visualizes all we know once again. This movie is a great example of the issues we discussed in class.
In a nutshell, the black people are strong and deserve freedom and happiness. “Sarafina’s” main subject is apartheid and segregation. The acting is brilliant: Whoopi Goldberg is magnificent; she makes the movie attractive for everybody. The main character Sarafina is young and naive in the very beginning, and becomes adult and mature in the end. The film teaches that violence causes violence, tolerance and gives hope.
Works Cited
Kozol, Jonathan. The Shame of the Nation The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America. 2005. Web June 30 2016.
McKinney, Carolyn. 2013. Orientations to English in post-apartheid schooling. English Today, 29, pp 22-27. doi:10.1017/S0266078412000491.
