Paljas

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Paljas
Directed by Katinka Heyns
Screenplay byChris Barnard
Produced by Anant Singh
Starring Marius Weyers
CinematographyKoos Roets
Edited byAvril Beukes
Ronelle Loots
Music bySue Grealy
Release date
  • 23 January 1997 (1997-01-23)
Running time
119 minutes
CountrySouth Africa
LanguageAfrikaans

Paljas (English title: (The) Clown) is a 1997 Afrikaans language South African film. Paljas was written by Chris Barnard and directed by Katinka Heyns. It is based on the book of the same name.

Contents

Synopsis

The film revolves around the lives of the rural McDonald family. The household of Hendrik McDonald, stationmaster of the tiny Karoo town, Toorwater ("Magic-water"), [1] experience a number of unexpected situations when a travelling circus troupe leave behind a clown named Manuel. The intrigues of the story include the estranged relationship between Hendrik and his wife Katrien, partly due to her being admired by Frans Lombard. Meanwhile, their daughter Emma is discontented with her suitor, Nollie Kemp, and Willem, the household's youngest, remains withdrawn and refuses to talk. The continued presence of the eccentric clown, Manuel, is kept secret by Willem. Manuel is later cruelly chased and shot by some of the local community who consider him to be evidence of anti-Christian forces despite having succeeded in convincing Willem to communicate and healed much of the family's pain through his caring and fun nature. [2]

Cast

The cast includes: [3]

Production

Paljas means "magic" or to cast a spell. [1] The English title of the film is Clown. [4] or The Clown. [5] [6]

Awards

The film was submitted for the 70th Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, the first South African submission since the end of apartheid. [7] [8]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "The Road Less Travelled - Hoekplaas, Warmbad, Barandas" - Section: "Paljas the Movie" (with a photo from the movie set), Uniondale, Access date: 27 May 2022
  2. ↑ Paljas-1998 [ permanent dead link ], Film.moviesaz (Trailer and Synopsis), Access date: 27 May 2022
  3. ↑ Paljas (1998) - Katinka Heyns | Cast and Crew | AllMovie , retrieved 23 March 2023
  4. ↑ "Paljas 1997 (Clown)". Dailymotion. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
  5. ↑ Botski, Kristoff (14 September 2023). "Paljas (1997) AKA The Clown". rarefilmm. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
  6. ↑ Encountering Modernity: Twentieth Century South African Cinemas, Keyan G. Tomaselli, Rozenberg Publishers, 2006, Page: 51 (with some explanations on the word "paljas").
  7. ↑ Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
  8. ↑ "44 Countries Hoping for Oscar Nominations". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 24 November 1997. Archived from the original on 13 February 1998. Retrieved 13 October 2015.

Further reading


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