The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Jamie Uys

Writer:

Jamie Uys (writer)

Release Date:

21 August 1981 (Norway)

Genre:

Action | Comedy

Tagline:

The critics are raving... the natives are restless... and the laughter is non-stop!

Plot:

A Sho in the Kalahari desert encounters technology for the first time--in the shape of a Coke bottle...

Plot Keywords:

Bottle | Kalahari | Desert | Terrorism | Rebellion

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Marius Weyers	...	Andrew Steyn
Sandra Prinsloo	...	Kate Thompson
N!xau	...	Xi
Louw Verwey	...	Sam Boga
Michael Thys	...	Mpudi
Nic De Jager	...	Jack Hind
Fanyana H. Sidumo	...	Card 1
Joe Seakatsie	...	Card 2
Brian O'Shaughnessy	...	Mr. Thompson
Vera Blacker	...	Mrs. Thompson
Ken Gampu	...	President
Paddy O'Byrne	...	Narrator (voice)
Jamie Uys	...	The Reverend

Directed by
Jamie Uys

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Jamie Uys		writer

Produced by
Boet Troskie	....	executive producer
Jamie Uys	....	producer
Gerda Vanden Broeck	....	assistant producer

Original Music by
John Boshoff

Cinematography by
Robert Lewis
Buster Reynolds

Film Editing by
Jamie Uys

Art Direction by
Caroline Burls

Costume Design by
Gail Grobbelaar
Mij Reynolds

Makeup Department
William Bell	....	makeup artist (as Bill Bell)
Olga Lombard	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Rina Venter	....	production manager

Sound Department
Avram D. Gold	....	supervising adr editor (US release)
Joseph Holsen	....	sound editor
Martha Burns Holsen	....	sound editor
John Rotondi	....	sound engineer
Roelf Van Jaarsveld	....	sound editor
John Roesch	....	foley artist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Paul Ballinger	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Anthony Bannister	....	still photographer

Editorial Department
Stanford C. Allen	....	consulting editor
Ricardo Olivero	....	color timer

Other crew
Viv Bristow	....	animal trainer
Chris Fellows	....	final mix producer
Sheryl Friederichsen	....	foreign marketing producer
Jack Seale	....	animal trainer
Di Yates	....	continuity

Production Companies

• CAT Films
• Mimosa

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1984) (USA) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox (1983) (France) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

Botswana | South Africa

Language:

English | Afrikaans | Ungwatsi

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:All | South Korea:12 (DVD rating) | Australia:PG | New Zealand:PG | Portugal:M/12 | Argentina:Atp | Finland:S | Germany:12 | Norway:11 (re-rating) | Norway:12 (original rating) | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:15 | UK:A (original rating) | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

South Africa

Company:

CAT Films

Trivia:

Was banned shortly after release in Trinidad and Tobago following protests from pressure groups that claimed it was racist.

Goofs:

Continuity: The spool of thread on the sewing machine changes colour between shots (from beige to green and back) before Sam Boga hits it.

Quotes:

Narrator: Sometimes they hear a thundering sound when there are no clouds. They assume the gods have eaten too much and their tummies are rumbling. Sometimes they can even see the evidence of the gods' flatulence.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Og Must Be Crazy (1990)

Such a likable movie...

Don't be put off by the talk of poor production values, bad dubbing, goofy Benny Hill-esque slapstick, and questionable acting. Once you get a look at the enormous smile on Xi's face, you'll forget all of that. This is one of the most gentle, pleasant, and likable movies I've seen in a long time (all of that in a good way).

I'd always heard about it, but somehow managed to miss it over the years. Finally saw it this weekend, and it's a real gem.

For you DVD viewers, there's a documentary with interview footage of Xi. The only problem--no subtitles! Some bozo obviously blew it on the transfer, making it possibly the most frustrating doc ever produced...Be warned!