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Mister Johnson

  • 1990
  • Tous publics
  • 1h 41m
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
1.3K
YOUR RATING
Maynard Eziashi in Mister Johnson (1990)
Home Video Trailer from Other
Play trailer3:10
1 Video
26 Photos
Drama

In 1923, a local resident of British Colonial Nigeria tries to be equal with the colonial administration.In 1923, a local resident of British Colonial Nigeria tries to be equal with the colonial administration.In 1923, a local resident of British Colonial Nigeria tries to be equal with the colonial administration.

  • Director
    • Bruce Beresford
  • Writers
    • William Boyd
    • Joyce Cary
  • Stars
    • Pierce Brosnan
    • Edward Woodward
    • Maynard Eziashi
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.4/10
    1.3K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Bruce Beresford
    • Writers
      • William Boyd
      • Joyce Cary
    • Stars
      • Pierce Brosnan
      • Edward Woodward
      • Maynard Eziashi
    • 14User reviews
    • 16Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 1 nomination total

    Videos1

    Mister Johnson
    Trailer 3:10
    Mister Johnson

    Photos26

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    + 19
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    Top cast35

    Edit
    Pierce Brosnan
    Pierce Brosnan
    • Harry Rudbeck
    Edward Woodward
    Edward Woodward
    • Sargy Gollup
    Maynard Eziashi
    Maynard Eziashi
    • Mister Johnson
    Beatie Edney
    Beatie Edney
    • Celia Rudbeck
    Denis Quilley
    Denis Quilley
    • Bulteen
    Nick Reding
    Nick Reding
    • Tring
    Bella Enahoro
    • Bamu
    Femi Fatoba
    • Waziri
    Q
    • Benjamin
    Hubert Ogunde
    • Brimah
    • (as Chief Hubert Ogunde)
    Sola Adeyemi
    • Ajali
    Jerry Linus
    • Saleh
    George Menta
    • Emil
    Steve James
    Steve James
    • Aliu
    Tunde Kelani
    • Jamesu
    Akinola Ayegbusi
    • Village Chief
    Albert Egbe
    • Scribe
    Sani Izang
    • Police Sergeant
    • Director
      • Bruce Beresford
    • Writers
      • William Boyd
      • Joyce Cary
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews14

    6.41.3K
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    Featured reviews

    GAMERA95

    A movie so real you forget it's a movie.

    Every so often you come across a film that is so accurate in it's depiction of life and the character of the people you forget it's a movie and it takes you to that place in time and you become one of the people, Mister Johnson is that film plus 100. Mister Johnson is an accurate look into the life of a man who is torn between the color of his heritage and his longing to be an English gentleman. Mister Johnson is a man who forgets his ethnic heritage and calls his own people ''ignorant'' and ''savage'' but holds the people who treat his with the lowest respect, namely the British officials and colonists in the highest honor. He is an example of the brainwashing given to many many people of color over the centuries by the Whites, making them forget who they are, where they came from, and making them have an alien thirst for white culture. But Mister Johnson is more than that..oh yes indeed. He is a crafty little man who's high intelligence gets him into trouble with the British offocials. He has a thirst for english traditions and a longing for the white man's riches and acceptance but I do not believe he even knows why. This is a great film depicting the harsh life of a man too smart for his own good in a time where his skin color and an intellect that large was the biggest threat in the mind of white colonists. Sadly this film leaves you wanting more, wanting a deeper look into how Mister Johnson came to be they way he is.
    10joyfully2-640-169166

    I loved this film

    The cinematography was truly lovely, it's natural colors blended with the story telling so thoroughly, I sat in the dark fascinated by this syncopation. The film has a huge cast, and filming in the African sun, it had to be a difficult.

    I loved the talent. Every character was real.

    I loved the story --the collision of two cultures at the beginning.

    Most of all I love the character of Mister Johnson as portrayed by Maynard Eziashi. His behavior seemed typical of the era. And African villagers seemed so gentle and accepting of foreign intrusion. Maybe it was that way in the beginning.

    Joyce Cary wrote a very sweet, sort of tragic story. I wish all films contained this truth, warmth and humanity.
    8DukeEman

    Who's exploiting who?

    A British colony in West Africa creates a monster in the local black man who succumbs to the western greed and uses it to better his life so as to live like the rich whites do. A convincing performance by Maynard and a surprising one from Brosnan. Wonderfully shot and gently directed by Master Beresford.
    9atrinc

    An exceptionally accurate albeit whimsical film.

    This is a wonderful film that captures the flavor of working in the African bush more accurately than any film I've seen. The gentle cultural clash between Mr. Johnson and the road builder (Pierce Brosnan) is exactly as I've experienced it with so many workers. And Mr. Johnson's downfall caused by his inner conflict (being pulled from his traditional roots down into the beguiling but unaffordable Western abyss) could have been the autobiography of too many African funtionaires I've known.
    6mjneu59

    between two worlds

    The title character in Bruce Bereford's film is a native clerk in British West Africa (circa 1923), who becomes alienated from his own people after ingratiating himself with his English masters. He likes to say he's a true English gentleman in his heart, but the color of his skin tells a different story, and for all his delusions of civilized grandeur he can't see that a civil servant is, by any other name, still a servant. There's much to admire here: clearly a lot of care and attention went into the film. But although it captures superbly the heat and light of the African veldt, the story is surprisingly dark, despite Bereford's best efforts to minimize the discomfort of his audience. The servant Johnson is made to seem entirely innocent of any wrongdoing (even after being totally corrupted by colonial British culture), and his white overlords are, likewise, not portrayed with any ambivalence. Up to a point, at any rate: Pierce Brosnan's final, chilling act of grace isn't likely to send moviegoers home in an upbeat frame of mind.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Director Bruce Beresford lived in Africa in his earlier years. As a young filmmaker, Beresford made several short films in Africa.
    • Goofs
      In the scene at dusk, the reflection of the stage lighting can be seen in Waziri's glasses.
    • Quotes

      Celia Rudbeck: Perhaps you could clean your teeth tonight having taken the pipe out of your mouth - that would be a change.

      Harry Rudbeck: I'm sorry, Celia.

      Celia Rudbeck: Sorry about what?

      Harry Rudbeck: I'm sorry about all of this.

      Celia Rudbeck: Are you? You don't do anything about it.

      Harry Rudbeck: Do? Well, what can I do? I'm in bloody West Africa. In the bloody bush. This isn't Mayfair, you know!

      Celia Rudbeck: You don't have to tell me that. What about that horrible peanut soup? Peanut soup! Any idiot can make vegetable soup - even in bloody West Africa.

      Harry Rudbeck: Why don't you tell Jamesu what you want to eat? He's not a chef at the Ritz.

      Celia Rudbeck: Alright!

      Harry Rudbeck: Dammit! You can go back home if you think you've made a mistake.

      Celia Rudbeck: What mistake?

      Harry Rudbeck: Marrying me. I know you think I'm a clod because I read Edgar Wallace instead of Jane Austin and I can't tell 'God Save the King' from the... the Marriage of bloody Figaro.

    • Crazy credits
      Dedicated to Chief Hubert A. Ogunde (1915 - 1990)
    • Connections
      Featured in Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze/The Comfort of Strangers/Defending Your Life/Mister Johnson/La Femme Nikita (1991)
    • Soundtracks
      Pasadena
      Written by Harry Warren

      performed by the Savoy Havana Band

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    FAQ

    • How long is Mister Johnson?
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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 13, 1991 (France)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Watch on Pave TV
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Мистер Джонсон
    • Filming locations
      • Kano, Kano State, Nigeria
    • Production company
      • Avenue Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $1,464,242
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $11,051
      • Mar 24, 1991
    • Gross worldwide
      • $1,464,242
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 41 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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