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| Humans are small and ant-like on the structures of the distorted title on this colorful poster for Jamie Uys' The Gods Must Be Crazy |
We follow Kalahari desert bush man Xi, who thinks he receives a mysterious (Coke) bottle from the gods one day, as it gets dropped from an airplane; and the white biologist Steyn, who studies animals and their manure; as well as ruthless Communist militia leader Sam Boga.
The Gods Must Be Crazy is written and directed by great South-African filmmaker Jamie Uys (Daar Doer in die Bosveld (1951)).
At first the film's dichotomy of a deeply romanticized image of indigenous cultures and across from them, modern civilization as the apparent root of all evil left me skeptical. - But later it becomes clear that this dichotomic paintbrush is only used in service of a naive, adventurous - and hilarious - comedy, and the simplicity is instantly forgiven. Furthermore, the filmmakers' achievement of getting all the film's elements together in the African savanna in a successful way is an enormous feat in itself. The film doesn't offer an objective look at indigenous and modern cultures in and around the Kalahari, but then expecting this would be to judge it as a documentary.
The Gods Must Be Crazy features incredible scenes (often with animals), and a smart and dynamic editing strategy with lots of unconventional uses of fast-forward and even film going backwards - all for a laugh, and often working.
The film is a unique experience that's very funny and ultimately life-affirming, and which brings joy to young and old alike - the world over.
Watch a funny 2-minute clip from the film here
Cost: Reportedly 5 mil. $
Box office: Reportedly 200 mil. $
= Some uncertainty but looks like a blockbuster (returned upwards of 40 times its cost - some uncertainty)
[The Gods Must Be Crazy premiered 10 September (South Africa) and runs 109 minutes. Shooting took place in South Africa, including Johannesburg. N!xau, who plays Xi, was reportedly paid 2k $ for his performance. The film opened #22 to a 231k $ first weekend in 39 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #1 and grossed 30 mil. $. The film is said to have broken records in South Africa, Japan and foreign film records in the US. The 200 mil. $ gross is alleged in a South-African article only and could be entirely false. The film was nominated for a César award. Roger Ebert gave it a 3/4 star review, translating to a notch harder than this one. Uys made The Gods Must Be Crazy II (1989), again with N!xau, and more unofficial sequels followed. One Brisbane, Australia cinema showed the film continuously until closing in 1999, totaling reportedly 1,467 screenings. Uys reportedly supported N!xau with a further 20k $ and a monthly stipend before his own death in 1996. Uys returned with Funny People 2 (1983). N!ixau (Crazy Safari (1991)) returned in The Gods Must Be Crazy II. The Gods Must Be Crazy is fresh at 85 % with a 7.4/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]
What do you think of The Gods Must Be Crazy?
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