The Magic Garden (1951)

Original title

The Pennywhistle Blues

Directed by

Donald Swanson

Genre

comedy, drama, music

Country

South Africa

Runtime

1h 03m

Rated

NR

Rating

7.0 of 10 from 1 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A community in Johannesburg comes together around a young boy who loses his job. The film follows his daily life and the people around him as they try to help.

gentleearnestslice-of-liferhythmicmildhopefulmodestwarm

What happens

The Magic Garden, also known as The Pennywhistle Blues, is a 1951 feature film produced and directed by British filmmaker Donald Swanson in South Africa, made in and around Johannesburg with an amateur cast. It is historically important in South African cinema as the first film with an all-black cast to be shown in the white cinemas in racially-segregated Johannesburg. It was nominated for two British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs), for Best Film from any Source and Best British Film. It stars Tommy Ramokgopa, who also wrote some of the film's music. Willard Cele contributes to the soundtrack by playing the "Pennywhistle Blues" on the pennywhistle. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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