I was born with the songs
of Zulu rainmakers in my ears.
They sang to end the great drought
which burned the land of South Africa
for 10 years.
Aah!
My mother gave birth to me
3 weeks after my father died.
He was trampled to death by a bull elephant
in the bush.
She gave me his name..
Peter Phillip Kenneth Keith..
but from the first day,
she called me by my initials, P.K.,
just as she had called my father.
Ohh.
"And start again in your beginnings,
"and never breathe a word about your loss.
"You can force your heart and nerve and sinew
"to serve your turn long after they are gone,
"and so, hold on when there is nothing in you
"except the will which says to them,
hold on."
I remember my mother telling me
that she was a child of England,
where she grew up with books and music,
but I was a child of Africa
and woke to the smell of jacaranda blossoms
and fell asleep to the sound of the weaverbirds
nesting for the night.
"You'll be a man, my son."
Nanny's son Tonderai was my best friend.
From the time we were born,
we did everything together..
games, chores, and lessons.
Mother taught us about England.
Nanny taught us about Africa.
Mother said life was perfect
except it never rained.
Madam! Madam, come quickly.
Come!
It's bad.. the cattle!
The cattle are dying!
My father was a farmer.
My mother was not.
Because she loved us so much,
she tried hard to be one after he died,
but when the plague killed our cattle,
something inside her broke and never mended.
Nanny said the doctor insisted
my mother have complete rest.
She said I must go to boarding school.
For the first time in my life,
I felt afraid.
I'd never been away from home before,
away from my mother,
away from nanny.
I wanted to cry, but I held it in.
I was afraid it would hurt my mother even more.
Mummy's going to give you
the bracelet daddy gave mummy
when we first fell in love.
I love you, P.K.
She gave me the ostrich-shell bracelet
my father gave her
when they first fell in love.
Be a good boy, darling.
Bye.
Good-bye.
Be good, P.K.
We were poor.
The only school we could afford
was run by Afrikaners,
the oldest of the two white tribes in Africa.
The other,
being my people,
the English.
The English drove us into the wilderness,
but we returned stronger than before.
They spilled our blood across the land,
but we returned stronger than before.
Because this land is ours,
given to us in holy covenant by almighty God,
it is our responsibility
to rise up and push out the English,
to put down the black,
for the holy scripture tells us..
Joshua 9:20..
"the children of Ham turned black for their sins.
"They shall be unto the rest
"hewers of wood and drawers of water.
They shall be as servants unto you."
It is our responsibility to redeem that covenant,
to repossess the land,
to be stronger than before!
Let us pray.
I remember my first lesson.
In 1896,
the Afrikaners had tried to overthrow
the government of the English,
but the English army was too strong.
The English locked up
26,000 Afrikaner women and children
into what they called concentration camps.
Many of them died
from malaria, typhoid, and Blackwater fever.
As the only English boy at school,
I took the blame for all those deaths.
And forgive us our trespasses..
This was made clear to me
by the oldest boy at school,
Jaapie Botha.
But deliver us from evil,
for thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory
forever and ever.
Amen.
You know what P.K. Stands for?
Piss kop.
Piss head.
No, it doesn't. It stands for
Peter Phillip Kenneth Keith.
That's my name.
Let's piss on the piss kop.
Piss on the piss kop.
Let's go.
Piss kop.
Piss kop, piss kop.
P.K.'S going to love to be pissed on.
Ah, he's ready, aren't you, Rooinek?
We've been saving this all day for you.
Tasty, eh, Rooinek?
Look up.
Come on. He's had enough.
Don't feel bad, piss kop.
We'll give you more tomorrow.
Whether it was fear or shame or both,
I don't know,
but just after the bullying in the shower,
I began to wet my bed.
I never should have left.
I should have stayed
to help take care of mother,
then she would have been better.
I know she would have.
Thou shalt show me the path..
Since my only other living relative,
my grandfather,
was away in the Congo,
it was decided by our solicitor
that I return to boarding school,
a decision which terrified me.
Ashes to ashes,
dust to dust.
Nanny,
Piss kop.
I confided in nanny what had happened
and how I'd become a bed-wetter.
She did what any good Zulu mother would do.
She called on the greatest medicine man of her tribe,
a man who nanny said could make sick men well
and scared men brave.
I had never seen anyone like him before.
I said a silent prayer
that his magic was stronger than my trouble.
His name was Dabula Manzi.
Dabula Manzi said
my troubles came from fear deep in my heart.
He would send me on the journey
to discover courage and bury my fear.
He drew three circles of magic powder
on the ground,
placed a chicken in each one.
He said the chicken who broke out of the circle
was the bravest.
He would be my guide on the journey
to find my courage.
Dabula Manzi said
the spirit of the great Zulu warriors
lived in me.
I'd faced the most powerful creature on earth,
a creature I'd feared
since hearing about how my father died.
I'd earned his respect for my courage.
There'd be no more problem with night water.
Dabula Manzi said I was a man for all Africa,
bound to her by my spirit,
bound to her by my dreams.
He said I was no longer a piss kop.
He gave me back my name,
and he let me keep the chicken.
I named my chicken Masibindi.
In Zulu, that means mother courage.
During the day,
she would hunt for bugs outside.
At night, she would nest above my bed
and keep a sharp eye.
She was my best and only friend.
A month later,
war broke out in Europe.
This caused me more problems
than bed-wetting ever had.
Hitler had vowed to crush Great Britain
and drive the English from South Africa.
The Afrikaners waited for that day
with excitement.
I said Dabula Manzi's words
over and over to myself,
trying not to be afraid.
Silence!
Piss kop,
God has sent Hitler to deliver us
from you English bastards
who stole our country and killed our people.
Heil Hitler!
All: Heil Hitler!
We will swear a blood oath.
When Hitler comes,
we will rise up and kill the verdomde Rooineks!
We swear allegiance to Adolf Hitler.
Death to all englishmen in South Africa.
Heil Hitler!
God bless the fatherland.
Heil Hitler!
For crimes committed
against the Afrikaner people,
I, Jaapie Botha,
the judge and Über Führer,
sentence your Rooinek Kaffir chicken to death.
Heil Hitler!
No, not my chicken! Not my chicken!
Now!
No! Not my chicken!
Let my chicken go!
No! No! No!
No!
Heil Hitler!
Silence!
Hang him up.
Hang him up!
You will pay for the deaths
of our grandfathers and grandmothers.
All English will pay,
and you will be first.
Heil Hitler!
Silence!
In the name of Adolf Hitler
and the fatherland,
I sentence you to die, verdomde Rooinek.
All: Kill him! Kill him!
Kill him! Kill him!
Ow!
Heil Hitler!
You dummkopf!
I buried Masibindi the very next day.
Seemed I was to lose everyone I'd ever loved
or had ever loved me..
my mother, my chicken, and now nanny.
Tonderai and nanny
had to return to their family in Southern rhodesia.
I knew I'd never see them again.
Loneliness birds seemed to fly into my heart
and lay large stone eggs.
My whole body hurt with sadness.
My grandfather came home from the Congo
to his house in Barberton,
where English people lived.
I was sent to live with him.
Children, he said,
were a complete mystery to him.
I did not think I'd ever feel better again.
I did not know
how to chase the loneliness birds away.
Then one day,
grandfather sent a friend of his to see me.
You know, my donkey Beethoven
once told me a remedy
of curing sadness in little boys.
Would you like to try it?
Good. Stand up.
That's a boy.
Here.
On one leg.
Good. Good.
And close your eyes.
Hmm.
Say three times, "absooloodle."
Absooloodle, absooloodle, absooloodle.
Well, wonderful. Feel better?
No?
Hmm.
I guess it proves one thing, then.
What's that?
Never take advice from a donkey.
No?
Much, much better, yes?
Yes.
Would you like to meet him?
Yes, please.
Let's go.
What.. what is your name?
Oh, very interesting name.
I will introduce you to the Beethoven.
That was how I met doc,
who collected cacti,
played piano,
and showed me how to talk to his donkey Beethoven.
He likes you very, very much.
So, my old friend, you have a very bright grandson.
Very bright.
I wish I knew what to do about it.
His mother, God rest her soul,
was qualified, taught him to read,
taught him to play piano.
Music is such an important part in a young man's education,
don't you agree?
How could I not?
I'm a musician. Music is my life.
What do you think of this proposal?
You take P.K. Under your wing,
teach him the piano,
and he will be chief assistant
in your cactus garden.
He pays you, you pay him.
With great pleasure.
He reminds me of Eric.
Your grandson. How old is he now?
He would be 7 now.
Doc was a famous pianist
who gave concerts all over the world.
While he was in South Africa,
the war broke out.
He couldn't go home.
In Germany, Hitler killed doc's whole family
'cause they believed in peace.
Doc's grandson was killed, too.
He was only 7, just like me.
Doc was all alone in the world.
Doc said a person needed 2 things in life..
good health and good education.
He said my health was good,
but my education needed immediate attention.
Doc showed me Africa.
He made Africa my classroom.
I even learned how to drive Beethoven.
My lessons began every day at sunrise.
Doc showed me how to look at things differently
than I ever had before.
And so, the brain, P.K., has 2 functions.
It's the best reference library ever,
which is a good thing to have,
but also from it comes original thought.
In school, you'll get all filled up with the facts.
Out here, your brain will learn where to look,
how to look, and how to think.
Any question you ever have,
the answer you will find in nature
if you know where to look
and how to ask.
And then you will have for yourself
all the brains that have ever been.
One by one,
the loneliness birds flew away
with the stone eggs they'd laid in my heart.
Doc said there were so many things to learn
that we couldn't waste even one second.
Mother used to say the same thing.
Mother would have liked doc.
Everything in nature is cooperation,
even moonlight.
Without the sun,
the moon would be a dark circle,
but with cooperation..
moonlight.
Ooh, a bit heavy, isn't it?
Oh, that's a big one.
That's a big one. Hmm.
Beautiful.
Hold its roots.
Good.
Hmm, looks like we have visitors.
Yeah.
Maybe we offer them tea, huh?
Maybe a cactus.
Yes, maybe both, huh?
Or breakfast.
Let's unplant one and give it to them.
That's a good idea.
How are you today, captain?
Cup of tea?
Professor Von Vollenstein?
Ja.
By order of his majesty's government,
for the failure to register as an alien citizen,
you're hereby remanded to Barberton prison
for the duration of the war with Germany, your country of origin.
You will come with me.
It was then I realized that the Afrikaners
were not the only ones to hate and fear others.
The English were in for their fair share as well.
The loneliness birds began to circle again.
Come on! Come on!
Let's go!
While the English saw doc as the enemy,
the Afrikaner prison authorities
saw him as the perfect example of German culture,
something they admired.
You can put your garden on that side
and plant all your cactus there.
Every day after school,
my grandfather would walk me down to the prison
and fetch me home at sundown.
I would bring my bucket
with a cactus wrapped in a tobacco leaf
to keep it moist.
Take those books away!
Kommandant Van Zyl
brought doc's piano into the prison
and allowed me unrestricted visits.
Open the door!
Don't drop this bloody piano now!
Whoa!
All right, now turn it on its side, then.
Damn it!
Come on!
Don't you know how to move a bloody piano?
I will get this in there for you.
The tobacco leaf, leave in the bucket.
So, soon is your school evaluation.
Uh-huh.
Mm-hmm.
It was today, actually, wasn't it?
Uh-huh.
Mm-hmm.
What are your marks?
What marks?
Grammar.
Satisfactory.
Mathematics?
Satisfactory.
Science?
Satisfactory.
Geography?
Satisfactory.
Oh, oh, oh, that's a shame.
The P.K. I know is a lot more than satisfactory.
He's a brain.
In my school,
you get beaten up if you're a brain.
P.K., to have a brain, it's not a sin.
To have a brain and not use it,
that is a sin.
Come.
I will introduce you to someone
who will show you how to use your brain
to keep from getting beaten up.
Who?
It's a very smart man.
Come.
I will introduce you.
I asked doc if it was the lieutenant.
He said the lieutenant would say he's too busy.
That's it.
That's it, man.
Sergeant.
I have the permission to come in.
All right, Professor.
Come on, move!
Keep moving, boys.
Come on.
Keep your left up.
Left jab.
Would it be too much trouble
for my friend P.K. To learn some boxing?
I'd really like to help, Professor,
but we all very busy preparing
for the inter-prison championships,
both the junior and the senior divisions.
How about the old man?
All right.
Hey, Kaffir.
Come here.
Yes, meneer.
Now, listen.
Teach this boy the basics,
and teach him good.
Otherwise I knock your black head flat.
Yes, meneer.
Right.
Hello.
So?
You want to be a boxer?
I think I'm too little.
Not to worry, klein baas.
Little beat big when little smart.
First with the head..
Then with the heart.
You can remember that?
Yes, sir.
No!
No, little baas.
You must never, never call me sir.
Because of the guards?
Yes.
What should I call you?
Piet.
I am Geel Piet.
I am P.K.
So.
When I first met Geel Piet,
he'd spent 40 of his 55 years
in one prison or another.
He told me he'd been a thief, a con man,
and lots of other things.
Now he was my teacher..
And my friend.
There, now. You see how it can work?
You see how little beat big?
Can't catch you, can't hit you.
Can't hit you, can't hurt you.
Hmm?
Oh, after only 2 months,
you a wizard.
But when do I get to punch?
Punch?
Oh, man, you not going to just punch.
You going to combination, eh?
1-2.
Go on. You try.
1-2. Yes. 1-2. 1-2.
Ohh, that's it.
Do we have a boxer here?
Ja, man.
We going to build for you
eight-punch combination, hmm?
The Geel Piet eight, yo?
Geel Piet eight?
Ja.
Then, by jove, you catch fire, hmm?
Come, now. 1-2.
1-2..1-2..
1-2.
1-2..1-2..
Oh, very strong.
Good punching. Very strong.
1-2..1-2..
1-2..
Oh, that's it.
That's good, little baas.
Bravo. You look like a champion already.
1-2..1-2..
Oh, what a boxer we have here.
I'm going to learn the Geel Piet eight.
But right now you have to learn
the Beethoven ninth for an hour
so we can get to the cactus
before it's too hot to plant.
Between the two of us,
we'll make from you a champion..
And a brain.
Your lesson.. wonderful.
Ganz wonderful. Thank you.
Oh, excuse me, meneer Professor.
Ja.
Every time I see the little baas
bring the cactus,
inside the bucket is some tobacco leaf.
Yes. It keeps the roots wet.
That's the reason.
So, ja..
Well, you know, Professor..
Little smoke late at night
only little pleasure we have in this hard life, man.
They make it difficult to have the tobacco.
Why won't they let you have tobacco?
Because, P.K.,
when it is a person's job to punish,
it's all they know how to do.
I smell something not right here.
Eh, Kaffir?
No, meneer sergeant.
Everything ok.
Aah!
It's enough, sergeant.
That's enough, sergeant.
It's enough!
Here we say what is enough, Professor,
not you.
If you're up to something.
I'll find out.
This old Kaffir, he ok. He ok.
Everything ok.
Sorry to make trouble.
Sorry, little baas.
Now on, we just stick to the boxing.
Sorry.
Sorry, man.
Geel Piet.
I leave my bucket
on the side of the piano when I practice.
See it is cleaned out every day.
Yes, baas. Ja.
Nice, P.K. Nice.
I don't like that Schwinn none, either.
Ja, er ist ein Schwinn. Let's go.
Ok, doc.
To survive in prison,
Geel Piet became an expert in camouflage..
A master of the invisible.
His goal was to draw as little attention to himself
while getting exactly what he
and his fellow prisoners needed.
Ja, ja.
Good.
Good, little baas.
Faster.
Ja, ja.
5 years passed before I knew it,
and while outside the prison,
everyone waited anxiously
for the end of world war ii,
inside, everyone was concerned with just one thing..
the outcome of the inter-prison boxing championships.
That's great!
And under Geel Piet's constant tutelage,
I became champion in my weight class.
Very good, little baas.
Doc's garden grew
as he planted and fertilized the cacti
I continued to bring him,
setting aside the tobacco for Geel Piet
and the other prisoners.
I also became the unofficial letter writer
at Geel Piet's suggestion.
Ja, man..
You really have the gift of the language, you know.
That song about the rainmaker..
why are they always singing it around me?
Guard: All right, then. Time's up. Move it!
All the tribes believe, little baas,
that when there is drought,
it is because..
The people are in conflict.
Inyanga ye Zulu, the rainmaker..
Cools things down..
the earth, the sky..
The people.
He.. he stops the conflict.
He brings the rain.
He brings the peace, man.
Ok, fine.
But what does it got to do with me?
Well, klein baas,
you like inyanga ye Zulu.
You cool things down, man.
You write the letters for all the tribes,
you bring the tobacco for all the tribes.
Naturally, they think
maybe you are the one from the myth.
They sing to honor you.
Did you have anything to do with this?
Say to a few people
how you.. Treat all the tribes equally,
how you not show favoritism
for one tribe over another,
how you cool things down, something like that.
Why?
Well, little baas,
little hope never hurt no one.
Ja, but it's false hope.
Better than no hope at all.
Time for Beethoven, P.K.
Ah, thank you, Professor.
It's my pleasure.
You and the men,
enjoy the tobacco.
See you tomorrow.. Rainmaker.
Empty the bucket, Kaffir.
Yes, baas.
You are a bunch of shit-eaters,
aren't you, Kaffir?
No, baas.
What you say?
Yes, baas.
Bloody right.
Now, get eating.
Eat it.
You can't hide from me forever, Kaffir.
Your day will come,
and it'll be as black as your bloody soul,
I promise you.
You all right?
Not to worry, little baas.
In the trunk, we eat shit every day.
All of us.
If the sergeant had found the tobacco,
all the prisoners would've been beaten severely.
And so the other prisoners
sang to honor Geel Piet's courage.
But it still broke my heart
to see a man I loved so degraded.
And it also made me angry..
Angry that it was done..
Angry that I couldn't do anything to change it.
They sang into the night,
knowing full well they'd be locked in their cells
for 3 days with no water.
They sang to honor Geel Piet's dignity.
Dance. Dance. Dance. Dance.
Down.
They..
They look confused.
They are confused, little baas.
They are confused.
They are afraid.
They are cowards.
Come.
Let us get these towels to the laundry.
Good news!
The Americans have crossed the rhine.
The war.. the war is almost over!
That's brilliant.
Quick. Let me see.
Isn't it wonderful?
You will be free, Professor.
At last I go home to Germany.
Ja!
Go home to Germany?
Yes, I go home to Germany!
Isn't that wonderful, little baas?
Huh?
I suppose so.
Eh?
But he doesn't think it's so wonderful, eh?
If you go back to Germany,
I'll never see you again.
I don't think that's so wonderful.
Ja, you're right. It's not.
Sometimes we must try to take..
To take what's not wonderful
and make it so.
Ah, Professor.
I just heard the news.
Ja. Here. We were just discussing it.
Professor, we are going to miss you.
Thank you.
Hey..
Professor,
I wonder if I can ask you a favor.
At the end of this month,
the commissioner
is paying his yearly visit.
Can you organize a concert
in his honor?
A concert here?
Here.
A concert? A c..
ja, I.. I will arrange something
for the commissioner.
You're a good man, Professor.
Thank you very much.
Ja, we are going to miss you, eh?
Why do you want a concert for these people?
No, Professor, not for them.
For us, man. Yes.
You can write the music.
Little baas here can write the words.
And the people's voices, Professor..
The people's voices can be your instruments, eh?
Ja.
They'll never guess who it's for.
He's a genius.
The tribes don't even talk to each other.
To sing together.. it will never happen.
It will if the little baasssay so.
Remember the myth.
You mean the one you invented.
What you talking, little baas?
I didn't invent it.
The myth is as old as Africa.
To the people,
myth is stronger than love,
stronger than hate.
It gives them reason
to do what they would never do.
You ask. You'll see.
Ja, the myth.
The myth.
You are a genius.
You're the smartest
of us all.
Doc!
Here!
I just finished the lyrics.
They're about the guards.
That's wonderful.
Let me hear.
Ayalena, ayalena..
in English, please. English, please.
Uh..
They run this way, they run that way.
They are confused, they are afraid.
They are cowards.
That's excellent.
Excellent.
It fits them perfectly.
It's from something geel Piet said.
Even better.
But will it fit in with the music?
Oh, let's see. Let's see.
Huh?
Something is wrong?
No. It's beautiful.
But..
But do you like it like this?
Having obtained the cooperation
of all the tribal groups,
as geel Piet predicted,
I set out to instruct them.
A handful of men from each tribe
were chosen to learn their tribe's part.
They, in turn, taught others,
who taught others, until everyone knew his part.
Whoa! Whoa!
What are these monkeys singing about?
I don't know. I only play piano.
Have you seen geel Piet?
He hasn't arrived yet.
Don't worry.
It's his night, his creation.
He will come, boy, believe me.
Professor.
Evening, kommandant.
Ja.
Sit! Sit down!
What?
Herr kommandant,
P.K. Is excellent translator.
You can speak their babble?
Yes, sir.
I always have.
All right. I want you to tell them
the only reason I'm allowing this concert
is to honor the visit of the commissioner
and his lovely friend..
And also out of respect for the Professor.
Even if he is in prison,
he's not a dirty criminal
like the rest of them!
He's a man of culture,
learning.
Tell them that.
For such a man,
I am prepared to do this,
but one hair of trouble,
just one..
It's finished. Tell them that.
One wrong move, just one,
and they'll be the sorriest Kaffirs
in the whole of Africa!
Tell them that.
What are they clapping for?
They respect strength, sir kommandant.
Well done, P.K. Well done.
But.. but geel Piet is still not here.
He will come.
He will come, believe me.
Now the music, P.K. Now the music.
This concert was your idea..
Wasn't it?
You tricky bastard.
No, baas.
Ooh!
Don't lie to me.
Your friends can't help you now,
and you're going to tell me all your secrets,
starting with the song.
What are they singing?
I.. I don't know, baas.
Ohh!
Ah..
tell me.
Tell me.
They run.. This way..
They.. Run.. That way.
They are..
A-afraid.
We are afraid?
You are.. Cowards.
You bastard!
No. No, Piet.
Little baas.
Piet, no, please.
All the tribes together.
First time..
Because of you..
Rainmaker.
No, please.
Little defeat.. Big.
When little.. is smart.
First with the head..
And then with the heart.
No.
Piet, no. No, no..
Hearing the tribes singing together,
geel Piet dropped his camouflage
and defied sergeant Bormann.
For that one brief moment,
he was a free man..
Before he died.
"The war ended.
"Doc went home to Germany,
"and once again, I was left alone,
"fending off the loneliness birds,
"trying as doc and geel Piet had taught me
"to turn my sadness into something wonderful,
"because no matter how much
"I wanted to believe I could..
My heart would never let me."
Very evocative.
Singing.. Dying..
Powerful images.
Well done.
Any ideology that needs to attack the thing
that least threatens it..
Is an ideology that will not outlive its own generation.
Inclusion,
not exclusion, gentlemen,
is the key to survival.
Something our new Afrikaaner government
should take heed of, eh?
Next week, we have Mr. Guilbert,
who will enlighten us on the subject of, um..
sport and wager in imperial Rome, sir.
Very apt, Mr. Guilbert.
We shall look forward to the experience.
Gentlemen..
One moment, gentlemen.
On my recommendation,
Oxford university has agreed to consider you both
as candidates for matriculation.
Thank you, sir.
In light of your financial situation, P.K.,
I took the liberty of making an application for you
for a government scholarship.
If you'll just sign here,
we'll file it immediately.
Thank you, sir.
Thank you.
Your mother will be pleased, Mr. Guilbert.
She'll be surprised, sir.
Thank you.
Oh, one thing more.
Was justice ever served?
Sir?
This man Bormann..
Geel Piet..
It was, sir.
Sergeant Bormann
was found a month later
hanging from a rope in geel Piet's cell.
1..
2..
3..
4..
5..
6..
7..
8..
9..
What the hell happened? You were killing him.
That girl.. Find out who she is.
Are you bonkers?
We bet every pound we have.
You lose, we're paupers.
Find out who she is.
We thank the native population
for this spirited display..
And in the interest of good sportsmanship,
I must insist..
Get back in there.
Thank you, God.
He's out!
The winner, prince of wales school..
P.K. Keith!
Come on, let's go.
Any more? Any more? That's it. A bit more.
That's very kind of you. Thank you very much.
Any more?
Sorry, sir.
It's all set..
4:30 tomorrow at his gym. Hoppie Gruenewald himself.
What about the girl?
Forget the girl.
I'm not going to forget the girl.
Her father's Dr. Daniel Marais.
It makes no difference at all.
You can't ignore the fact
that the man's the intellectual darling
of the nationalist party.
He's got as much use for an English boy rutting after
his purebred Afrikaner daughter
as the queen has for balls,
- pardon my French. - Morrie.
Maria Elizabeth Marais.. seniors quarters,
room 22, Devilliers school.
Fortress virgin? Odds are 10-1
you even don't get in the place.
How..
oh, no. Please.
You can't be here.
I didn't know how else to meet you.
I could be expelled.
You could be expelled
for attending boxing matches, too.
We went on a dare.
Did you like it?
It was..
Exciting.
You were very good.
Thank you.
Will you see me?
I can't.
My father would never give me permission
to see an English boy.
How about your permission?
What about my father?
Dr. Marais..
They'll hear you.
I don't remember telling you my name.
I don't remember telling you mine.
Maria! Maria! Johann smuts gave Margaret a ring!
I'll be there in a minute.
Your father, Saturday. May I call on him?
Ja.
Good night.
Be careful.
I knew she was different
from the first time I saw her.
I'll find a way.
There's no way. She's a waste of time.
You don't know what you're talking about.
Don't I?
Your future father-in-law.
If the man had his way,
he'd get rid of us along with them.
You know your problem? Lack of confidence.
Papers!
Where's your papers?
I'll teach you! Take that!
You're killing my back!
What are you staring at? Move along!
Come on.
Please! Help me, please!
Help!
Please, sir! Help me!
Bloody country's gone to hell.
Come on.
Wish we were at Oxford yesterday.
I must have made the right impression.
He takes no one on. You know that?
Go ahead.
You know who that is?
Yes. It's Andreas Malan.
He's signed to fight Joe Louis, you know.
Ja.
Let's go say hello.
Mr. Gruenewald.
What, you boys lost?
It's me, sir.. morrie Guilbert.
I came here yesterday, remember?
About my man.
Oh, ja, ja, ja. The champion, right?
Yes, sir.
And who are you?
I'm his manager.
Now, look here.
You train in this gym,
it's not like these nice schoolboy fights.
Yes, sir.
What's it cost for you to train him personally?
For my personal attention, Mr. manager,
I'd say, uh.. £15 a month.
15 a month. That's.. that's £90.
That's very reasonable.
Uh, here's 6 months in advance.
6 months?
I don't know
he's going to last 6 minutes.
There's only one way to find out, sir.
Oh, ja?
All right. Let's find out, then.
All right. Time out.
Come here.
Eight-punch combination.
Where did you learn such a thing?
In prison, sir.
Are you trying to be a comedian or a boxer?
A boxer, sir.
Right. Come on.
Manager,
you come to my office.
We'll talk terms.
Mr. champion, you go and get showered.
You come see me afterwards. We'll talk training.
Any questions?
Yes, sir. How do you get away with this?
Get away with what?
The mixing.
Oh, ja.
Well, we Afrikaners
are funny people sometimes.
Outside the ring,
a black man is not equal.
Inside he is,
but not in public. Only in private.
It's crazy, ja?
Come.
Hey. You're good.
An eight-punch combination.
It's good.
Thank you, sir.
How do you do?
I'm Professor Marais.
Pleased to meet you, sir. I'm P.K.
Admiring the art?
Yes, sir.
It's Maria's family history
from 1688 all the way to the present.
That's my great-uncle, jan Piet.
He led a commando at 22
until your people caught him
and hanged him.
You mean the English? I'm a South African, sir.
So am I.
So are the Zulus, the Xhosa,
the Pongo, the Ndebele, the Sotho..
we're all South Africans,
just from separate tribes.
Some say all our problems would be solved
if we stopped thinking of South Africa
in terms of separate tribes.
Separation of things is not coincidental.
Do you think a Zulu wants to see his culture,
his sense of identity
replaced by someone else's, hmm?
Any more than I do mine?
No, sir. But I don't think he wants being a Zulu
to mean he's denied the same rights
that you and I enjoy.
Laws define rights.
I agree, sir.
But do they always define justice?
Justice, young man, is only relative
to who's in charge.
Quite true, sir.
But perhaps how long they stay in charge
is relative to how well they dispense that justice.
You come here to ask for my permission
to see my daughter.
And knowing who I am and what I stand for,
do you really believe disagreeing with me will serve your cause?
I thought a man of your intellectual reputation
wouldn't want his daughter
seeing someone who didn't think.
Intellectual reputation or not,
I'm in the first place a Marais,
a member of my tribe, my folk.
If you want to impress me with your intellect,
don't do it by espousing liberal ideas
procured in an English private school.
I'm sorry. I won't give you permission
to see my daughter.
For the record, sir,
I procured my ideas
long before I began English private school.
From an English expert
on race relations, no doubt.
Actually, sir,
from a German expert on cacti.
But that's a long story.
Good day.
You wanted to see us, Mr. Gruenewald?
Ja. Come in.
This is Mr. Elias Mlungisi.
He promotes all the fights in Alexandria township.
He's come to propose a fight for you
with one of his boxers..
Gideon Duma.
Black and white fights are illegal.
Where would the match be held?
In Alexandria.
After we're arrested for the fight,
we'll be arrested for being in a township.
You endorse this, sir?
Ja. There are risks, but, uh..
Strictly talking boxing, it's a match I'd pay to see.
Ja.
You were at the championship last week?
Yes. You're a good boxer.
Why were the people singing?
I don't know.
Morrie's right. This fight's not for us.
Will that be all, sir?
Ja. Well.. That'll be all.
Thank you.
You're both a slice short of a loaf.
Hello.
There was no phone listed.
I was going to leave this.
What is it?
Since my father wouldn't give you
his permission to see me,
I decided I would give you mine.
How do you do?
I'm morrie Guilbert, the level-headed one.
How do you do?
Actually, I could do with some fresh air.
Shall we?
Yeah.
I thought race mixing was illegal.
It is.
So how does he get away with it up there?
We keep wondering the same thing.
You train there?
For a couple of weeks.
With the natives?
Ja.
Mr. P.K.
Excuse me, Mr. P.K.
I did not mean to be dishonest in my answer,
but I did not want to make public
things you have kept private.
Then tell me about the singing.
In bad times, people do what they know,
and all they know
is the myth of inyanga ye Zulu,
the rainmaker.
Listen to me. I'm not that person.
This was all made up by a man
at barberton prison.
Yes. Geel Piet.
I know you, don't I?
I worked in the laundry.
Yes. Of course. Then you know
what I'm saying is true.
Geel Piet made this all up.
That's why you must fight me. I'm Gideon Duma.
My people lose everything out of this damn apartheid.
They can't put their hope in stories.
Hope doesn't come from a myth.
It comes from here.
We make our own hope, our own future.
The people must see that.
Just because you beat some Afrikaner schoolboy
does not mean you are anything
but another schoolboy yourself.
I must beat you to teach them that.
But what if he beats you?
Then I become his number one supporter
and use the myth to get everyone moving.
I will do anything..
anything to help my people.
Use anything.
Do you understand?
What's this here?
Family servants, officer.
I called them in.
My gear needs mending.
They're taking it home.
Papers, man. Come on. Be quick!
Where are you coming from?
The gym, sir. I train there.
You've an hour till curfew
and a long way to go.
You got a problem with that?
Hey! You black bastard!
No, baas.
Then get moving.
Duma!
You let me know
when I should come collect it.
Don't take too long!
Do you hear?!
Yes, baas.
Are you all right?
My God, you lied to the police!
He doesn't work for you.
I had no choice.
I've never been so scared.
Me, neither. I thought the officers
would do them over right here.
I mean the natives. They scare me.
Not as much as we scare them.
They have nothing to be afraid of from us.
They don't? Really? Do you know many?
Natives? Well..
I don't really have the opportunity, do I?
If you did, would you take it?
Ja. I would.
Even if it meant
going against your father's orders?
What do you call this?
Checkmate, old boy.
Last bus.
You're extraordinary.
There's a young man.. English..
at prince of wales school.
I'd like you to have a look at him.
I'll get back to you, Professor,
as soon as I have something.
Do that.
And this is the best part of town, miss.
You never do get used to it.
Let's go. We can't be late for the boxing.
Maria?
My name is Miriam Sisulu.
Uh, hello. I'm Maria Marais.
You looked cold. Please take my blanket.
Oh, no, no, no. I'm fine.
It will keep you warm.
No, really. I don't need it.
It's all right.
I'll return it at the end of the fight.
Keep it. Really.
I couldn't possibly.
It's my pleasure.
Uh, Miriam.
Thank you.
You're welcome, Maria.
You are listening to me, please.
When I am saying break, you must break at once.
No hits below the waist.
You are fighting clean, or, by golly, I am giving penalty points.
Touch gloves. Good luck, boys.
Now, look. Don't try to fight him.
You box him, you hear me?
Don't let him set the pace.
Go in behind the left jab.
Box him. Box him.
On you go.
Keep your guard up!
Jab him!
Jab him, P.K.!
Don't fight him! Box him!
1!
2!
3!
Fight!
Let's go, boys.
Box with your head, man.
You're not listening.
Now..
Look for his weakness.
You must find his weakness.
I can't find one.
You must find one!
Look. He's taking water.
And where that water goes, you go,
right down to here.
Put your punches there, you win.
If you don't, you lose.
Ok?
Ja.
Remember the stomach.
Ok.
That's it.
In the corner! In the corner!
1!
Get up, Sonny! Get up!
Get up, son! Get up!
7!
8!
9!
Come on!
You got him!
1!
2!
3!
4!
5!
6!
7!
8!
9!
10!
He's out! He's out!
Nice knowing you, hoppie.
The rainmaker!
Inyanga ye Zulu!
Now we are in business.
Business?
What business?
The myth business.
Inyanga ye Zulu!
My nanny who raised me,
she lived in Alexandria.
Rachel.
I really loved her.
But I never thought about who she really was, though..
Where she lived..
How she lived.
I always thought when she went home,
it was to a house like ours.
Just smaller.
Ja.
Just smaller.
Who'd want to imagine
someone you love living in Alexandria?
Ja.
Come on! Quick!
I'd better go.
Ah, yes. Of course.
I.. I'll never forget tonight
as long as I live.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
Good night.
The senior ball is next Saturday.
I'd like very much if you escorted me.
What about your father?
I'll talk to him. He'll understand.
He will.
You'll see.
Just say yes,
and let me worry about the rest.
Yes.
Thank you.
Good night. Good..
night. Thank you.
There.
Duma! Duma!
The rainmaker's coming!
Oh, the rainmaker! Good morning, rainmaker!
How are you doing this morning, rainmaker?
Gideon, I have to tell you, I'm not
very comfortable doing this.
Doing what? But we are training, anyway.
People see us doing it together.
Maybe your magic rub off on me.
There is no magic.
Look who's here.
Good morning.
Please sit.
This is my new friend P.K.
Miriam Sisulu and her new class.
Hello. You fought well last night.
Thank you.
I see he got you, too.
He has me convinced to teach these sweet children,
even though I don't know how to do it.
Come on. You're a natural teacher.
Just look how nice..
They said she's a good teacher.
You speak Zulu?
Give my regards to Maria, huh?
I will.
See you. Bye-bye.
Watch out for him.
You are shameless, Gideon Duma.
He can convince snakes to walk.
She knows you.
We are to be married next month.
She's going to have her hands full.
Come on.
What's the queue for?
The toilet.
Toilet?
The government allows only one
for every 200 people.
The law says only 2% of us can go to school.
You know what you learn there?
Enough bloody Afrikaans to be maids,
street sweepers, or.. or mine slaves.
We can't even read the bloody apartheid signs
to tell us where we aren't allowed to go.
You know, we hope for a good tomorrow in South Africa,
but if we don't learn to do for ourselves as equals,
that hope will disappear.
Disappear.
And my people will grow tired.
The tired will grow angry,
and the angry will grow violent,
and there will be no good tomorrow in this country
for anybody, black or white.
What are you saying, Gideon?
I want you to start a school
to teach my people to read and write English.
I said yes to this running together,
but I can't teach millions of people
to read or write English.
You taught singing in prison.
That was different.
What was different?
The tribes sang together
because of the myth.
They came last night because of the myth.
They'll come again because of the myth.
A myth we don't even believe.
Damn belief! Damn belief!
I believe in Africa.
I believe in my people.
I want to believe in the future.
Then what do you believe in?
Mind your mouth, Kaffir!
Whites got to stay back
when blacks walk by.
Duma: What do you believe in?
Tell me. What? What do you believe in?
Doc: Any question you ever have..
The answer you'll find in nature.
We can hold the class on Saturday night
in the study room.
No one's around.
With your permission, of course, sir.
It's Afrikaner law
we're living under now, gentlemen.
We're aware of that, sir.
And you're asking me to break that law
and possibly jeopardize
the survival of the school.
You've taught us that inclusion, not exclusion,
is the key to survival, sir.
How will they ever be included
if they can't read or write English?
I quite agree with you, P.K.,
but at the end of the day,
it's only about a dozen people
you're talking about teaching,
and how much difference will that really make?
A waterfall begins with only one drop of water, sir.
Look what comes from that.
How clever of you,
Thank you, sir.
Have a good weekend, miss Marais.
Thank you. You, too.
Have a good weekend, girls.
Maria.
Come here.
I've got great news.
Listen, I'm going to talk to my father tonight
about the ball.
He won't have time to say no.
He wouldn't let me miss it,
and there's no one else to go with.
I have a whole speech prepared. Want to hear it?
You won't have to. Duma asked us to start a school.
The head gave us permission to use the study room.
We're starting tomorrow night.
Will you join us?
Tomorrow night?
The senior ball's tomorrow night.
Maria, this is important.
Well, the senior ball's important to me.
Look, I thought you'd understand.
All I understand
is I'm not going to my senior ball
because you want to change the world!
That's what I understand.
Maria, listen to me.
No!
Thank you.
I wish they could be here
without being here.
Now, that might be tolerable.
Friends..
Before my lovely daughter
and Jacob and Anita's handsome son
go off to her senior ball,
I'd like to mark the occasion
by wishing them both
happiness and a bright future,
and who knows, maybe a common future.
Phillip and Maria.
All: Phillip and Maria.
Mmm, speaking about the future,
I'd like to take a moment to announce to you all
that, after careful consideration,
I've decided to leave the university
and accept the prime minister's offer
to join the cabinet.
Congratulations.
So he agreed to accept
your residential permit plan
in full?
Without one revision.
Why shouldn't he? The only Kaffirs
allowed to live in the townships
are ones we need to work here. The rest
all the rest should go back where they belong.
I mean, that's why the homeland was created, isn't it?
Just by getting rid of the children,
the slums will empty by more than half.
Exactly.
Perhaps we should create a homeland for the English, too.
That's a good idea.
I'll take it up with the prime minister.
A toast.
Ahem.
To the Marais residential permit plan,
to apartheid.
To apartheid.
That doesn't seem fair.
I beg your pardon, Maria?
That doesn't seem fair.
What doesn't?
Their homelands
are hundreds of miles away.
I wouldn't want to have the government
telling me I couldn't live with you
if you worked in Pretoria or cape town
and I didn't have a permit.
Maria..
The plan doesn't apply to us.
It shouldn't apply to anyone, I think.
Maria, when you know nothing about a subject,
it's best to say nothing.
I.. I know what I've read.
I know what I've seen.
So what have you seen?
Hmm?
I've seen Alexandria.
With that English boy?
Answer me!
Yes.
When you're not at school,
you will be confined to this house.
You will no longer be allowed outside unaccompanied.
You are forbidden to ever see him again, Maria!
Now excuse yourself.
You will learn there's a price to pay for disobeying me!
If this is the price for seeing an English boy,
what's the price for seeing a Jewish one?
I won't tolerate this, Maria!
- Go to your room! - Or how about a black?
What's the price for seeing a black, father?
I won't hate like you!
I won't!
Maria.
Maria!
Maria.
Is it all right?
Absolutely.
Lovely weather we're having.
Indeed.
Come on.
Right through that door.
Come on. You'll get wet.
Despite the government's best efforts
to keep you from learning to read or write English,
you few have managed to do so.
That's no small accomplishment.
What we hope to do here tonight
is to take your knowledge one step further
and to teach you to teach English to others
so that one day,
God willing,
each of you will be standing in front of a class
doing exactly what I'm doing here tonight.
Now, there are 2 types of letters..
consonants and vowels.
Morrie is pointing to the vowels.
And "U."
Each vowel has a long sound and a short sound.
We'll start with the long sound.
If you'll repeat after me.
I, uh..
Thought you might need some help.
Come in.
You wanted to see us, sir?
Yes, come in. Close the door.
This is Colonel Bretyn
of the police department
and his aide sergeant botha.
He's come to deliver an order
to close the Saturday school.
Can he do this, sir?
We can have the school closed
and leveled in 24 hours, boy.
Come now, Meneersheadmaster.
Let us end this now.
I have a full day ahead of me still.
The Saturday school will be disbanded
until further notice.
Permanently, meneer.
Yes. Permanently.
Thank you, meneer.
Your cooperation in this respect
will be noted in my report.
Good day.
Is that really the end of it, sir?
For the moment, I'm afraid it is.
Sir, if we let them get away with it
on our own grounds,
it will never change.
History disputes you.
History takes too long.
Yes, I know it does, but it's never kind
to those who try to hurry it.
Will that be all, sir?
Yes, thank you.
Oh, one more thing.
I know this may be no consolation to you,
but these arrived this morning.
You're both accepted to Oxford.
Thank you.
Full scholarship to you, P.K.
Congratulations.
Thank you, sir.
That'll do.
Thank you.
That was him, wasn't it? Botha.
Yes. Is your uncle still vicar at Saint Martin's?
Still vicar and liberal as ever.
Why?
Get back!
Piss kop!
I owe you something, you little bastard!
I was beaten by my father
for the shame of being expelled.
I was made to live in the barn!
I was not allowed to go back to school!
My life was shit!
You can't be serious. You tried to kill me.
I was branded an idiot by everyone who knew.
They knew you well.
Gideon, no! No!
Bloody Kaffir.
This is not..
no more!
No more.
You may be the heavyweight champion
of our country,
but you're a disgrace to it!
I'm going to see
this race-mixing hole closed down.
You want to close this place down?
You can well go ahead and try.
I don't need animals in here.
It's already full of animals.
I'm not finished with you..
Or the Marais girl.
Shh.
I went to your room at school.
I looked everywhere. I was so worried.
Where have you been?
My father is sending me
to live with my aunt in Pretoria.
He said if I ever see you again,
he'd have you arrested and ruin your life.
He can't ruin my life.
I've been accepted
to Oxford.
Come with me.
To England?
Yes. To England.
Away from here.
I go to Pretoria tomorrow morning first thing.
I graduate from school in a month.
I'll come fetch you first thing.
You promise?
I promise.
It was my mother's.
My father gave it to her
when they first fell in love.
I love you.
Black and white together.
They won't like that.
To hell with what they like.
I train fighters, not bloody ostriches
that stick their head in the sand and pretend
there's no trouble if they can't see it.
I train them to stand in that ring
and dare their opponent to get the better of them.
I can't teach one way and behave another,
not anymore, I can't.
You know how to paint?
A bit.
Go on.
Bloody Nazis!
Take your hands off me, man!
Bloody Nazis!
Take your hands off me!
Take your hands off me, man.
Mr. Gruenewald!
Get back, Sonny.
Botha: Everybody out! Now!
No!
Botha!
Bastard!
Be a man, Sonny!
Don't let them break you!
No! It's only rubbish!
Bloody rubbish!
Follow your heart.
Do what you think is right!
Mr. Gruenewald! Mr. Gruenewald!
Bastards!
Gruenewald!
You bloody Kaffir boetie!
You're rubbish, botha!
You're a shame on our people!
Piss kop!
You rubbish!
Rubbish!
Good evening.
Everyone, come in.
Please.
Did you get the report back from the doctor?
Oh, yes.
He said one works as good as two.
Gideon, it was me they came for me.
If I could give you my eye, I would.
I know. I know. Don't worry.
I think 20 teachers
are more important than 1 eye.
I mean it. I mean it. I'll be fine.
You see, you've got a job to do.
Do it.
I want to thank you all
for having the courage to come.
Maria, will she be coming?
No. Her father sent her to Pretoria.
We'll start with the chapter
on the conjugation of verbs.
Joshua, please start.
"To be."
From the sound of it, it's probably my uncle.
Continue, Joshua.
"I am."
"You are."
"He is."
It seems we have a visitor.
I, uh, thought you might be able to use these.
You're mad.
There's work to be done.
I can't believe it.
I brought some pencils.
Oh, how wonderful!
There you go.
Ask and you shall receive.
Amen! Amen!
Now that Maria's back here with us,
we'll start again.
Joshua, if you will, please.
Ahem.
"To be."
You're violating the sanctity
of the church!
No, you are, rooinek,
with your damned race-mixing ideas!
I'm Daniel Marais' daughter!
Leave us alone!
Sergeant, take the girl.
No! Stop!
Take your hands off me!
No! At least let the women go!
You want to be equal.
Why not the women as well?
No. Wait. We'll leave.
You shouldn't have come, boy.
No!
Take your hands off me!
No!
Maria!
Daniel.
Daniel!
No!
Let it be.
Maria's death shattered me like nothing had before.
I no longer had the will to resist.
I was defeated.
I had to tell Duma
I was leaving for Oxford.
Children: "E."
Very, very good, children.
Now we shall do the short vowels.
Ah.
Demonstrate how that verb works.
Now, give me an example
of the singular form of the verb "to be."
I am.
That's correct.
Listen to this.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident,
"that all men are created equal,
"that they are endowed by their creator
with certain.."
Unalienable.
Un-a-lie-an-able.
It works.
What did I tell you?
"That among these are life, liberty,
and the pursuit of happiness."
Duma: Well done, Miriam.
A little work in Durban
and Pretoria and the cape.
We leave in the morning.
Gideon, no, no. I.. I can't.
Rainmaker, what will it be,
Oxford or a good tomorrow?
Did Maria die for nothing?
Hmm?
Tell me.
What will it be?
Tell me.
I thought so.
They're coming for P.K.!
Police!
They're coming for P.K.!
P.K., they're coming for you!
Police!
They're coming for P.K.!
Come on.
P.K., they're coming for you!
Policeman: Stay where you are!
You are under arrest
for violating the locations regulations act!
This way!
Gideon, listen to me!
I won't let this happen.
They want me.
It's not about you.
It's about all of us.
Giving them what they want
won't make the struggle any shorter.
Go!
Go! Go!
S where's the rooinek?
Where's the white boy?
Tell me! Where is he?
I don't know.
To your left!
Aah!
Hurry, children! Hurry!
Hurry, children!
Duma!
Have you seen P.K.?
No, no, I haven't.
Look, I must get the children away.
Find him before they do.
Come, children, come.
Where's the white boy?
Tell me where he is!
You can't hide him!
We are the law.
You break the law, you pay, Kaffir!
Where is the little bastard?
You want to learn English?
I'll teach you English.
This is a bullet.
The bullet goes in the gun.
It's over, botha.
You've caught me.
Call them off. Take me in!
I'll take you in..
When I'm finished with him.
No!
But you..
I'll take you in when you're dead,
you Kaffir-loving shit!
Uhh!
Now, piss kop.. Let's box, eh?
You ruin the country,
you bastard!
Get up!
You and that Maria bitch!
Come on.
Come on!
Eli.
It's all right.
He.. he's a very nice cook, you know.
Yeah.
I remember how my nanny would tell me
that if I listened to the wind,
I would hear the voices of my life.
I listened and heard doc talk about justice.
I heard geel Piet talk about hope.
I heard Dabula Manzi, the old medicine man,
talk about courage.
I heard Maria.
These are the voices of my life,
the voices of Africa.
These are the voices I'll carry with me
as Duma and I set out together
to help bring our country closer to a good tomorrow.
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