BootDigest
Such a frustrating disappointment
Smartorhypo
Highly Overrated But Still Good
Console
best movie i've ever seen.
Zlatica
One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.
Francesca Romana Garroni
Apartheid from the touching perspective of a hopeful teenager dreaming and fighting for a better future for her generation.Sarafina! Is a brilliant adaptation of a 1988 Boadway musical narrating the struggles and hopes of a young South African student and her schoolmates during the controversial era of Apartheid, characterised by escalating violence and intolerance against the black community.It stars Hollywood star Whoopy Goldberg cast as Mary Masombuka, Sarafina's courageous teacher, imprisoned for daring to inspire her students to feel proud of their origin.In this film emerging actress Leleti Khumalo gives an exceptional interpretation of the leading character, a fierce, bright and optimistic young woman from Soweto.It also features singer Mariam Makeba cast as Angelina, Sarafina's mother, employed as a domestic servant by a white family in order to support financially her children living in a deprived area of Soweto.The remaining extraordinarily talented cast, mainly composed by internationally unknown South African actors, the powerful soundtrack, featuring a glorious "Freedom is coming" amongst other fabulous songs and the intensity of the dialogues, tackling controversial political and social issues, make this film a masterpiece not to be missed.Sarafina!thoroughly succeeds in depicting the tremendous power of education and knowledge for social and political change.I highly recommend it to everyone, especially young audiences for its powerful message on equality and hope for a brighter future.
joelakalpram
I've always love this movie from when I was a kid. I saw this movie when video cassette was still the main thing to watch a movies. Just recently, I bought Sarafina DVD on Amazon but some of the music in the video aren't in the DVD version.There is a song, # 9 on the music track that isn't in the DVD version, when Sarafina's mother sang, it was more a whole clip of her singing and that isn't in there either.Can someone explain to me as to why that is the case? Or tell me where I can purchase the whole movie DVD. Track #9 was one of my favorite song which is why I noticed it wasn't in the movie when I re-watched it...
forgottenlord
I think the best way to look at this idea is I got into an argument with my mom over how good the movie was. I thought it was a ludicrous musical, she thought it was a very thoughtful and beautiful movie. Ends up in musicals, she just hits the fast forward button through the music.The story is great, the message it tries to give is great, the music detracts from the movie. With the exception to a few songs (in particular the one from the jail house), the majority of the songs detract from the movie - making it seem rather ridiculous and detracting from the overall presentation.
keenoled
Sarafina! is all about strength, about people lacking it and people overflowing with it. Sarafina herself is a Soweto girl with great hopes for the future, despite her family's poverty and her mother's (Miriam Makeba) work away from home, forcing Sarafina to take care of her younger siblings. This is South Africa, Johannesburg, during the Apartheid regime, Mandela is in prison and the black children are forbidden to speak their own language, Xosa (you know, the click language... :)). Yet, Sarafina dreams. Her world brightens up when her class get a new teacher (Whoopi Goldberg), who teaches them about their worth and to be proud of their heritage. I fully recommend this movie, the actors, young and practically unheard of, are fantastic, the script is sharp, and the music! See this movie for the music alone. No Makeba, but lots of powerful political Soweto tunes. Go Sarafina!