Cry, the Beloved Country (1951)
(Zoltan Korda, UK 1951, 103 min., Format)
Stephen Kumalo (Canada Lee), a black preacher in apartheid South Africa, travels to Johannesburg to help his son, who is accused of murdering a white man. With the assistance of a clergyman (Sidney Poitier), Kumalo seeks to heal the wounds afflicting his family and the family of the murdered man. Cry, the Beloved Country was the first major film shot in South Africa, with interiors filmed in the United Kingdom at Shepperton Studios. As South Africa was under apartheid, stars Poitier and Lee and producer/director Zoltan Korda informed the South African immigration authorities that Poitier and Lee were not actors but Korda's indentured servants. After his work on the film, Lee planned to prepare a full report about life in South Africa. He was called to appear before the House Un-American Activities Committee to explain his actions but died of heart failure before he could testify.