A Dry White Season
With this bracing drama, made at the climax of the anti-apartheid movement, director Euzhan Palcy issued a devastating indictment of South Africa’s racist government—and made history in the process, becoming the first black woman to direct a Hollywood studio film. White schoolteacher Ben Du Toit (Donald Sutherland) lives in Johannesburg and remains blissfully incurious about the lives of his black countrymen until a wave of brutal treatment comes crashing down on his gardener (Winston Ntshona), bringing Du Toit face-to-face with harsh political realities. Based on a celebrated novel by André Brink and rooted in the first-hand research the Martinican Palcy did in South Africa into the way black people lived under apartheid, A Dry White Season is unflinching in its depiction of violence and its chronicling of injustice, making for a galvanizing tribute to those willing to sacrifice everything to fight oppression.
Director-Approved Special Edition Features
- New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed stereo soundtrack
- New interview with director Euzhan Palcy by film critic Scott Foundas
- Five Scenes, a new program featuring Palcy
- Interview from 1989 with actor Donald Sutherland
- Excerpt from a 1995 interview Palcy conducted with Nelson Mandela
- Footage of Palcy receiving the highest distinction for foreign dignitaries at the 2017 South African National Orders awards
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- PLUS: An essay by filmmaker and scholar Jyoti Mistry
New cover by Adam Maida
Director-Approved Special Edition Features
- New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed stereo soundtrack
- New interview with director Euzhan Palcy by film critic Scott Foundas
- Five Scenes, a new program featuring Palcy
- Interview from 1989 with actor Donald Sutherland
- Excerpt from a 1995 interview Palcy conducted with Nelson Mandela
- Footage of Palcy receiving the highest distinction for foreign dignitaries at the 2017 South African National Orders awards
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- PLUS: An essay by filmmaker and scholar Jyoti Mistry
New cover by Adam Maida
Cast
- Donald Sutherland
- Ben Du Toit
- Janet Suzman
- Susan Du Toit
- Jürgen Prochnow
- Captain Stolz
- Zakes Mokae
- Stanley
- Susan Sarandon
- Melanie Bruwer
- Marlon Brando
- Ian McKenzie
- Winston Ntshona
- Gordon Ngubene
- Thoko Ntshinga
- Emily Ngubene
- John Kani
- Julius
- Susannah Harker
- Suzette Du Toit
- Rowen Elmes
- Johan Du Toit
Credits
- Director
- Euzhan Palcy
- Produced by
- Paula Weinstein
- Screenplay by
- Colin Welland
- Screenplay by
- Euzhan Palcy
- Based on the novel by
- André Brink
- Executive-produced by
- Tim Hampton
- Music by
- Dave Grusin
- Director of photography
- Kelvin Pike
- Director of photography
- Pierre-William Glenn
- Edited by
- Sam O’Steen
- Edited by
- Glenn Cunningham
- Featured score performance by
- Hugh Masekela
- Songs performed by
- Ladysmith Black Mambazo
A scene from A Dry White Season
