Cry, the Beloved Country (1995 film) Cry, the Beloved Country (1995 film) Cry, the Beloved Country is a 1995 South African-American drama film directed by Darrell Roodt, based on the novel "Cry, the Beloved Country" by Alan Paton. It stars James Earl Jones and Richard Harris. The film was made in 1995, shortly after the fall of apartheid and the free election of Nelson Mandela as President of South Africa. Set in South Africa in October 1946, before the implementation of apartheid, this is the story of church minister Steven Kumalo who is requested from his village to Johannesburg. There he discovers that his son Absolom
Cry, the Beloved Country (1995 film) has been arrested for the murder of a white man. The white man's father James Jarvis, supports apartheid. When the two meet, they come to unexpected understandings about their sons and their own humanity. Although this is a South African film, the majority of the main characters in the movie are played by Westerners, specifically Americans. The score was composed by veteran English composer John Barry, who dedicated it to Nelson Mandela. It has been described by film score reviewer Christian Clemmensen of "Filmtracks.com" as "one of Barry's last truly enjoyable efforts." Barry, who had previously composed music for such