tears, diamonds and props to Djimon

i cried in my 3rd movie yesterday. first was 'amistad', second 'the green mile' (for reasons i cannot fathom) and yesterday - 'blood diamond'

firstly... - SOUTH AFRICAN ACCENTS! why oh why why why? why?!? it was funny. shaks said it was a little forced and i agree whole heartedly, but i suppose you need to compare it to other attempts...it managed to do something nobody thought possible - push nicole kidman's attempt in 'the interpreter' even further down the accent scale. according to a review i read, the SA accent is one of the hardest to learn and, like shaks and i were saying, it's not like charlize can even speak in her old accent * sigh* but still.

"Usually Hollywood movies about Africa and South Africa are a source of hilarity to local audiences as Hollywood tends to get so many details about this country wrong. Who can forget Joss Ackland's atrocious “Afrikaans” accent as the villainous apartheid-era ambassador in Lethal Weapon II, for instance? Or that ornamental Nazi eagle in his office (come on, which Department of Foreign Affairs official's office ever looked like that?) Or how about the Nazi-like paraphernalia adorning the podium as the celluloid Jimmy Kruger made his notorious “Biko died after a hunger strike” speech in Cry Freedom?

But what South African audiences usually find the most entertaining (or insulting, depending on your sense of humour) is when Hollywood actors attempt a Seth Effrikan accent. However, in Blood Diamond we're happy to say that while DiCaprio doesn't always get the accent right, he at least gets the character spot on. Or maybe the role was just well-written, as the screenplay at least seems decently researched with an eye for detail and an ear for the local tongue. “Doos,” DiCaprio's character murmurs when faced by an officious soldier, which had the audience I was with laugh appreciatively. DiCaprio has aged well enough to fit this role; no longer the fresh-faced boy star of Titanic, he is more credible as a tough action man than, let's say, the soft-faced Colin Farrell in Miami Vice. Cynical and opportunistic, DiCaprio comes off like an boer seun Han Solo, spouting the sort of political incorrect dialogue one imagine a character like him would in real life. "

apart from that, the only bone of contention is the fact that there are machine gun wielding soldiers all over stellenbosch! where where where are these people in real life?

i really loved the movie and i urge everyone to go see it. i found it violent, but to some i suppose it would not be that bad (considering we live in the world of CNN war broadcasts and play station) but I was shocked and sickened and i realised something i think i have always known :

the bad in this world is the result of some large power trips. that's all it is. some people who should not be listened to or given the right to make their own decisions are given power and it rushes straight to their heads. to pick on the obvious - george 'dubbya' and his bunch of world police : it's not a nation of idiots, its a nation controlled by an idiot. my deputy manager - power trip. rebels - power trips. saddam - power trips. apartheid - power trip. hitler - power trip. fundamentally, i think this power trip consists of somebody who experiences a loss of respect for other people directly proportional to the boosting of his/her own ego. and with this loss of respect it becomes easier to enslave (physically, ideologically), rape, murder.

how do you stop a massive world wide power trip? i'm daunted.

On a good note - I am awed by Djimon Hounsou ... he is in Amistad, GLadiator (to name a few) apart from Blood Diamond. He moved to the USA from Benin when he was 13, could not find a job and so was forced to live on the streets as a vagrant eating out of rubbish bins. Apparently his life changed when Thierry Mugler found him and hired him as a model. He now makes movies that educate people. (He is so awesome, I even gave him capital letters)

i hope that, if nothing, people will see this movie and open their eyes a bit more about africa, how what they do in their own countries can severely hinder or help someone far far removed from their own existences. and that someone, somewhere out there will make it their mission in life to help someone else speak in a real south african accent ;)