Commentary on the Film "The Gods must be Crazy"

This critical comment on the film "The Gods must be Crazy" deals with the controversial reactions it provoked. The Anti-Apartheidlobby has condemned it as implicitely racist but others qualified it as an amusing, entertaining comedy.

In the first part the authors analyze a number of differing press-comments.

In the second part they try to identify the stereotypes about Black and White.

Finally the authors describe the reactions of some 40 spectators by means of a debate with a preceding description of the South African political context ("contextualization") aiming at orienting the audience towards the thesis of a racist film.

KEYWORDS : film, Southern Africa, apartheid, stereotype