PRESIDENCY ON SCREEN: Forest Whitaker as Idi Amin in "The Last King of Scotland"

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PRESIDENCY ON SCREEN: Forest Whitaker as Idi Amin in "The Last King of Scotland"
by Darius Kadivar
06-Apr-2011
 


A Partially fictional story based on true events surrounding the life and times of the equally brutal and charming Ugandan dictator Idi Amin as seen by his personal physician during the 1970s.

The Last King of Scotland (2006) Directed by

Kevin Macdonald starring  James McAvoy, Forest Whitaker and Gillian Anderson

Official Trailer:

Plot:

In 1970, the just-graduated doctor Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy) moves to Uganda to get away from his conservative father. While working in a mission in the country, he meets the new President Idi Amin (Forest Whitaker) after the coup-d'état that overthrow the former government. He is invited to become his personal physician in Kampala and along the years he sees how despotic his friend really is.



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Miscellaneous Scenes/Interview
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Capturing Idi Amin – Intro to a 33 min documentary on the Making of The Last King of Scotland :

(NOTE :See FULL Documentary Here)

The Last King Of Scotland interview with director Kevin MacDonald :

 

Forest Whitaker is interviewed by Chuck the Movie guy for the movie The Last King of Scotland:

Director

Kevin McDonald on Forest Whitaker :

Director Kevin McDonald the Myth of Idi Amin :

James McAvoy – interview on The Last King of Scotland:

(NOTE : To Watch Double Click Here) 

James McAvoy - The Last King of Scotland Deleted Scenes :

Forest Whitaker’s Oscar Speech for his lead role in the Last King of Scotland:

Reese Witherspoon presenting the Best Actor Oscar® to Forest Whitaker for his performance in "The Last King of Scotland" -the 79th Annual Academy Awards® in 2007.

(NOTE : To Watch Double Click Here) 

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A Charming Monster :The Real Idi Amin Dada
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Clips from Idi Amin in power :

I Knew Idi Amin – Al Jazeera :

A profile of the life of ex-Ugandan president Idi Amin, as told by the people who knew him. (Originally aired in July 2007)

Part I :

Part II:

More About the Film:

The Last King of Scotland is a 2006 British drama film based on Giles Foden's novel of thesame name. It was adapted by screenwriters Peter Morgan and Jeremy Brock and directed by Kevin Macdonald.The film was a co-production between companies from the United Kingdom and the United States, including Fox Searchlight Pictures and Film4.

The Last King of Scotland tells the fictional storyof Dr. Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy),a young Scottish doctor who travels to Uganda and becomes the personal physician to the dictator Idi Amin(Forest Whitaker).The film is based on factual events of Amin's rule.

The title comes from a reporter in a press conference who wishes to verify whether Amin declared himself the King of Scotland. Amin was known to invent fancy imperial-sounding titles for himself.

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Historical accuracy
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While the character of Idi Amin and the events surrounding him in the movie are mostly factual, Garrigan is a fictional character. His story is loosely based on events in the life of English-born Bob Astles. Like the novel on which it is based, the film mixes fiction with real events in Ugandan history to give an impression of Amin and Uganda under his authoritarian rule. While the basic events of Amin's life are followed, the film often departs from actual history in the details of particular events.

In real life and in thebook, Kay Amin was made pregnant by her lover Dr. Mbalu Mukasa. She died during a botched abortion operation by Mukasa, who subsequently committed suicide. Bob Astles, upon whom the character of Dr. Nicholas Garrigan is based, believes that her body was mutilated not on Amin's orders, but by Mukasa while attempting to hide it. Amin never had a son named Campbell.

The movie's closing text indicates that the international community condemned Idi Amin for his complicity in the Entebbe hostage crisis; in actuality, the United Nations (under the leadership of Kurt Waldheim) attempted to condemn Israel for the rescue operation.

Although the film gave the impression that hostages were allowed to leave based upon whether they were Israeli, in truth the decision was made based upon whether individual hostages were of Jewish heritage; hostages forced to remain included Jews from France, for instance. Furthermore, contravening the wording of the film's coda, three hostages died during Operation Entebbe. The body of a fourth hostage, 75-year-old Dora Bloch,who was killed by Ugandan Army officers at a nearby hospital, was eventually returned to Israel. A small historical errorregards the flags shown flying at Entebbe Airport: The green-and-white flag of the Republic of Rhodesia (modern-day Zimbabwe)is clearly shown flying alongside the flags of the other African nations,despite its non-recognition by Uganda and the international community.

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