Drum (2004) - DaaVeeDee

Drum (2004) (DVD) (*)

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Screened, competed or awarded at:
Other Film Festival Awards

Language Selections:
English ( Dolby Digital 5.1 )
German ( Dolby Digital 5.1 )
German ( Subtitles )

Product Origin/Format:
Germany ( PAL/Region 2 )

Running Time:
97 min

Aspect Ratio:
Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1)

Special Features:
Anamorphic Widescreen
Cast/Crew Interview(s)
Featurette
Interactive Menu
Photo Gallery
Scene Access
Trailer(s)

Movie filmed in 2004 and produced in:
South Africa ( Africa, Middle East )
United States ( USA, Canada )

Directed By:
Jason Filardi

Written By:
Zola Maseko

Actors:
Taye Diggs ..... Henry Nxumalo
Gabriel Mann ..... Jurgen Schadeberg
Tumisho Masha ..... Can Themba (as Tumisho K. Masha)
Moshidi Motshegwa ..... Florence Nxumalo
Jason Flemyng ..... Jim Bailey
Zola ..... Slim (Alpheus) (as Bonginkosi Dlamini)
Fezile Mpela ..... Todd Matshikiza
Greg Melvill-Smith ..... Major Att Spengler (as Greg Melville-Smith)
Lindani Nkosi ..... Nelson Mandela
Keketso Semoko ..... Fatsy
Tessa Jaye ..... Carol Shand
Bonnie Henna ..... Dara Macala (as Bonnie Mbuli)
Tanya Baleson ..... Planning Clerk
Emgee Pretorius ..... Johan Snyman
Israel Makoe ..... Vy

Synopsis:

Drum tells the true story of a South African reporter named Henry (Taye Diggs) who works for a magazine called Drum (the film is set in 1955, the height of Apartheid). Though Drum shies away from political articles, Henry tires of writing fluff pieces (a local boxing match, for instance) and starts tackling more socially important stories. Drum is an engaging look at an important moment in history, anchored by a fantastic lead performance by Diggs. Supporting roles have been filled by equally competent actors, with Jason Flemyng an obvious standout as Drum's loyal and slightly awkward editor. Director Zola Maseko effectively tells this story without too many superfluous elements; as a result, the film goes by fairly quickly. Though the screenplay occasionally simplifies things - ie we know exactly who we're supposed to root for, with no middle ground - and the conclusion is far from surprising, the solid performances and steady direction from Maseko ensures Drum's place among better-than-average true-life tales.

The story is based on real events and real people and is set in the mid-1950s freehold township of Sophiatown, Johannesburg- one of the few areas in South Africa where blacks could own property and drink alcoholic beverages. Drum begins with the central character, sportswriter Henry Nxumalo, reporting on a boxing match with Nelson Mandela. Nxumalo leaves his wife Florence at home while going out into his community's night life and has an affair with a female singer. He works for Drum magazine, which was "the first black lifestyle magazine in Africa."[1] The magazine was financed by whites and had a multiracial staff; it was popular among the black community. Drum's British editor, Jim Bailey (Jason Flemyng), asks Nxumalo to write on the township crime scene, and Nxumalo, while at first unwilling, finally agrees. While on the job, he encounters Slim (Zola), a gang leader, that he had previously met in illegal township drinking places, and witnesses him kill a man in Sophiatown. Initially Nxumalo stays away from political articles, but eventually writes about more than entertainment after his wife and Mandela encourage him. When a young man goes missing at a Boer farm and is feared enslaved, Nxumalo decides to investigate undercover. He gets employment as a labourer at the farm, where he is treated like a slave and nearly killed. He becomes a celebrity when his story is published, further reinforced by getting himself in prison and reporting about its conditions. Nxumalo decides that his destiny is to be a muckracker and, with the help of the German photographer Jurgen Schadeberg (Gabriel Mann), ventures on more risky investigations. Nxumalo frequently fights the racism and apartheid that is beginning to creep into his hometown. He tries to tackle stories important to his society's well-being. However, he is no match to the plan to evict residents and ultimately destroy Sophiatown. Constantly harassed by the government, at the end of the film he is stabbed to death. The attacker has never been identified.

A hot-shot journalist is swept up in a movement to challenge Apartheid in 1950s South Africa.

This product was added to our catalog on Monday 30 January, 2012.

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