Hotel Rwanda: Bringing The True Story Of An African Hero To Film [Paperback]

Terry George (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 27, 2005

The official companion book, edited by director Terry George, including essays on the history of the genocide, the complete screenplay written by Keir Pearson & Terry George, and more than 70 photographs.

A Story That Had to Be Told: In 1994, as his country descended into madness, Paul Rusesabagina, the hotel manager of a Belgian-owned luxury hotel in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, used cunning and courage to save 1,268 people from certain death while the rest of the world closed its eyes. His real-life story inspired the Oscar®-nominated writer of In the Name of the Father, Terry George, to make the extraordinary film, Hotel Rwanda, starring Don Cheadle, Sophie Okonedo, Joaquin Phoenix, and Nick Nolte, which has received accolades from critics and moviegoers alike, winning numerous awards.

Now, in the only official companion book, comes the fascinating filmmaking story, with first-person pieces by Terry George and co-screenwriter Keir Pearson about their three-year struggle to gain support and financing, as well as a brief history of Rwanda with details on the actual events portrayed in the movie.

Illustrated with more than 70 historical and contemporary photos and movie stills, the book also includes journalist Nicola Graydon's report on joining Paul Rusesabagina when he first returned to Rwanda on the tenth anniversary of the genocide; writer Anne Thompson's personal journal of her visit to the set in Africa during production in February 2004; and a compelling transcript of the PBS Frontline documentary revealing the afterthoughts of officials who chose not to listen to the cries for help. In addition there is a timeline of the crisis, a further reading and viewing list, and the complete screenplay.

"Hotel Rwanda is the most powerful film of its kind since Schindler's List.... Like Oskar Schindler, Don Cheadle's Paul is a politically uninvolved man who becomes a very unlikely hero....This is an important story told with respect and care, and though the subject matter once again is very grave, very serious, this is also one of the most inspirational movies I've ever seen."—Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper Report

"Courage, Winston Churchill once said, is the virtue that makes all other virtues possible. Hotel Rwanda reminds us of that with dramatic force and compelling poignancy."—Richard Schickel, Time

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In 1994, Rwanda endured a genocide of about 800,000 people, mostly minority Tutsi slaughtered by machete-wielding Hutu, the country's majority. During the three months of killing, Paul Rusesabagina, now often called the Rwandan Schindler, sheltered and saved more than 1,200 people in the hotel he managed in the capital city of Kigali. Hotel Rwanda is of course the acclaimed film about Rusesabagina, played by Don Cheadle; George is the film's director, and in this powerful volume he marshals writings by himself and others that provide context and commentary on both the movie and the holocaust that prompted it. The book most notably includes the screenplay of Hotel Rwanda by Keir Pearson and George, an inspiring and devastating script. Of only slightly less emotional impact is the transcript of "The Triumph of Evil," a Frontline/PBS documentary about the genocide and the West's (and the U.N.'s) neglect of it--among the commentators is Philip Gourevitch, whose We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families helped bring the genocide to global attention. Pieces by Pearson and George explain their involvement in the project (it all began in 1999 when a novelist friend of Pearson's told him Rusesabagina's story), followed by two journalists' accounts (by Brit Nicola Graydon and Hollywood reporter Anne Thompson) of Rusesabinga and the movie; a "history" section explains Rwanda's past. Also included is a list of books, Web and other resources. George writes in an epigraph, "For the dead of Murambi. I will never forget." This important book will inspire others to take the same vow. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Terry George, Hotel Rwanda director/producer and co-writer with Keir Pearson, received Academy Award® and BAFTA nominations for his first produced screenplay, In the Name of the Father. Later he adapted and directed the acclaimed HBO movie based on Neil Sheehan's Pulitzer Prize-winning tale, A Bright Shining Lie, nominated for Emmy® and Golden Globe awards. George's other writing credits include The Boxer and Hart's War. He also created and produced the acclaimed original CBS-TV series The District. George lives in Ireland and New York.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Newmarket Press (January 27, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557046700
• ISBN-13: 978-1557046703
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #660,831 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #86 in Books > History > Africa > Rwanda

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing!, March 15, 2005

By 

Mackenzie - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hotel Rwanda: Bringing The True Story Of An African Hero To Film (Paperback)

I cried from beginning to end. This incredible movie makes you feel as if you are actually in the middle of the violence. You are absolutely terrified and helpless the entire time, and your heart absolutely shatters into a million pieces as you watch the injustice of genocide made very real and very personal. This movie will change your life.

12 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The companion book to a very powerful movie, April 6, 2005

By 

Jill Malter ([e-mail]) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hotel Rwanda: Bringing The True Story Of An African Hero To Film (Paperback)

"Hotel Rwanda" is a great movie. It tells us plenty about what happened in Rwanda in 1994, a year in which ten percent of the nation's population died, including most of the minority Tutsi population. Most were slaughtered by the majority Hutus, with machetes.

This book has an appendix that includes the entire screenplay of the movie. And it has a very interesting transcript of a PBS show about the genocide called "The Triumph of Evil." In addition, it discusses the making of the movie.

I've never been in Rwanda, so let me say what questions I had that I hoped this book (and the movie) might shed some light on:

1) Fear. I think the movie is excellent at showing the constant fear on the part of the Tutsis. But what about the killers? Were they scared? I couldn't tell. It was awfully difficult for me to comprehend what would make people go out and massacre their neighbors with machetes.

2) Betrayal. The movie does explain that it would have taken relatively little effort for outside troops to stop the slaughter. And it shows some of the politics that appear to have prevented this. But betrayal was not only by the United Nations, France, and a variety of other Western nations. There was also betrayal by the Catholic church, given that most of the killers and most of the victims were Catholics. We don't see much of that. But the book tells us that many Tutsis tried to seek refuge in the churches only to be killed in them.

3) Ugliness. I was curious about appearances in such times. Some folks say that people who are perceived to be ugly, grubby, impoverished, or disheveled are easier to see as dehumanized, putting them at greater risk in slaughters. And we see a hint of this in the movie, when Paul Rusesabagina says "this is not a refugee camp. The Interahamwe believe that the Mille Collines is a four star Sabena hotel. That is the only thing that is keeping us alive."

I agree that the question of just which people were allowed into the Mille Collines is interesting. It was a matter of life and death for most of them. But I don't think this is critical to the story.

One last point. The book makes it clear that one of the biggest differences between the movie and real life is the blood. Considering that hundreds of thousands of people were killed with machetes, I can believe that. And I'm glad that the movie left out some of the realism here.

I know that many people will be suspicious of a book and movie about such a political issue. But this movie and book got me to look more deeply into the history of what did happen in Rwanda. I think it is worth recommending on that basis alone.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Over 70 photos and movie stills capture the film's history, April 9, 2005

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hotel Rwanda: Bringing The True Story Of An African Hero To Film (Paperback)

In 1994 as his country was experiencing insanity, hotel manager Paul Rusesabagina used wits and courage to save over a thousand people from certain death. His life story was captured in the film "Hotel Rwanda", and this movie companion, Hotel Rwanda: Bringing The True Story Of An African Hero To Film, documents the film's story, providing first-person pieces by Terry George and co-writer Keir Pearson from their struggle to gain financing and produce the film. Over 70 photos and movie stills capture the film's history, production challenges, and drama.