Cry, the Beloved Country
Miramax Films | Release Date: December 15, 1995 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
71
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 14 Critic Reviews
Positive:
12
Mixed:
2
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
There is not a false note in Cry, the Beloved Country. Every scene is an example of near-perfect composition and execution. Read full review
100
San Francisco ChroniclePeter Stack
Not every moment of the film is as potent as the book (which is noted for passages of passion and impassioned eloquence), but Cry, the Beloved Country overcomes its own limitations to become a glorious tribute to the workings of a faith that does not blind but opens up the human spirit. Read full review
100
Seattle Post-IntelligencerStaff (Not Credited)
James Earl Jones and Richard Harris both gave heartbreaking, virtuoso performances as fathers who find a special bond in this subtle, flawlessly acted, immensely powerful new film version of Alan Paton's classic novel of South Africa. [29 Dec 1995, p. 3]
80
The New York TimesStephen Holden
Because movies have become so invested in the unleashing of violent emotion and the escalation of hostility, that expressions of restraint, reconciliation and forgiveness can easily be read as corny cop-outs. Cry, the Beloved Country is not corny, and it doesn't cop out. Read full review
80
Washington PostDesson Howe
Alan Paton's haunting novel is brought rather splendidly to life in this moving production. Read full review
75
USA TodayTom Green
But this telling of the story filmed on location in the now democratic South Africa is especially heart-rending thanks to superb performances by James Earl Jones and Richard Harris. [1 Jan 2000]
75
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
Although the film is slow and sometimes ungainly, it takes on surprising power from the dignity of its performances and the moral strength of its ideas. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
Fortunately, in image and structure Roodt and Harwood go for a steadfast simplicity that builds to a beautiful moment of rekindled faith for the grieving Rev. Kumalo that lifts Cry, the Beloved Country to a climactic moment of redemption. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
Directed by Darrell Roodt from a screenplay by Ron Harwood, this has a strong sense of dignity about its characters, and Jones and Harris are both effective. Whether it deserves to replace the Korda version is another matter. Read full review
70
VarietyLeonard Klady
A richly realized piece of Masterpiece Literature, director Darrell James Roodt's Cry, the Beloved Country has an admirable high polish. But more effort could have been made to address its underlying message and provide an emotional punch to equal the book's resonance. Read full review
63
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
We go expecting to be inspired and uplifted, and we leave somewhat satisfied in those areas, but with reluctant questions about how well the story has aged, and how relevant it is today. Read full review
63
TV Guide MagazineStaff (Not credited)
Billed as the first film to originate from the newly democratic South Africa, this disappointing prestige production is a ploddingly earnest adaptation of Alan Paton's 1948 novel. Read full review
50
San Francisco ExaminerBarbara Shulgasser
There isn't much to hold onto with this movie. If anything, Cry trivializes the plight of the South Africans in its breezy treatment of apartheid. Read full review
50
Entertainment WeeklyLawrence O’Toole
Alan Paton's seminal novel of apartheid in 1940s South Africa receives a sanitized and overly sentimental treatment, trivializing the book's relentless power. Read full review
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