A United Kingdom
Director: Amma Asante
Stars: David Oyelowo, Rosamund Pike, Jack Davenport
Duration: 111 mins
Class: 12
KRS Releasing Ltd
It was a match made in heaven, but the powers-that-be here on earth clearly didn’t think so, as the governments of Britain and South Africa vehemently opposed the marriage between Botswanan Seretse Khama (David Oyelowo) and Englishwoman Ruth Williams (Rosamund Pike).
For this was 1947, and Seretse was the King-in-waiting of the Bangwato nation in Bechuanland (as Botswana was then known), and Ruth, a shopkeeper’s daughter who worked as a secretary.
They were introduced to one another by Ruth’s sister, Muriel (Laura Carmichael) at a Missionary Society dance in London. The mutual attraction was instant; their fates together sealed. But given this was a time of international upheaval post WWII, it was clear from the outset that their path to marital bliss was to be an arduous one.
However, the couple – him a young graduate finalising his studies in England and ready to take over his royal duties while pushing for change and progress within his country; her a fiercely vocal, independent young woman, looking towards a brighter future – were undeniably ready to face said the future together.
Yet, while to a point it was understandable to them both that their respective families would oppose the union, they were astounded by the vociferous opposition they faced by powerful political forces on both the European and African continents. And it was here that their love for one other, their families and their countries was severely tested.
A United Kingdom tells this little-known yet extraordinary tale via a compelling script that is a fascinating hybrid of love story and political drama, by Guy Hibbert. The political machinations that went into preventing the couple from getting married are an integral and fascinating part of the story.
The political machinations that went into preventing the couple from getting married are an integral and fascinating part of the story
The South African government was just about to introduce its infamous apartheid laws, and the idea of an inter-racial marriage being celebrated just across their border was abhorrent to them.
At the same time, the British government, did not want to jeopardise their relationship with the South Africans – and their access to the latter’s vital resources of course. This led to the desperate scramblings undertaken by various government lackeys – as represented by Jack Davenport’s Sir Alistair Canning and Tom Felton’s Rufus Lancaster - to keep the couple apart. Even Winston Churchill gets involved – in a way that proved even more problematic for the couple.
Yet despite the best efforts by politicians on both continents, Seretse and Ruth faced down the challenges with strength and poise; their connection genuine, their commitment to one another unwavering as they fought to stay together – even though circumstances kept them apart from one another for long periods of time.
This absorbing and uplifting story is given added weight by its two protagonists. Oyelowo is an actor of great charisma, one who exudes intelligence in every role.
The role of Khama, a multifaceted, complex intellectual man, suits him to a tee.
Oyelowo gives an engaging and realistic portrayal of both the inspiring determined, forward-looking politician frustrated by the constraints his own people and international society places on him; and the charming, romantic lover with aplomb. He shares an easy chemistry with Pike’s forward-looking Ruth, whose clear-eyed determination to be with the man she loved gives her the strength to overcome her family’s estrangement the prejudices and obstacles she faces as a stranger in a strange land.
Director Amma Assante clearly has matters of race at heart. Her previous directorial effort was the excellent Belle, the story of an illegitimate mixed-race woman in 18th-century London society.
And, once again, Assante approaches the issue with honesty and integrity, never falling into the trap sermonising or unwarranted sentimentality.
The only slight wobbles come in the portrayal of some of the British characters – Davenport is a tad too smug and sneering as Canning, as is his haughty wife Lady Lilly (played by Oyelowo’s real-life wife Jessica).
In sharp contrast to the sensitive portrayal of the current Bangwato king, Seretse’s uncle Tshekedi (Vusi Kunene), whose opposition to the relationship is played out with quiet dignity.
Assante also assiduously creates a vibrant sense of time and place, the action unfolding concurrently in England and Botswana.