Home
sign up| features / film interview |
 content by: editor |
 the last king of scotland interview
 to access audio and video on collective you need real player.Idiology. No national leader who anoints himself ‘Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa in General and Uganda in Particular’ and ‘Lord of All the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Sea’ lacks confidence. Sanity, perhaps, but not confidence. But then General Idi Amin, Uganda’s charismatic leader throughout the 1970s, didn’t come to power and, over a decade, develop into a ruthless tyrant responsible for a reputed 300,000 Ugandan deaths, thanks to his modesty.  Another self-bestowed title was ‘The Last King of Scotland’ (based on Amin’s fondness for the Celtic “warrior nation”), a moniker used in turn by author Giles Foden for his acclaimed novel and now its film adaptation, directed by Oscar-winning documentarian Kevin (One Day in September, Touching the Void) Macdonald. Foden used an amalgam of Westerners who’d grown close to Amin to weave a tale of a young, hedonistic Scottish doctor, Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy), who arrives in Uganda for kicks, fortuitously becomes Amin’s personal physician and ends up embroiled in the dictator’s murderous regime. “Nicholas is sort of the personification of all the people who fell in love with this monster who was Idi Amin and woke up to see they had created a nightmare,” McAvoy recounts of his composite character. “The challenge was to make Nicholas feel like a real human being, and not just the lens that you see the story through.” As Amin, veteran American actor Forest Whitaker (Bird, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai) had the inverse problem: how to make a real person who’s become a mythical bogeyman (unproven stories of cannibalism and ritualistic killings still swarm around Amin) seem believable. Shooting in Uganda itself – Whitaker’s first visit to Africa – learning Swahili and immersing himself among the people who experienced Amin’s regime first-hand made all the difference.  “Initially I had only very dark images of this man,” Whitaker admits. “I saw him as a big, angry maniac. But as I did more research, I began to have a different understanding. When you look at old footage you can see Idi was also an extremely charming man. He was often said to be unintelligent, and yet he spoke ten different languages. The challenge was to play a really complete character, not just a stereotyped image.” With unanimous acclaim and a clean sweep of the end-of-year acting awards, Whitaker appears to have succeeded. Just don’t expect him to crown himself Next King of Hollywood. At least, not until after the Oscars.
Leigh Singer
The Last King of Scotland, on general release 12 January 07.
 comments
Read members' comments related to this film.
comment by Quikky
Jan 15, 2008
I’m aware that it’s an adaptation of a book (which I haven’t read) and is inspired by historical events (of which I know little), but the Last King of Scotland didn’t capture my imagination in quite the same way as it did for others. The film followed a familiar formula that can be applied to so many before it, particularly gangster movies, that by a certain point I was just hoping they’d cut to the chase, and show the remaining hour or so in a series of speedy summary scenes that would allow me to turn it off and catch the end of MOTD2.- A young, impressionable protagonist sees potential for excitement and adventure within a dangerous collective and reaps the immediate rewards of entering their ranks. After the initial revelry in his newfound fortunes, the central character is forced to question his choices as events conspire to take a series of dramatic turns for the worse, before eventually spiralling out of control, putting his life in jeopardy, and turning him against those he sought to join. His arrival at the downbeat conclusion of the story is as inevitable as it is tragic. - There’s no question about the acting on display however. Whitaker was thoroughly deserving of his oscar for his portrayal of Amin. The wandering eye was a nice touch – very impressive how he learned to control them independently specifically for the movie. Some wonderful performances against an horrific backdrop, but ultimately a predictable and formulaic tale.
comment by Republik of Mancunia
Jan 18, 2007
Im looking forward to seeing this film. Ive always felt that Forrest Whittaker was playing parts well within his range, he deserves aquality high-profile lead role and this should be just the one.
comment by badgirlswirlgirl
Jan 18, 2007
Yeah I saw it the other day and found it absolutely brilliant, I didn't know anything about the actual history though so now I'm looking into that to understand the film a little more!Whitaker is definitely going to get that oscar, though I loved James McAvoy and I feel Whitaker's role is overshadowing him a little.
comment by rowan
Jan 18, 2007
A fantastic film, I think. Whitaker is very good (aided by a great script), in fact I reckon it might be worth putting money on him for an oscar (if I were a betting gal). It would be fascinating to find out how much the inspiration for the script came from things Amin is believed to have actually done too.
|
 |
related info
 useful links
note: The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
books  books and comics archive Author interviews and reviews from 2002 to 2008. |
send to a friend
lff 06
access 1000s of articles
