THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND

UK, 2006, 116 minutes, Colour.
Forrest Whitaker, James Mc Evoy, Kerry Washington, Simon Mc Burney, Gillian Anderson.
Directed by Kevin Macdonald.

Forest Whitaker won all the Best Actor awards, including Oscar and Golden Globe, for his performance as Idi Amin. It is quite an impressive feat of impersonation and acting.

How much Idi Amin is in the consciousness of those who were not alive during his brutal leadership of Uganda is an interesting question. He is one of the tyrants of the 1970s who did not die until the 1990s, in exile in Saudi Arabia. He came up through the army, serving in Kenya during the Mau Mau era and then succeeded President Obote who was ousted for corruption in the early 1970s in a military coup. Amin was popular for a time but became almost a caricature of those local generals who get into power which goes to their head and they assume a luxury lifestyle (usually American) while brutalising the population and eliminating their enemies. Amin’s toll was hundreds of thousands.

And the Scottish thing? Amin admired the Scots and their attitudes towards the English – and had two sons to whom he gave Scottish names. He also liked to wear a kilt.

The Last King of Scotland was written by Jeremy Brock (Mrs Brown, Charlotte Gray) and the award-winning Peter Morgan (The Deal, The Queen, Longford, Frost Nixon) and directed by Kevin Macdonald, better known as a documentary maker with One Day in September (Oscar, Best Documentary, 2000) and Touching the Void. Filming in Uganda and re-creating the 70s, he uses his documentarist’s eye to capture the mood of the era.

One of the objections made to a number of films made by western directors on Africa (Hotel Rwanda, Shooting Dogs, Cry Freedom) is that they focus on a white character which they feel gives something of an unbalanced view of events. Maybe. This is a bit like Alain Delon’s outburst at Sophia Coppola, that only the French could make a film on Marie Antoinette. Obviously, an inside view brings its own heritage, history and insights. But an outsider, especially one who is trying to communicate to the outsider audience, will bring different insights worth considering.

The screenwriters here have invented a Scots character with whom the audience enters Uganda and encounters Amin. He is a young Scottish doctor recently graduated who escapes his dominating father by going to Africa. He has some good intentions but is basically out for a good time and some adventure, not the most noble of medicos to go to Africa. While working on a medical mission (with Gillian Anderson as the wife of a doctor), he is caught up in the enthusiasm for Amin, accidentally has to treat him as a doctor, makes an impression and is summoned to Kampala, along with enticements for a very comfortable like plus perks and a position of influence with Amin.

He is played by the up-and-coming James Mc Avoy (Narnia, Starter for Ten),

Interestingly, we don’t see a lot of Amin’s abuses on screen, though enough to horrify and disgust – a bit like the doctor who tends to avoid seeing and knowing about what is unpleasant. He does not have a strong moral sense and has an affair with one of Amin’s wives. Gradually, he becomes suspicious, then disillusioned, feeling some blood guilt for reporting gossip to Amin which leads to executions. Finally, he is offered a chance to redeem himself on the occasion of the hijacking of the plane landing at Entebbe in 1976. But, it is emotionally and morally disconcerting to be asked to side, even partially, with a lopsided hero.

Familiar outline in many ways. The power of the film is in the audience identifying with the weak Scot, discovering more and more of the truth about Amin as well as experiencing the commanding presence of Whitaker. There are glimpses of the real Amin in the final credits.

1.Africa in the 20th century? The shifts from colonialism to independence? Uganda and colonialism? Obate and Amin? The 60s and 70s? The need for audience knowledge of characters and this period?

2.The perspective on Africa, post-colonial Uganda? African leaders as ruthless, power, greed, violence and madness? The ordinary people and their response? Progress and change? The glimpses of the influence of western lifestyle, music, sex, cowboys …?

3.The perspective of the film as white? The British? The embassy? Stone and his espionage activities, possibilities for assassination of Amin? The doctors and their work? The journalists? Amin and his attitude towards the UK? The UK against him? His visits, meeting the journalists, joking with them?

4.Uganda post-Amin, changes, the number of dead during his regime, the possibilities for a new life after Amin?

5.The white perspective to enable an audience around the world to enter into Uganda, identify with Nick, understand Uganda from his perspective? The critique by the black characters of the whites, of the British? The alien whites?

6.The introduction to Nick, the graduates and their jumping into the water? His father, the toast to his degree, the comparisons with his own life? His nice mother? His scream in his room? His wanting to get away, turning the globe and putting the finger on Uganda?

7.The visuals of Africa, the villages, the roads, Kampala and its modern buildings? The palace, the airport? The parties, the witchdoctors in the village …? The musical score, the range of songs, traditional and western?

8.Nick and audiences identifying with him or not? His attitudes, fun and adventure, Scottish background and pride, his critique of his father, open to a substitute father figure? The trip in the bus, talking to the woman, having sex with her, arriving a day late, the encounter with Sarah and her husband, their work? His experience of the coup, surprise, experiencing the people, the cheering for Amin? Admiring him, going to see him, applauding? The drive back, Sarah’s different attitude, the demand that they return to Amin, helping him with his hand, his agitation with the cow, shooting the cow? Amin’s reaction, Sarah’s reaction? The return with her, making an advance, her being attracted, resisting?

9.The limousine arriving, demanding that he go to the president, meeting him, Amin as jovial, his refusal of the job, Amin’s persuasion? His admiring Amin, naïve? Sarah and the discussion – and his later seeing her in the bus and her implicit judgment of him? His work at the hospital, the possibilities for caring for more people? With the minister, the plans, being given his car, driving Amin (and his changing his clothes with Amin present)? The ambush, Amin’s life being saved, his reaction?

10.Amin and his history, with the Mau Mau, with the British, his medals, his status as a general? His love of the Scots, his children’s names, the changing of the T-shirt for his child? The Scottish songs – and the choir singing Scottish songs? His inviting Nick to the dinner, formality, Nick getting a suit (and the Asian tailor and the later expulsion of the Asians)? Amin and his wives, his children?

11.The audience not seeing a lot of Amin’s abuses, his way of ruling the government? Nick’s perspective – not seeing, not wanting to see? How much did the audience identify with Nick, and what he saw, admired, judged? Nick and the reports of the various deaths around the countryside, the contrast with the cheering crowds, his seeing the minister and the discussion in the bar, his informing Amin – and the consequences? Stone informing him about the reality of the meeting? His having blood on his hands? The collage of the murders? Nick and his defending Amin?

12.Amin going to the United Kingdom, his style of rule, power, the despot, the English despising him? Jovial, joking? The sex party, watching Deep Throat? His letting his goons do all the brutal work? His variety of moods, even with Nick, the issue of the expulsion of the Asians, later telling Nick that he did not persuade him enough? Nick persuading him to meet the journalists and get a better reputation?

13.Nick, his life, adviser to the president? His work? Partying? The boy and the epileptic fit, his helping him, meeting Key? Her place as Amin’s wife? The party, the sexual liaison, the deceit, her pregnancy, the phone call, wanting an abortion, going to the village? Nick’s arriving late? Amin and his being disappointed with Nick? The photographs, the various people and their torture, death? Key and the effect on Nick?

14.Nick and his wanting to get out, wanting the British to help, going in desperation to Stone, Stone’s refusal? The possibility of assassination? The discussions with the journalist?

15.The possibilities of the poison? His having the tablets, the security man and the Asians, the expulsion, Nick humiliating him at the hospital? Nick and the tablets, fingering them, trying to get them from the car?

16.The incident at Entebbe, Amin exploiting it, the Israelis, the Arabs? The scenes at the airport, the desperate people, the relief plane, releasing the non-Israelis? The press and his conference?

17.His confrontation with Nick, his disappointment, allowing him to be tortured? The brutality of his being hanged by hooks? Getting him down, the doctor and his healing him, the doctor’s past work with him, not liking Nick, knowing that he was a white man and could actually tell the truth if he escaped? The assassination of the doctor?

18.Nick, walking with the escapees, getting on the plane, from the plane window? A mission to tell the world? That the white and the western world would believe him?

19.The final information about Amin himself, his downfall, actual footage of Idi Amin himself? The film and its perspective on history? The lessons to be learnt from history?