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Submitted by cinemascope on Fri, 2006-04-21 14:12. :: Contemporary
Movie title:
U-Carmen e-Khayelitsha
Starring:
Pauline Malefane, Andile Tshoni, Andries Mbali
Directed by:
Mark Dornford-May
Written by:
Mark Dornford-May, Andiswa Kedama and Pauline Malefane
Genre:
Musical/Drama/Romance
Year:
2006
Country:
South Africa
Language:
Xhosa
Runtime:
120 minutes
Imdb:
Rating:
Synopsis
And updated version of Georges Bizet's Carmen, set in a modern-day South African township.
And updated version of Georges Bizet's Carmen, set in a modern-day South African township.
Review
Set in the Cape Town township of Khayelitsha and sung (and spoken) in the local tongue-clicking dialect of Xhosa, Dornford-May does an effective job of emphasising the passion, heat, adversity and vibrant colour that connects both the inhabitants of the township with the characters they are playing, but it's an astonishing central performance from Pauline Malefane that the film revolves around. Striking, passionate and with a wonderful singing voice, she is the beating heart of the movie. Other performances are strong, and what would seem to be a jarring-clash of opera and developing world shanty-town works surprisingly well, although it's worth remembering that Bizet's original opera is set in working-class Spain, so the leap is not as far as it would be to bring say, Das Rheingold to the townships. Unlikely to attract audiences who have no affection for opera, although those who gave it a try will find a modern and rich vibrancy from classic source material.
Set in the Cape Town township of Khayelitsha and sung (and spoken) in the local tongue-clicking dialect of Xhosa, Dornford-May does an effective job of emphasising the passion, heat, adversity and vibrant colour that connects both the inhabitants of the township with the characters they are playing, but it's an astonishing central performance from Pauline Malefane that the film revolves around. Striking, passionate and with a wonderful singing voice, she is the beating heart of the movie. Other performances are strong, and what would seem to be a jarring-clash of opera and developing world shanty-town works surprisingly well, although it's worth remembering that Bizet's original opera is set in working-class Spain, so the leap is not as far as it would be to bring say, Das Rheingold to the townships. Unlikely to attract audiences who have no affection for opera, although those who gave it a try will find a modern and rich vibrancy from classic source material.
