MODDER EN BLOED (BLOOD AND GLORY) Brings The Anglo-Boer War To The Rugby Pitch
Rugby has a very long history in South Africa, and a significantly symbolic one in the relationship between Afrikaners and the British. That history will be leveraged to full dramatic effect next April when Modder En Bloed is slated to hit South African screens. After a shoot shrouded in secrecy, filming has finally wrapped and the first images and details have emerged.
Modder en Bloed relates the story of Willem Morkel (Stian Bam), a Boer warrior and family man, who lost his wife and only child during the Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902, killed by British soldiers. Willem is incarcerated, with other Boer prisoners-of-war, on the island St. Helena in the Atlantic Ocean. The tyrannical Colonel Swannell (Grant Swanby), a hot-headed Imperialist with a consuming hatred for the Afrikaner, is in charge of the English concentration camp.Boer prisoners-of-war are subjected to the most brutal violence and degrading treatment. They are constantly humiliated by the British commander and his soldiers in an effort to break them down emotionally, and to physically cripple them. But, despite the untold torture they had to endure and the inhuman suffering they had to bear, their resistance and quest for vengeance, by whatever means, became stronger and stronger by the day. So, when the gauntlet was thrown down, Willem and his fellow prisoners rose to the challenge, eventually leading to sweet revenge in the most important rugby match of their lives.
I cannot tell if Modder En Bloed is based on real events or is an original story, but it is written and directed by Sean Else (Platteland, 'n Man Soos My Pa), and reveals a more provocative creative edge than his previous work would suggest. I do hope Else is adopting an appropriately nuanced approach for this project. His previous films demonstrate a penchant for melodrama that I don't think would serve this subject well, though this certainly resonates with the popular Afrikaans film market, which has a seemingly unquenchable - and admittedly endearing - affection for melodramatics.
Modder En Bloed is undoubtedly catering to the Afrikaans market, and will showcase a wealth of local talent lead by Stian Bam (Veraaiers) and Bok van Blerk (Platteland, Vrou Soek Boer, and Leading Lady). Interestingly, the British protagonist ("tyrannical Colonel Swannell") is played by distinguished South African actor Grant Swanby, despite the film boasting an impressive supporting cast of British actors, including Charlotte Salt (Beowulf; The Tudors), Patrick Connolly (Inferno; Crushed), Nick Cornwall (Blood Loyal; Retribution) and Josh Myers (The Sweeney; Anti-Social).
It's also worth pointing out that the english title for the film, Blood And Glory, is not a direct translation of the Afrikaans title; that would be "Mud And Blood". The subtle title change for english audiences speaks volumes about the contrasting perspectives on this period of history.
Combining the Anglo-Boer War with rugby and an international cast will surely entice British and English South African audiences as well. This history remains a sensitive matter, but has enjoyed a cinematic resurgence in recent years, and the notion of exploring the war on a rugby field is incredibly tantalizing. If handled with nuance, the subject of the film alone suggests it would be riveting, and if well executed we could be looking at something really quite special.
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