Mister Johnson (Criterion Collection) (Blu-ray)

Criterion Blu-ray. A decade after he broke through with Breaker Morant, Australian director Bruce Beresford made another acclaimed film about the effects of colonialism on the individual. In a performance that earned him the Berlin Film Festival's Silver Bear for best actor, Maynard Eziashi plays the title character, a Nigerian villager eager to work as a civil servant for the British authorities, including a sympathetic district officer (Pierce Brosnan), in the hope that it will benefit him in the future. Instead, his ambition leads to his tragic downfall. Mister Johnson, based on the 1939 novel by Joyce Cary, is a graceful, heartfelt drama about the limits of idealism, affectingly acted and handsomely shot.

Starring: Maynard Eziashi, Pierce Brosnan, Edward Woodward, Beatie Edney, Denis Quilley, Nick Reding, Bella Enahoro, Femi Fatoba, Kwabena Manso, Chief Hubert Ogunde, Sola Adeyemi, Jerry Linus, George Menta, Steve James, Tunde Kelani, Akinola Ayegbusi, Albert Egbe, Sani Izang, Ibidun Ogunde, Hajia Nana Yahaya, Gladys Dadzie, John Johnson, Wali Umar, Lassisi Moshudu, Matt Dadzie, Oladejo Adegboyega, Laraba Ogomo, Fred Ibrahim, Philip Elegonya, Mary Kalu, Moses Okwe, Musa Udu Mallam, Charles Ani, Chris Erakptybor, Saidu Dahtru