| The Forgiven | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Roland Joffé |
| Screenplay by | Roland Joffé Michael Ashton |
| Produced by | Tannaz Anisi Kim Ashton Craig Baumgarten Zaheer Bhyat Lee Broda Alastair Burlingham Maxime Cottray Babak Eftekhari Wayne Marc Godfrey Roland Joffé Frederich Fiela Jonck Robert Jones Christos Michaels Jeff Rice Teri-Lin Robertson Greg Schenz John R. Sherman Michael Tadross Jr. |
| Starring | Forest Whitaker Eric Bana |
| Cinematography | William Wages |
| Edited by | Megan Gill |
| Music by | Zethu Mashika |
Production companies | Light and Dark Films Jeff Rice Films LB Entertainment |
| Distributed by | Saban Films (USA) |
Release dates | 13 October 2017 (London Film Festival) 9 March 2018 (USA) |
Running time | 115 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The Forgiven is a British thriller film set in post-apartheid South Africa depicting Bishop Desmond Tutu's meetings with Piet Blomfeld.
Plot
After the end of apartheid, Archbishop Desmond Tutu visits Cape Town's Pollsmoor Maximum Security Prison to meet with brutal murderer Piet Blomfeld, who seeks clemency.
Cast
- Forest Whitaker as Archbishop Desmond Tutu
- Eric Bana as Piet Blomfeld
- Jeff Gum as Francois Schmidt
- Morné Visser as Hansi Coetzee
- Thandi Makhubele as Mrs. Morobe
- Terry Norton as Lavinia
- Osbert Solomons as Mogomat
- Rob Gough as Howard Varney
- Debbie Sherman as Linda Coetzee
- Warrick Grier as Kruger
- Nandiphile Mbeshu as Benjamin
- David Butler as Governor
- Dominika Jablonska as Forensic Clerk
- Shane John Kruger as DTF Officer
- Michael MacKenzie as Young Warder
- Vuyolwethu Adams as Idukew
- Joe Nabe as Judge Draad
- Alexander Wallace as Young Piet Blomfeld
- Robert Hobbs as Burly
Production
On November 2, 2015, it was announced that Forest Whitaker and Vince Vaughn would star as Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Piet Blomfield, respectively, in the film adaptation of Michael Ashton's play The Archbishop and the Antichrist, to be directed by Roland Joffé.[1] Joffé also co-wrote the script with Ashton, which would be produced by Craig Baumgarten.[1] On October 27, 2016, Eric Bana joined the film to play a brutal murderer Blomfeld, he replaced Vaughn, while the film was re-titled as The Forgiven, and would be produced by Joffé with Baumgarten through Link Entertainment, and Zaheer Goodman-Bhyat through Light and Dark Films.[2]
Release
The film premiered at the London Film Festival on 13 October 2017. It was also shown as the closing film at the Pan African Film Festival on 19 February 2018[3] and was shown at the Belgrade Film Festival on 28 February 2018 before being released in the United States on 9 March 2018.
Reception
Gary Goldstein of the Los Angeles Times wrote that the 'sluggishly paced film's disparate parts never come together as a compelling whole.'[4] Glenn Kenny of The New York Times wrote that the film by Roland Joffé, who is 'not known for a light touch', 'is heavy-handed from its early texts explaining apartheid through its end credits' but praised the performances of Forest Whitaker and Eric Bana.[5]
References
- ^ a b Geier, Thom (November 2, 2015). "Vince Vaughn, Forest Whitaker to Star in Desmond Tutu Movie 'The Archbishop and the Antichrist'". TheWrap. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
- ^ Hipes, Mike Fleming Jr,Patrick (October 27, 2016). "Eric Bana To Star Opposite Forest Whitaker In Desmond Tutu Pic 'The Forgiven'". Deadline. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
((cite news)): CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-pan-african-film-festival-curtain-raiser-20180207-story.html
- ^ http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-mini-the-forgiven-review-20180308-story.html
- ^ https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/08/movies/the-forgiven-review-forest-whitaker.html
External links
- The Forgiven at IMDb