Man to Man (2005)

Director:

Régis Wargnier

Writers:

William Boyd (writer)
Michel Fessler (screenplay)

Release Date:

13 April 2005 (France)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

An epic about anthropologists who hunt and capture pygmies for study back in Europe, in an attempt to illustrate the link between man and ape.

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Joseph Fiennes	...	Jamie Dodd
Kristin Scott Thomas	...	Elena Van Den Ende
Iain Glen	...	Alexander Auchinleck
Hugh Bonneville	...	Fraser McBride
Lomama Boseki	...	Toko
Cécile Bayiha	...	Likola
Flora Montgomery	...	Abigail McBride
Patrick Mofokeng	...	Zachary
Alistair Petrie	...	Beckinsale
Hubert Saint-Macary	...	Comte de Verchemont
Mathew Zajac	...	Hector Duncan
William McBain	...	Angus
Robin Smith	...	Douglas
Theo Landey	...	Purvis
Ron Donachie	...	Sir Walter Stephenson

Runtime:

122 min

Country:

France | South Africa | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Brazil:14 | Hungary:14 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud)

Filming Locations:

Bristo Square, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

Company:

Vertigo

Trivia:

Opening film for 55th Berlin International Film Festival on February 10, 2005 (world premiere).

Quotes:

Elena Van Den Ende: You and I would make a great alliance.
Jamie Dodd: Alliance?

Soundtrack:

Three blind mice

The real savages are those who think they are civilized

I wanted to love this movie, but it just didn't move me that much. The story in itself is very strong. It's about a group of anthropologists capturing a pygmies couple to England for scientific purposes. They treat the two as if they are not human, but some kind of link between man and ape. It's a painful story of an era in time in which western society thought itself to be superior over other races. The real savages are not the pygmy couple, but those that don't want to accept that they are just as human as themselves. It's also about how science can become dangerous when scientists lose their empathy for the persons they are testing and how that can lead to inhumane situations.

Like I said, it's definitely a strong subject for a movie. And apart from that, the settings are okay, the acting is strong and the dialogues really depict the scientific society of Britain in those days. I still had the feeling that something was missing. Its main character Docter Dudd ( Joseph Fiennes ) is too quickly transforming from heartless scientist to someone with heart for the pygmies couple. His partner in crime - clandestine animal smuggler Elena van den Ende ( Kristin Scott Thomas )- never really gets into the story and she's choosing sides way too quickly. And I think that there are some strange plot twists that just aren't that believable.

At the end, it's a good movie. Maybe not as good as it could've been. But for those with a heart for period pieces with an important message on colonialism in past days, it's good enough.