Sophiatown

It's a bit strange to write a review in 2018 which is really a response to a review written 23 Fecruary 2006 by imasamiam. I happen to have accessed this site as I was today writing a personal review of Sophiatown to a personal friend and all this was instigated by the fact that yesterday was Nelson Mandela's 100th birthday. By coincidence, I also watched the film in 2005 on SA Airways flights - both directions - but in my case between SA and Brazil. I was also deeply impressed and moved by the film - not necessarily assessing its structure from film-making perspective (as was done by bob the moo in the only other review that has been posted) but by its content and the treatment the content received. I have a son who studied film making at university and we have had discussions where he is critical and I defend it - and we never agree on how many stars to give it. But for me, who has worked in Africa as a consultant for many years (and in fact was working in Johannesburg in 1994 when Mandela won the general Election) and as a lifelong jazz enthusiast, the film is a Documentary with the biggest possible D! So, I wish I had seem your post, imasamiam, back in 2006, because I also set out looking for it on DVD to no avail. So, I got in touch with the company in Ireland who apparently was the copyright holder. After several phone calls, they sold me a copy on DVD, which I had to get my sister in London to pick up from their London office and then mail to me in Brazil. Some years back, the DVD ceased to function, but luckily I had made a copy onto the hard disc of my laptop. I still watch the film several times a year. Just the music makes it worthwhile. But keeping the memory of alive of those critical times in the history of SA - which are so relevant to so many other countries worldwide today - is the important reason.

In the 1950's, Sophiatown was an area of Johannesburg that defied apartheid and was an area that is described in modern terms as the Harlem of South Africa. The area was well known as a hotbed of jazz music and black gangsters using the habits and attitudes that they lifted from American movies of the time. The period is revisited by those involved in the music and the area as they share their memories and perform at two concerts marking the anniversary of the period.

Opening with a much shorter framework than I have given in the last paragraph, this film requires you to know a lot about the area/period already or to be happy to be always playing catch up throughout the film. I knew a little (hence me watching the film) but I was in the situation of trying to gleam specifics from the general stories told during the film, not the way I like to watch a documentary. In this regard the film really lacks structure and it is difficult to really get into as it is detached stories broken up by songs and dances. Despite this it still manages to tell me some things about the period and place that I had not known before this film – added flesh to the bones of what I knew of apartheid South Africa. It worked well enough to watch but it really could have been structured better to tell one story through lots of specific stories – it gets better towards the end with more historical footage.

The music and the musicians are great through. I had never heard of any of the musicians and gangsters interviewed as part of this film but they are all energetic and laugh as they share even the most brutal or painful of memories – because they are behind them I imagine. Their stories are tinged with sadness at the very least but are all involving and stick in your mind.

The music is a matter of taste: when I think of jazz, this is not the type of jazz that I think of, but it is still catchy and enjoyable and is used well in the film.

Overall, this may not have the best structure in the world but it is an interesting film even if it clearly not aimed at those audiences that have no prior knowledge of the area or the period (even a little bit of help in structuring an introduction would have been better) but it is filled with great characters with stories that they tell to you like an old friend and music that is cool and easy on the ears.

I'm an American who's married to a South African. I've been to SA many times and learn a little more about the country's history each time I go. I saw this film on the airplane on my last trip to SA and absolutely loved it! I watched it twice on the flight to and once on the flight back home. I know it sounds a bit clichéd but it made me laugh, cry and even dance in my seat. As soon as I got off the plane, I went to a CNA and bought the soundtrack! I hunted desperately to find it on DVD while I was there but to no avail. This was a year ago so I've been hoping that it will come out soon but still can't find it. Does anyone know if it's been released in SA or the UK on DVD? (I know it will be PAL format but that's fine because I can convert it to watch it in the USA.) Anyway, if anyone knows of a link that I could go to and buy Sophiatown on DVD, I would certainly appreciate it!