Alan Paton’s best-selling novel which was made into a Broadway musical Lost in the Stars [1949], has been turned into an absorbing pic. Filmed in its native South African locale, and in London, the pic emerges as a very moving film, full of simplicity and charm.
The picture is a strong social document in its study of the perplexed conditions of a submerged native population ruled by the whites in South Africa.
More particularly, Cry is the story of a simple, native Negro country preacher (Canada Lee), who goes to the big city of Johannesburg to seek a missing sister and wayward son, and who finds both in the crime-ridden, slum elements of the city.
Lee’s performance, restrained and underplayed, is a rich, heartwarming portrayal, dominating the film. Sidney Poitier is manly and striking as a young Negro preacher.
