How on earth was this movie not nominated for Best Picture and Best Director at the Oscars???!!!!
It is easily a far superior film, than let's say Fatal Attraction or Moonstruck. Nothing against those films, but this is a beautiful and towering achievement, masterfully directed by Attenborough.
Definitely one of the most underrated movies of all time.
I don't think it was up to his best work compared to films such as Ghandi, though technically as usual, Attenboroughot excelled (The crowd scenes are amazing IMO). I believe the film to be overlong with too much emphasis on the Woods story. Fatal Attraction and Moonstruck, whilst being far more commercial fare, also featured some stand out acting performances paired with clever scripts. Commercially, Cry Freedom was a train wreck in North America, the home of the Oscars.🐭
shareI found this bloated and plodding. It’s handsomely mounted, and Washington’s performance is commanding, but when he exits and the focus shifts to Kline and his family, the film begins to drag and goes on, and on, and on.
That said, it’s perhaps surprising it didn’t do a little better as it fits the profile of some of the 80s Oscar films - sweeping, ambitious, endless.