Ashoka: The Search for India's Lost Emperor
Book
India's lost emperor Ashoka Maurya has a special place in history. In his quest to govern India by...
The Longest Winter: What Do You Do When War Tears Your World Apart?
Book
For fans of The Kite Runner, Girl at War and The Cellist of Sarajevo, The Longest Winter is Kevin...
The Foreigner (2017)
6.9
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The film tells the story of humble London businessman Quan (Chan), whose long-buried past erupts in...
The March of Folly
Book
From the distinguished American historian whose work has been acclaimed around the world, a major...
The Prisoner in the Castle (Maggie Hope Mystery, #8)
9.0
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Book
November, 1942. World War II is raging, and former spy Maggie Hope knows too much: what the British...
Darren (1599 KP) rated A United Kingdom (2017) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019
With tension between Bechuanaland and South Africa high the idea of the soon to be King marrying a white woman would be unheard off. The British government doesn’t want him to become king and Seretse own family don’t want him to become king if he stays with Ruth. With the racial divide still going strong, Seretse pushed for equality over anything else, so he can unite his kingdom when he becomes king.
Thoughts on A United Kingdom
Characters – Seretse Khama is the prince of Bechuanaland he has been studying law in England to prepare for his time as king, he falls in love a white woman in Ruth Williams which throws tensions from his family, government in the air and to prove his love is more important than his traditions and bring the equality between the races together. Ruth Williams is an English clerk whose family has been working to teach Christianity to Africans, she meets and falls in love with Seretse and goes against everyone else’s desires and marries him. Rufus Lancaster is the British liaison in Bechuanaland who leads the opposition from the land, which only shows us just how the English were over controlling.
Performances – David Oyelowo is wonderful in the leading role, showing us once again that he can lead any movie he wants too. Rosamund Pike shines to showing everyone that she can handle to calm roles after the psycho ones in Gone Girl. The rest of the cast are wonderful even if the British characters are as stuck up as you would imagine them to be.
Story – The story follows the lives of King Seretse who marries an English white woman which puts the balance between the racial tension in his home land and British rule. We learn a lot from this movie, because we see how the country was being controlled from outside forces that only saw them as a piece of land. There is a lot to take in and the history lesson about this union that created a chance in the land.
Biopic/Romance – What King Seretse and his wife Ruth achieved for Botswana was incredible and this shows us how their love drove them to achieve this change.
Settings – The settings show us the high society British look at an African country that was following its own traditions to become the independent from this style of rule.
Scene of the Movie – Speech to the ‘tribe’ as the British called them.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Knowing the English were this shallow.
Final Thoughts – This is a good look at how the world was once ruled by people who believe they are in the right to control countries affairs and how their union would change everything.
Overall: History is always worth learning.
https://moviesreview101.com/2019/05/21/abc-film-challenge-biopics-u-a-united-kingdom-2016/
Marcus Simaika Pasha: Father of Coptic Archaeology
Samir Simaika and Nevine Henein
Book
Marcus Pasha Simaika (1864-1944) was born to a prominent Coptic family on the eve of the...
Having - inadvertently - previously saved the life of Prince Khoosie of the state of Jhamjarh, this novel starts with Bandy travelling to that continent to help them set up their own air force: an air force that is viewed with some misgivings by the (British) powers-that-be, who are convinced that it will be used against them and who refuse to heed any warnings about an uprising that is planned by another Indian state, even going so far as to take their side against Jhamjarh.
As things turn out, of course, the British government have it all backwards …
As I've said before, I found the quality of these novels to have declined in direct proportion to their settings: for my money, the earlier books (set during and just after WW1) are far superior to these later instalments. Having said that, I did find this one to be more enjoyable than its immediate predecessor, with a few laugh-out-loud moments and a further insight into just how Bandy's First World War experiences have affected him
Licensed to Sell: The History and Heritage of the Public House
Andrew Davison, Geoff Brandwood and Michael Slaughter
Book
This is a new edition of English Heritage's widely acclaimed study of that great British...
Lives of the Law: Selected Essays and Speeches: 2000-2010
Book
Tom Bingham (1933-2010) was the 'greatest judge of our time' (The Guardian), a towering figure in...