Spud (film)
Encyclopedia
Spud is a South African film directed by Donovan Marsh, based on the novel of the same name by John van de Ruit
. The film stars Troye Sivan
as the title character. It was released in South Africa on 3 December 2010.
's release from jail. It chronicles 14 yr old John Milton's (Troye Sivan
) first year at Michaelhouse
, an elite boarding school for boys.
When John arrives for the first time at the school, he gets nicknamed "Spud" by the other boys because he was yet to experience puberty. All eight boys in his dormitory get nicknames. They're also called the "Crazy Eight". Spud finds it difficult to make friends and fit in. He befriends Mr Edly, a teacher nicknamed "The Guv", after he is the only one in the English class to pass an exam. The Guv frequently lends English literature books to Spud and invites him to lunch regularly. But Spud soon realises that Edly has marital problems, and is an alcoholic.
While back at home for the holidays, Spud falls in love with Debbie, the daughter of one of his mother's friends, whom he nicknames "The Mermaid." When Spud returns to the school, he sees a flyer for the school play Oliver Twist
. Spud decides to audition so he can fit in. He ends up landing the lead role of Oliver. During practice, Spud meets Amanda, a girl from the nearby school St. Catherine's, and immediately falls for her. But he soon realises that she has a boyfriend already, and he cannot form a relationship with her without cheating on Debbie, whom he still loves. He seeks the advice of his roommate Gecko, who tells Spud to pretend he loves another girl named Christine, in order make Amanda jealous.
Spud and Gecko begin to build a strong friendship and they occasionally visit a rock at the top of the hill near the school. In the fourth term, Gecko is diagnosed with cerebral malaria that he got during his holiday to Mozambique. A a few days later he passes away. Spud mourns the death of Gecko and the whole school attends his funeral service in the school's chapel.
In the end, Spud performs in the school's play and gets a standing ovation. After the performance, he is dragged away from the post-performance celebration by Amanda, and they go to a nearby field. There, she tells him to kiss her. Spud, however, stops at the last moment and rejects her, deciding to stay true to Debbie. He offers to give her a tour of the school, and kisses her in the middle of the quadrangle, which his dorm-mates witness from their window. After he returns, he is praised by the group, and finally fits in. The movie ends with Spud, on the final day of the year, sitting on the same rock he and Gecko used to frequent overlooking the school, and remarking that "God gives us choices. But sometimes, God gives us no choice. He deals us the cards, and we play them."
.
, Pietermaritzburg
, Cape Town
, Johannesburg
, and Grahamstown
. Audition videos were also accepted via YouTube
. Hundreds of boys were auditioned for the role of Spud. Producer Ross Garland's uncle saw South-African born Australian actor Troye Sivan
on Australian television and wrote to Garland about him. Van de Ruit described Sivan as "exactly the way I pictured Spud." Sivan who has been singing professionally since he was nine does his own singing in the film.
The filmmakers initially thought Jason Cope
would be too young to play Sparerib but Garland said he "turns into a nasty housemaster as soon as he steps on set." Cope based his performance on a vice principal he once had.
Producer Brad Logan said Charlbi Dean Kriek who plays Amanda "blew [them] away in her first audition" and was the easiest to cast.
boarding school in KwaZulu-Natal
, South Africa
and ended on 18 April 2010.
In its opening weekend, the film grossed an estimated R2.9 million.
The film has received mainly positive reviews. Rory Tyson, the national sales manager for Nu Metro Films, called it "a success", "a national phenomenon" and "about 50% bigger than expected".
of the Constitutional Court sent to Spud producer Ross Garland a letter saying that he saw in particular two scenes as "denigrating gays and lesbians". In one of these scenes "The Guv" played by John Cleese says that he would like to give all lesbians a good "rogering". The second scene is one in which the gay art teacher, coaching the school's worst rugby team, tells them that "more pressure from the rear" is needed.
Producer Ross Garland said in a statement: "In the five years since Spud was published, and with millions of people having read the book and seen the movie, Justice Cameron is the first person to ever publicly take the view that the film is homophobic [...] With readers and audiences across the country being moved by the story of a vulnerable boy who learns to find his own voice and thereby overcome the bullying and bigotry at his school in 1990, it is hard to fathom how Justice Cameron arrived at his opinion."
, including Best Cinematographer (Lance Gewer), Best Editor (Megan Gill), Best Sound Designer (Barry Donelly), Best Feature Film, Best Lead Actor in a Feature Film (Troye Sivan
), and Best Supporting Actor in a Feature Film (Jamie Royal).
John van de Ruit
John Howard van de Ruit is a South African novelist, actor, playwright and producer. He has been a professional actor, playwright and producer since 1998. He was born in Durban and educated at Michaelhouse, where he stayed in Founders House and from where he matriculated in 1993...
. The film stars Troye Sivan
Troye Sivan
Troye Sivan, born Troye Sivan Mellet , is an Australian child actor and singer. He played Young James Howlett in the X-Men film X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and most recently starred in the film Spud-Personal life:...
as the title character. It was released in South Africa on 3 December 2010.
Plot
The film takes place in South Africa around the time of Nelson MandelaNelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
's release from jail. It chronicles 14 yr old John Milton's (Troye Sivan
Troye Sivan
Troye Sivan, born Troye Sivan Mellet , is an Australian child actor and singer. He played Young James Howlett in the X-Men film X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and most recently starred in the film Spud-Personal life:...
) first year at Michaelhouse
Michaelhouse
Michaelhouse is a full boarding senior school for boys founded in 1896. It is located in the Balgowan valley in the Midlands of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.- History :...
, an elite boarding school for boys.
When John arrives for the first time at the school, he gets nicknamed "Spud" by the other boys because he was yet to experience puberty. All eight boys in his dormitory get nicknames. They're also called the "Crazy Eight". Spud finds it difficult to make friends and fit in. He befriends Mr Edly, a teacher nicknamed "The Guv", after he is the only one in the English class to pass an exam. The Guv frequently lends English literature books to Spud and invites him to lunch regularly. But Spud soon realises that Edly has marital problems, and is an alcoholic.
While back at home for the holidays, Spud falls in love with Debbie, the daughter of one of his mother's friends, whom he nicknames "The Mermaid." When Spud returns to the school, he sees a flyer for the school play Oliver Twist
Oliver Twist
Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens, published by Richard Bentley in 1838. The story is about an orphan Oliver Twist, who endures a miserable existence in a workhouse and then is placed with an undertaker. He escapes and travels to...
. Spud decides to audition so he can fit in. He ends up landing the lead role of Oliver. During practice, Spud meets Amanda, a girl from the nearby school St. Catherine's, and immediately falls for her. But he soon realises that she has a boyfriend already, and he cannot form a relationship with her without cheating on Debbie, whom he still loves. He seeks the advice of his roommate Gecko, who tells Spud to pretend he loves another girl named Christine, in order make Amanda jealous.
Spud and Gecko begin to build a strong friendship and they occasionally visit a rock at the top of the hill near the school. In the fourth term, Gecko is diagnosed with cerebral malaria that he got during his holiday to Mozambique. A a few days later he passes away. Spud mourns the death of Gecko and the whole school attends his funeral service in the school's chapel.
In the end, Spud performs in the school's play and gets a standing ovation. After the performance, he is dragged away from the post-performance celebration by Amanda, and they go to a nearby field. There, she tells him to kiss her. Spud, however, stops at the last moment and rejects her, deciding to stay true to Debbie. He offers to give her a tour of the school, and kisses her in the middle of the quadrangle, which his dorm-mates witness from their window. After he returns, he is praised by the group, and finally fits in. The movie ends with Spud, on the final day of the year, sitting on the same rock he and Gecko used to frequent overlooking the school, and remarking that "God gives us choices. But sometimes, God gives us no choice. He deals us the cards, and we play them."
Cast
- Troye SivanTroye SivanTroye Sivan, born Troye Sivan Mellet , is an Australian child actor and singer. He played Young James Howlett in the X-Men film X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and most recently starred in the film Spud-Personal life:...
as John "Spud" Milton - John CleeseJohn CleeseJohn Marwood Cleese is an English actor, comedian, writer, and film producer. He achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and performer on The Frost Report...
as Mr "The Guv" Edly, an alcoholic English teacher - Tanit PhoenixTanit Phoenix-Early life:Phoenix was born in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa to a family of Irish and Dutch descent. Her father, a Quantum Mechanics lecturer and former skydiver, is a descendant of 19th century immigrants from Tullylish, Ireland. Growing up, Phoenix excelled at a variety of activities,...
Mrs "Eve" Wilson - Jeremy Crutchley as Mr Glockenshpeel ("The Glock")
- Jamie Royal as Henry "Gecko" Barker
- Sven Ruygrok as Robert 'Rambo' Black
- Josh Goddard as Charlie 'Mad Dog' Hooper
- Thomas Burne as Vern "Rain Man" Blackadder
- Byron Langley as Simon Brown
- Travis Hornsby as Alan "Boggo" Greenstein
- Blessing Xaba as Sidney "Fatty" Smitherson-Scott
- Aaron McIlroy as Mr Milton, Spud's father
- Julie Summers as Ms Milton, Spud's mother
- Genna Blair as Debbie "The Mermaid"
- Jason CopeJason CopeJason Cope is a South African actor best known for his work in Neill Blomkamp's District 9. In the film Cope plays a variety of different characters including the alien Christopher Johnson and the character Grey Bradnam, one of the narrators of the film...
as Mr "Sparerib" Wilson, Eve's husband - Graham Weir as Mr 'Viking' Richardson
- Siobhan Hodgson as Mrs Roberts
- Ryan Mayne as Julian
- James Murray as Bert
- Darren Frances as Pike
- Ricky Cruz as Devries
- Sylvaine Strike as San Sister
- Lehasa Moloi as P.J. Luthuli, head boy of Michaelhouse
- Brenda Ngxoli as Innocence, the Miltons' house maid
- Terry Norton as The Guv’s wife
- Christine le Brocq as Mrs "Wombat" Milton, Spud's grandmother
- Ben Vos as Mr. Lily
- Patrick Kenny as Reverend Bishop
- Shaeleen Tobin as Marge, The Mermaid's mother
- Liam Magner as "Hairy Gavin"
- John van de RuitJohn van de RuitJohn Howard van de Ruit is a South African novelist, actor, playwright and producer. He has been a professional actor, playwright and producer since 1998. He was born in Durban and educated at Michaelhouse, where he stayed in Founders House and from where he matriculated in 1993...
as Mr Lennox
Development
The film is entirely privately financed by South African investors, giving the filmmakers full creative controlArtistic control
Artistic control or Creative Control is a term commonly used in media production, such as movies, television, and music production. A person with artistic control has the authority to decide how the final product will appear. In movies, this commonly refers to the authority to decide on the final...
.
Casting
Auditioning began in August 2009 and took place in DurbanDurban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
, Pietermaritzburg
Pietermaritzburg
Pietermaritzburg is the capital and second largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It was founded in 1838, and is currently governed by the Msunduzi Local Municipality. Its "purist" Zulu name is umGungundlovu, and this is the name used for the district municipality...
, Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, and Grahamstown
Grahamstown
Grahamstown is a city in the Eastern Cape Province of the Republic of South Africa and is the seat of the Makana municipality. The population of greater Grahamstown, as of 2003, was 124,758. The population of the surrounding areas, including the actual city was 41,799 of which 77.4% were black,...
. Audition videos were also accepted via YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
. Hundreds of boys were auditioned for the role of Spud. Producer Ross Garland's uncle saw South-African born Australian actor Troye Sivan
Troye Sivan
Troye Sivan, born Troye Sivan Mellet , is an Australian child actor and singer. He played Young James Howlett in the X-Men film X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and most recently starred in the film Spud-Personal life:...
on Australian television and wrote to Garland about him. Van de Ruit described Sivan as "exactly the way I pictured Spud." Sivan who has been singing professionally since he was nine does his own singing in the film.
The filmmakers initially thought Jason Cope
Jason Cope
Jason Cope is a South African actor best known for his work in Neill Blomkamp's District 9. In the film Cope plays a variety of different characters including the alien Christopher Johnson and the character Grey Bradnam, one of the narrators of the film...
would be too young to play Sparerib but Garland said he "turns into a nasty housemaster as soon as he steps on set." Cope based his performance on a vice principal he once had.
Producer Brad Logan said Charlbi Dean Kriek who plays Amanda "blew [them] away in her first audition" and was the easiest to cast.
Filming
Filming commenced on 8 March 2010 at the MichaelhouseMichaelhouse
Michaelhouse is a full boarding senior school for boys founded in 1896. It is located in the Balgowan valley in the Midlands of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.- History :...
boarding school in KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal is a province of South Africa. Prior to 1994, the territory now known as KwaZulu-Natal was made up of the province of Natal and the homeland of KwaZulu....
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and ended on 18 April 2010.
Release
The film was released on 3 December 2010 in South Africa, a week before the beginning of the December–January holidays for South African public schools. Garland and Van de Ruit have written a book about the making of the film which was released alongside the film.In its opening weekend, the film grossed an estimated R2.9 million.
The film has received mainly positive reviews. Rory Tyson, the national sales manager for Nu Metro Films, called it "a success", "a national phenomenon" and "about 50% bigger than expected".
Controversy
The film has experienced some controversy around some of its content as Justice Edwin CameronEdwin Cameron
Edwin Cameron is a South African Rhodes scholar and current Constitutional Court justice. Cameron served as a Supreme Court of Appeal judge from 2000 to 2008. He was the first senior South African official to state publicly that he was living with HIV/AIDS...
of the Constitutional Court sent to Spud producer Ross Garland a letter saying that he saw in particular two scenes as "denigrating gays and lesbians". In one of these scenes "The Guv" played by John Cleese says that he would like to give all lesbians a good "rogering". The second scene is one in which the gay art teacher, coaching the school's worst rugby team, tells them that "more pressure from the rear" is needed.
Producer Ross Garland said in a statement: "In the five years since Spud was published, and with millions of people having read the book and seen the movie, Justice Cameron is the first person to ever publicly take the view that the film is homophobic [...] With readers and audiences across the country being moved by the story of a vulnerable boy who learns to find his own voice and thereby overcome the bullying and bigotry at his school in 1990, it is hard to fathom how Justice Cameron arrived at his opinion."
Awards
Spud was nominated for six South African Film and Television AwardsSouth African Film and Television Awards
The South African Film and Television Awards , also known as the Golden Horns, are awards for film and television presented in South Africa and first given out in 2006. They are awarded by the National Film and Video Foundation of South Africa ....
, including Best Cinematographer (Lance Gewer), Best Editor (Megan Gill), Best Sound Designer (Barry Donelly), Best Feature Film, Best Lead Actor in a Feature Film (Troye Sivan
Troye Sivan
Troye Sivan, born Troye Sivan Mellet , is an Australian child actor and singer. He played Young James Howlett in the X-Men film X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and most recently starred in the film Spud-Personal life:...
), and Best Supporting Actor in a Feature Film (Jamie Royal).