Broken English (1981 Film)
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''Broken English'' is a 1981 drama film based on the theme of interracial romance. It is the only film to feature
Oona O'Neill Oona O'Neill, Lady Chaplin (14 May 1925 – 27 September 1991) was a British actress, the daughter of American playwright Eugene O'Neill and English-born writer Agnes Boulton, and the fourth and last wife of actor and filmmaker Charlie Chaplin. ...
in an acting role.


Plot

Partly subtitled, the film follows the story of Sarah, who comes under fire from her family, friends and colleagues when she marries an African man, Maas. When she discovers that Maas is part of an underground group of South African freedom fighters, she must analyze her own political and sexual beliefs.


Cast

*Beverly Ross as Sarah *Jacques Martial as Maas *Greta Ronningen as Leslie *Mansour Sy as Cheekh *
Oona O'Neill Oona O'Neill, Lady Chaplin (14 May 1925 – 27 September 1991) was a British actress, the daughter of American playwright Eugene O'Neill and English-born writer Agnes Boulton, and the fourth and last wife of actor and filmmaker Charlie Chaplin. ...
as Sarah's Mother *Frankie Stein as Cecile * Sandy Whitelaw as Arms Dealer *Hassane Fall as Amidau *Valérie Kling as Agency Woman *Michel Nicolini as Merchant *Serge Rynecki as Jacques *Réginald Huguenin as Pat *Makhete Diallo as Makhete


Production

''Broken English'' was the directorial debut of Michie Gleason. It was produced by
Bert Schneider Berton "Bert" Jerome Schneider (May 5, 1933December 12, 2011) was an American film and television producer. He was responsible for several topical films of the late 1960s and early 1970s, including the road film '' Easy Rider'' (1969), directe ...
, whom Gleason had conflicts with; he insisted that his wife Greta Ronningen be cast in the film and pressured her to add more sex scenes.
Lorimar Lorimar may refer to: * Lorimar Television, previously Lorimar Productions and later Lorimar Distribution, an American film and television production and marketing company from 1969 to 1986 * Lorimar-Telepictures, formed in 1986 after the merger of ...
, the production company, refused to distribute the completed film because it was not sexually explicit enough. Schneider filed a successful lawsuit against them, but it would be his last picture as a producer. The film has never been shown or released outside of festival screenings.Biskind, Peter. Easy Riders, Raging Bulls How the Sex-Drugs-and-Rock 'N' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1999. 397-398


References


External links

* 1981 films 1981 romantic drama films American romantic drama films 1980s English-language films Films about interracial romance Films scored by Georges Delerue 1980s American films English-language romantic drama films {{romantic-drama-film-stub