A UNITED KINGDOM - The Movie: When Love Is More Important Than Anything
Well that certainly was a great choice of entertainment on a warm December afternoon. This film would have to be up there in my top rated list of movies. A good insight into the true story behind Botswana's fight for independence from Britain and its shift from one of the poorest nations on earth to becoming one of its most peaceful and prosperous.
Rosamund Pike does an excellent job in the role of Ruth, a beautiful young woman who falls in love with the just-as-young and equally good-looking king of this struggling African nation. She soon suffers sickening prejudice from both sides of the racial spectrum while maintaining her dignity and soon proving her worth as the country's new queen. A dreadful set of circumstances sees this young ruler struggling on her own in this new land, where sometimes even the unfamiliar language seems to be against her.
David Oyelowo is simply gorgeous even before he opens his mouth, and he soon embodies King Seretse Khama with both fire and sensitivity while maintaining his firm stance that England will not rule his beloved country. Exiled from his kingdom and fighting a battle against a bureaucracy that seems to have no heart or soul, his fighting spirit and determination are the only things keeping him going ... until a sole British Parliamentarian with a few backers in his corner, take a stand to right the terrible wrongs being meted out. And Seretse and Ruth aren’t the only ones on the receiving end of this horrible tyranny ... the Botswana people themselves are in the line of fire through a cunning plot to steal away a recently unearthed diamond mine yielding enough wealth to turn the country’s dreadful poverty on its head. As an aside, Botswana is now the leading producer of diamonds in the world and, thanks to these men’s timely intervention, her multitudes of people are the ones benefiting rather than a greedy few living several thousands of kilometres away.
Taking viewers from the bustling and well laid out streets of London in the late 1940s to the dusty plains and casual disorder of Botswana village life, this film is certainly one to make you think – and often fume at the total disregard some nations’ officials have for the rights of those living on foreign shores. This is a true story and what happened to these two young newlyweds is atrociously appalling to say the least. I am always bewildered by the fact the colour of one’s skin can incite a hatred that is both evil and obnoxious – and most certainly undeserving. Whoever decided that one race is above another has never looked inside the heart of anyone. All they see is the shallow shell outside ... something that soon withers away, while what lies deep in the soul beneath that fleshy surface determines the true worth of a person.
A United Kingdom made me weep more than once – sometimes with anger and at other times with pride – and out of the corner of my eye I noticed the man opposite was also wiping a few tears away in those same sections where my heart had been touched. And then, after witnessing yet another injustice prevail, it only took the space of a minute or two to have me wanting to stand and applaud – when Ruth, along with folk whose skin is several shades darker than mine, dared to stand up and be heard, even though the highest power in a land far away dictated they had no choice but to bow to England’s rule. An outrage like this deserves peoples’ empathy, along with their forthrightness to declare this is wrong.
Having English heritage, I have always felt privileged and proud to tell people of my ancestry. Sadly, I have to say, over the last few years after reading about or watching shows outlining the pompous nature, absolute greed and often complete disregard for others by so many of her renowned statesmen/gentry, I've become both ashamed and angry at a lot of her exploits down through the ages. I apologise if my words have offended others who share this same heritage. What I've said isn't in any way directed at any of you personally, however I can't help feeling this way after seeing what Botswana's people had to go through just over half a century ago to ensure England was kept both great and rich. And so many other nations have endured the same awful repercussions by being under her rule over the centuries.
I think it is easy to surmise that I heartily encourage everyone to get along to see this extraordinary true tale.
(And as a small aside, regarding the man opposite shedding a tear at the same time as me ... funnily enough, the exact same thing happened in "The Light Between Oceans", another poignant movie I happened to see about a month ago - maybe he's following me!)
