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A comic allegory about a Bushman on a mission who encounters modern civilization and its stranger aspects, including a clumsy scientist and a band of revolutionaries on the run.
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For such an old movie I am surprised at how well it has aged. It is still extremely watchable and although a tad boring in places it still holds your attention for most of it. I would love to know how they cast the movie especially the tribal people as they are all so believable.
I think the biggest star of the movie would have to be the car. I had tears rolling down my face when Stern goes to pick up the newly appointed teacher. Not being able to turn the car off or use the hand brake the antics he goes through is so funny. Especially when the car rolls backwards down a hill and he is chasing it only for it to drive forward again. I also love when he uses the crank in the river to pull the car up. Seriously they should make more movies like this.
I found the opening scenes so fascinating and liberating. It tells about the bushman and how free they are. They have no violence, no crimes, no fighting, life is great and peaceful. They apologise to animals before they kill them which happens to be done so humanily with just a dart dipped in a sleeping tonic. It is so light. Then you see the 'civilased world' always having to adapt to their days and there surroundings. It is so true and yet you just do not think about it till it is laid out in such a way you think why really are we that civilised or are the bushman.
Keeping to the 'civilaised' theme the coke bottle destroys all they know so the unfortunate task is left to a young bushman who must return the bottle to the gods or destroy it by throwing it off the ends of the earth. The special effects are actually not that bad and I the rocket launcher scene is hilarious. A great light hearted 'funny as' movie - much better then most of the dribble we have today.
I loved this movie the first time I saw it and every single time since then. I have never laughed so much in my life specially with all the poor bushman goes through to return the glass coke bottle that the gods gave them from the sky and the poor scientist who always did the wrong thing around the school teacher.
The movie didn't resort to being vulgar to get the point across so it is great for family viewing but still funny so that adults can enjoy it as well. You have to feel sorry for Xi as he was exposed to a modern world that is a lot more complicated than he is used to but he was determined that he had to return the bottle if he could only find the end of the world and he wanted to keep true to his beliefs so it was a bit funny during the court case and his driving was great, you could believe that he had never seen a car before or driven one, choosing to go in reverse when given a choice.
I have this on DVD and love watching it when feeling a bit down and in need of a good laugh, need to have the tissues on standby as I always laugh till I cry with this one.
Kalahari bushman Xi (played by genuine bushman N!xau) is as surprised as the rest of his tribe when a glass Coke bottle, thrown from plane flying past, lands in the middle of his village. This is seen as a "gift from the gods" as the tribe finds many useful things to use the bottle for, but when fights begin to start and it used for violence the tribe agrees it must be returned to the gods. And so Xi is send to the "end of the earth" and throw it back to the gods.
Meanwhile, back in urban South Africa, Kate Thompson (Sandra Prinsloo) leaves her office job in the city to take a job teaching Kalahari children; once in the wilderness, she finds herself constantly bumping into a clumsy microbiologist Andrew Steyn (Marius Weyers). Also at the same time maniacal Sam Boga (Louw Verwey) is trying to lead a military coup against the current government.
This movie was done so so well. It is easy to believe the limited interaction with the 'civilised' world that the tribe has and how they live in their world Xi is dead set on his travels to the end of the earth to return the bottle to their gods. Their isn't a great deal of dialogue in this film, which is really one of the great things about it. This is such a sweet, funny and meaningful film, I really to recommend it to everyone.
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