Mister Johnson

Director Bruce Beresford (Tender Mercies, Driving Miss Daisy) offers a compelling character study in this period piece based on Joyce Cary's novel. Working from an intelligent screenplay by novelist William Boyd, Beresford's characteristically pretty direction takes us to West Africa, circa 1923, where we meet the comic/tragic Mister Johnson (Maynard Eziashi), a clark for the presiding British judge Harry Rudbeck (Pierce Brosnan). An Englishman in every respect except for the color of his skin, the black Mister Johnson wants the good life: a happy marriage, a decent-paying job, a comfortable home, etc. When Rudbeck's project to link the little village of Fada with a main trade route via a 100-mile road runs out of money, Johnson suggests that the books be tinkered with and funds transferred from other budgetary categories. When an officious British accountant discovers the scheme, however, Mister Johnson takes the fall. His next job, working for the local merchant Sargy Gollup (Edward Woodward), also ends in shambles, because Mister Johnson has a propensity for "borrowing" money from the till in order to throw all-night parties. Eventually, he returns to Rudbeck's aid, and uses his marketing savvy to convince the unpaid laborers to continue working on the great road. But his quest for the good "English" life lands him into hot water once again with considerably more serious consequences. Mister Johnson is, for my money, much more interesting than Beresford's previous effort Driving Miss Daisy, and he gets excellent performances out of newcomer Eziashi and TV workhorses Brosnan and Woodward. Without being preachy, Mister Johnson effectively conveys its anti-imperialist message in the form of its charming, yet rapscallion, title character who wants success (like the English), but will clearly achieve it at the expense of others (also like the English). Had director Beresford been a little less interested in lush visuals and a few crowd-pleasing scenes, Mister Johnson could have been a great film. As it is, it's a very good one. Recommended. (R. Pitman)[Blu-ray/DVD Review—Sept. 22, 2015—Criterion, 101 min., PG-13, DVD: $29.95, Blu-ray: $39.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD and debut on Blu-ray, 1990's Mister Johnson sports a great transfer and an uncompressed stereo soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition. Extras include new interviews with director Bruce Beresford (16 min.), costar Maynard Eziashi (12 min.), producer Michael Fitzgerald (11 min.), and costar Pierce Brosnan (9 min.), and a booklet featuring an essay by film scholar Neil Sinyard. Bottom line: Beresford's fine film makes a welcome debut on Blu-ray.]