''Man to Man'' is a 2005

historical History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

Régis Wargnier Régis Wargnier (; born 18 April 1948) is a French film director, film producer, screenwriter and film score composer. His 1992 film ''Indochine (film), Indochine'' won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 65th Academy Awards. ...

and starring

Joseph Fiennes Joseph Alberic Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes (; born 27 May 1970), known as Joseph Fiennes, is an English actor of film, stage, and television. Fiennes is particularly known for his versatility and period pieces. Journalist Zoe Williams observed t ...

Kristin Scott Thomas Dame Kristin Ann Scott Thomas (born 24 May 1960) is a British actress. A five-time BAFTA Award and Olivier Award nominee, she won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for ''Four Weddings and a Funeral'' (1994) and the Olivi ...

, and

Iain Glen Iain Alan Sutherland Glen (born 24 June 1961) is a Scottish actor. He has appeared as Dr. Alexander Isaacs/Tyrant in three films of the Resident Evil (film series), ''Resident Evil'' film series (2004–2016) and as Ser Jorah Mormont, Jorah Morm ...

. The screenplay concerns a man in a team of Victorian scientists conducting research in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

, who begins to have doubts about the human cost of their mission. It was scripted by

William Boyd William, Willie, Will or Bill Boyd may refer to: Academics * William Boyd (educator) (1874–1962), Scottish educator * William Boyd (pathologist) (1885–1979), Scottish-Canadian professor and author * William Alexander Jenyns Boyd (1842–1928), ...

Plot

In 1870, Victorian scientists capture a pygmy couple during an expedition in

Central Africa Central Africa (French language, French: ''Afrique centrale''; Spanish language, Spanish: ''África central''; Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''África Central'') is a subregion of the African continent comprising various countries accordin ...

. They are transported back to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

for further study as part of research involving the theory of the evolution of man. However, the primitive outlook of the pygmies and the sophisticated methods used by the scientists, as well as the complications of adapting to a foreign environment, make their anthropological study more difficult. Ultimately, as the pygmies become more absorbed into the public, major disagreements erupt culminating in a bloody and tragic confrontation.

Cast

as Jamie Dodd *

as Elena Van Den Ende *

as Alexander Auchinleck *

Hugh Bonneville Hugh Richard Bonniwell Williams (born 10 November 1963), known professionally as Hugh Bonneville, is an English actor. He is best known for portraying Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham, in the ITV historical drama series ''Downton Abbey'' from ...

as Fraser McBride * Lomama Boseki as Toko *

Cécile Bayiha Cécile Bayiha is an actress from Cameroon. She is best known for playing the part of captive Pygmy Likola in the 2005 Franco-British-South African film '' Man to Man'', in which two captured Pygmies are presented to a 19th-century British public ...

as Likola *

Flora Montgomery Flora Anne Selina Montgomery (born 4 January 1974) is a Northern Irish actress. Early life and family Montgomery was born at her family's ancestral home in Greyabbey, County Down, the daughter of William Howard Clive Montgomery, OBE, of Rose ...

as Abigail McBride

References

External links

* * * 2005 films 2000s historical drama films English-language French films Films directed by Régis Wargnier Films set in the 1860s French historical drama films 2000s French-language films Films shot in Edinburgh Films scored by Patrick Doyle Films with screenplays by William Boyd (writer) 2005 drama films 2000s English-language films 2000s French films English-language historical drama films {{historic-film-stub