Customer Reviews

Cape of Good Hope

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Cape of Good Hope is a delightful movie - maybe even a bit too delightful. And although there may be too many coincidences and happenings that are neatly tied together for some viewers, Cape of Good Hope does an admirable job of showing a city - and a country - still struggling with the legacy of apartied.

Grounded in the easy rhythms of daily life and an absolute must-see for dog lovers, Cape of Good Hope centers on a group of people who are connected to an animal shelter in the Cape Town suburb of Hout Bay. Kate (Debbie Brown) is the white woman who runs the animal shelter, and her obvious love of dogs is tempered by the fact that she's having an affair with a married man.

Her best friend is Sharifa (Quanita Adams), a Muslim woman who works with her at the shelter. Sharifa is married to Habib (David Isaacs) who desperately want to conceive a child. One day Kate meets young Thabo (Kamo Masilo), a boy who lives in a nearby African township. He has a clever dog-named Tupac and Kate hires him and Tupac to entertain at the shelter's open house. Also working at the shelter is Jean Claude (Eriq Ebouaney) a French-speaking refugee, escaping from the violence of the Congo, and who has just applied to immigrate to Canada.

Through Thabo we meet his mother, the beautiful but emotionally frail Lindiwe (Nthati Moshesh), who works as a maid, and Lindiwe's mother, who is conspiring to marry her off to an elderly but affluent local minister. Meanwhile, Kate meets Morne (Morne Visser), a kindly and big-hearted veterinarian who takes a liking to her and invites her to take tango lessons with him.

These respective and loosely connected lives are played out beneath the slopes of the spectacular Table Mountain, and director Mark Bamford doesn't shy away from showing us the economic disparities between the rich and the poor, the white and the black. As this mountain looks down on these people, we see "good hope" played out as the characters search for love, make difficult choices, and contemplate an uncertain future.

Will Jean Claude obtain a visa for Canada? Will Kate be able to shake her emotional frigidity and end her affair, and hopefully hook up with Morne? And will Sharifa and Habib be able to conceive? Will the dog that has been trained to attack blacks be able to get along with everyone in this new egalitarian South Africa?

Cape of Good Hope brings to the forefront the issues of race, immigration and gender politics, but Bamber never hammers these issues home and or resorts to cliché's to make his point. As these utterly believable characters encircle each other, we see whites and blacks working together more often than not, and a country that is even now still grappling with the guilt and scourge of apartheid. This makes the film totally relevant as well as entertaining.

The acting is quite brilliant, and watching the lovely Debbie Brown as Kate come to terms with herself, her self-obsessed mother and her bourgeoning feelings for Morne is just one of the many pleasures this satisfying and memorable film has to offer. And of course the doggies are just adorable! Mike Leonard August 06.

We enjoyed this movie because of the interesting story and the characters. Note: there are some shots that go to far an are not needed, parent watch first before your kids watch it.

Thoroughly satisfying to see "real people" progressing with real problems and, in the process, developing admirable qualities of character. We can all relate to the relationships among these workers in a South African animal rescue shelter as the action unfolds in a locality as intriguing as it is unfamiliar to many of us. The result? A delightful movie viewing experience. Mr. Bamford and company, what next?

I so enjoyed this movie....it was well-done, and I loved the interconnected stories which never seemed contrived. Well-acted and with great fleshing out of all the characters, and a terrific local "flavor" due to the fact that the movie was filmed on location in South Africa and all the actors were from there. A good move on the part of the producers..

It is a story of hope and love - and people whom the viewer can actually care about. It shows that most people care about family, love, and jobs, not politics.

Several story lines merge and overlap in an ensemble cast tale about life and love in S Africa amid the strays of a dog pound. Every time the action flags, you can bet it's time for a cute dog scene. Racial issues darken the vibe towards the end, and it all gets off to a very slow start. But it's worth sticking around for a night of mild entertainment.

Mark Bamford's 'Cape of Good Hope' is a small charmer about life in the new South Africa. The heart and soul of the film is Eriq Ebouaney (best known for his portrayal as Patrice Lumumba in Raoul Peck's 'Lumumba' (2000)). He plays "Jean Claude" here. You'll love every scene he's in. He's fabulous.

I came here thinking I'd write a four-star review. But it's so maddening to see people write one- and two-star reviews because they can't get the DVD to play. How fair is that to Director Mark Bamford and his ensemble? I'm giving Bamford's very enjoyable work an additional star to combat the effects of those reviews.

This is the sort of enamoring film that Hollywood just can't do anymore with it's recycled string of naricistic and crappy actors. This is a beautiful tale in modern day South Africa. It is a wonderful film- I don't want to ruin it by talking too much about the plot- just see it.

If you want to watch an utterly charming, feel-good film, this is the one for you.

One of a number of films coming out of South Africa these days. Cape of God Hope fires on all cylanders... fine acting from a cast with few major credits betwen them. Neatly photographed and astonishingly well directed by Mark Bamford on location in S. Africa.

Buy this film. You'll watch it agan and again many times.

I give this film "nine" stars! Actually of course only five stars are possible.

A Baha'i producer Kevin Bamford has come out with what I consider to be a fine movie with real down to earth values...

A quote from Baha'u'llah initiates the film:

"To blessed animals the utmost kindness must be shown, the more the better. Tenderness and loving-kindness are basic principles of God's heavenly Kingdom. Ye should most carefully bear this matter in mind."

And the central character "Kate" (played by Debbie Brown) operates an animal rescue operation in Cape Town South Africa! Kate's Mum played by Clare Marshall well I dunno I'll leave that for you to decide but she gives a great performance.

Eric Ebouaney plays "Jean Claude" who works and lives at the Shelter is a kind of dog whisperer and great hearted soul who as an astronomer volunteers on the side at an Observatory telling visiting students in a hushed way that the real reason the universe holds together is "love"...Wow! straight out of Abdul-Baha's words!

Also you could say this is definitely a dog-lover's film!

I won't detail the film so as to spoil it for you but this I think is a "must see".. There are some adult themes though and violence although you will not see any steamy or graphic sexual scenes either... I think young adults maybe over fifteen could see this film.

- Art

I liked nothing about this movie, except the endearing animals. Didn't connect with anything and had a hard time finishing it.