My wife and I enjoyed this movie much, we watched it at home on DVD from our public library.
The events depicted here are all factual, starting in 1947 and continuing into the 1950s. David Oyelowo, who was so good in "Selma" as MLK, is Seretse Khama, on track to become King of his small African country. He is completing his education in England when he meets his eventual wife, Rosamund Pike as Ruth Williams, a clerk at Lloyd's of London. About a year later they married.
Most of the movie deals with the outfall from that marriage. Back in the homeland Khama's people, initially opposed to this white woman to become their Queen, eventually accepted her. But the big problem was being a British Protectorate, the British government prevented this from going forward because they needed S. Africa who objected strongly and at the time was establishing apartheid. So Khama was exiled.
The story does end well, not all of this covered in the movie, public pressure on the British helped, and in 1966 Khama became the 1st President of Botswana, serving in that role until his death in 1980 at the age of 59. Today his eldest son, Ian, is the 4th President of Botswana.
Good story, good movie!
The events depicted here are all factual, starting in 1947 and continuing into the 1950s. David Oyelowo, who was so good in "Selma" as MLK, is Seretse Khama, on track to become King of his small African country. He is completing his education in England when he meets his eventual wife, Rosamund Pike as Ruth Williams, a clerk at Lloyd's of London. About a year later they married.
Most of the movie deals with the outfall from that marriage. Back in the homeland Khama's people, initially opposed to this white woman to become their Queen, eventually accepted her. But the big problem was being a British Protectorate, the British government prevented this from going forward because they needed S. Africa who objected strongly and at the time was establishing apartheid. So Khama was exiled.
The story does end well, not all of this covered in the movie, public pressure on the British helped, and in 1966 Khama became the 1st President of Botswana, serving in that role until his death in 1980 at the age of 59. Today his eldest son, Ian, is the 4th President of Botswana.
Good story, good movie!