A United Kingdom Page #5

Synopsis: In the late 1940s, Prince Seretse Khama of Bechuanaland is studying law in Britain in preparation for his eventual ascension to the throne. There, the dashing prince falls in love with a white British clerk, Ruth Williams, and they plan to marry. While they suspect that his uncle, the Regent, would disapprove, nothing prepares them for the diplomatic firestorm and domestic political tumult their defiant love would spark. Now facing a citizenry leery of a white Briton as their Queen, the international opposition is even more unyielding from the British holding their land as a protectorate and fearful of South Africa's racist backlash to this affront to their apartheid domination. Against all odds, King Khama and Ruth must struggle to maintain their love and help their people in a land that would become the Republic of Botswana.
Director(s): Amma Asante
Production: Harbinger Pictures
  1 win & 4 nominations.
 
IMDB:
6.8
Metacritic:
65
Rotten Tomatoes:
84%
PG-13
Year:
2016
111 min
$3,901,302
Website
936 Views


80% of the people

support your uncle's refusal

to accept your wife

as queen of your tribe.

May I ask how you arrived

at that figure, Mr Lancaster?

We are recommending that you resign

any claim to the chieftainship,

and that you announce that fact

to your tribe with a meeting.

The kgotla, Sir Alistair,

is the place where

our tribal decisions are made,

where every man has his say.

There, and only there, can the support or

dissatisfaction of my people be measured.

Where they will decide whether

they wish for me to remain king.

I believe you call it democracy.

LANCASTER :
Mr Khama,

you understand the risks you're taking.

You're forcing the tribe to take sides.

This could cause a dangerous divide.

Make your country... ungovernable.

And it would open up South Africa's

claim to annex Bechuanaland.

Britain has long prevented it.

But for how much longer?

Lancaster just about got

through the evening

without calling me an ungrateful n*gger.

Can they really hand over

an entire country just like that?

They wouldn't risk it.

Malan's regime has very little support

from the British public.

But you're worried.

You know, I've seen the news reels.

I know what's happening in South Africa.

It's poison,

and it's already affecting you here.

That sign outside.

You have those in England too.

I know.

No blacks, no Irish, no dogs.

But I didn't expect it

in your own country.

(SIGHS DEEPLY) Come.

It's your first night in Bechuanaland.

I don't want you to be sad.

Let us not allow

the ugliness of this world

to take our joy away from us.

(RUTH SIGHS)

Another!

(BOTH LAUGH)

Oh...

- Shh, shh.

- What?

Can you hear that?

It's the music from the bar.

Dance with me.

Whoo! Oh!

(BOTH LAUGH)

What...? Ah!

(LIGHTER CLICKS)

SERETSE :
My home.

Our home.

(VILLAGERS SHOUTING)

White woman.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

Is that your mother?

(SERETSE SNIFFS)

Uh, no.

No, that is my Uncle Tshekedi's mother.

That is me on the day he became a regent.

(GOATS BLEATING)

(ENGINE STOPS)

(CAR DOOR CLOSES)

(TSHEKEDI SPEAKS SETSWANA)

Uncle... this is Ruth.

I'm very pleased to meet you, sir.

I will speak to my nephew alone.

Refreshments will be provided

for her in the house.

Over two decades of preparing you

to be our king,

and this is how you face me.

A white woman by your side.

- Uncle...

- Are you trying to tear us apart?

I am Naledi, Seretse's sister.

Naledi.

- Seretse's told me so much.

- Please don't.

Why would you do this to us?

To yourself?

Be somewhere and be something

that makes no sense to you?

Look at them.

They are fighting because of you.

I mean you no harm.

Do you understand what mother,

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Guy Hibbert

Guy Hibbert is an award-winning British screenwriter. He has won 4 Bafta awards. He wrote the 2009 film Five Minutes of Heaven. This film was premiered at the 25th Sundance Film Festival, where Hibbert won the World Cinema Screenwriting Award. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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