Today’s movie is a drama with a scene that happens on April
11. I hope you will enjoy this film and watch it tonight.
HOTEL RWANDA
Paul Rusesabagina, house manager
at the Hotel des Mille Collines in Kigali, Rwanda goes to pick up an order of
supplies for the hotel and sees frightening signs that a time of ethnic
violence between Hutus and Tutsi is coming.
A Tutsi neighbor is arrested, but Paul declines his wife’s request to
use his influence with important people to help him. A peace accord is signed
in Tanzania between the government and Tutsi rebels. Paul’s brother-in-law
tells him trouble is coming, but he refuses to believe it. When Paul arrives
home, he finds his Tutsi neighbors hiding in his house, as they trust him. He
learns the President’s plane was shot down. The next morning soldiers arrive at
his house. They want him to open the safe at the Hotel Diplomate, where Paul
used to work and get the room keys, as they’ve going to use it as a
headquarters. Paul insists on taking everyone at his house with him and they
drive there through scenes of violence. Fortunately, the combination hasn’t
been changed and he gets the keys. Paul uses money to bribe the soldiers into
not shooting his Tutsi neighbors and wife and letting them all go to the Mille
Collines. Paul is made acting manager. He takes in orphans and asks a Red Cross
worker to look for his brother-in-law’s family. The UN says it can’t intervene.
On April 11, 1984, Paul gets a letter from Belgium so the staff will obey him
and some journalists sneak out of the hotel and film atrocities. [37:35 to
44:15] Western tourists are evacuated
from the hotel and more refugees move in. The Hutu army orders everyone out of
the hotel, but Paul calls Sabena (the owners of the hotel) and they put
pressure on the Hutu army through its French suppliers to have that order
reversed. Paul goes out to get supplies and finds a massacre site. Paul tells
his wife to kill herself and their children before being captured. Some people
get exit visas for other countries, but the Hutu militia force them back to the
hotel and won’t let them leave. The Hutu militia are coming to kill everyone,
but Paul persuades General Bizimungu that he will help him avoid being
prosecuted for crimes against humanity if he stops a massacre at the hotel. The
General does so. The UN finally arranges
a deal to get them out of they country and they leave.
A very disturbing true story. Paul Rusesabagina is a modern day hero who risked his life to
save others. This film also highlights the shame we should feel in the West for
letting this happen.
Date given in the film on the faxed letter at 40:42
Director - Terry George
Screenplay - Keir Pearson & Terry George
Running Time – 2 hours 1 minute
Released - December 22, 2004
Awards - The film was nominated for the Best Actor
(Cheadle), Best Supporting Actress
(Okonedo) and Best Original Screenplay Oscars at the 77th
Academy Awards.
Cast - Don Cheadle (Paul Rusesabagina), Sophie Okonedo
(Tatiana Rusesabagina), Nick Nolte (Colonel Oliver), Fana Mokoena (Augustin
Bizimungu), Cara Seymour (Pat Archer),
Joaquin Phoenix (Jack Daglish), Jean Reno (Mr. Tillens), Desmond Dube
(Dube), Hakeem Kae-Kazim (Georges Rutaganda)
Copyright by Ivan Walters 2014.
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