James Lasduns story is the basis for Bernardo Bertoluccis film Besieged. But, whereas James Lasduns Marietta, a refugee from an undisclosed country, is more Marxist than musical, Bertoluccis Marietta, played by Thandie Newton, is African, and her music squares off against Mr. Kinskys. The films sound track stands in much of the time for its characters consciousness, with the eccentric Mr. Kinsky, played by David Thewlis, enraptured by, among other composers of the Western canon, Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, and Mozart. The woman he loves is revealed through African music by such notables as S. Mutela, J.C. Ojwang, and Papa Wembe. Shot on location in Rome and Nairobi, Besieged was released in 1998.
You can read The Siege in the print edition of Zoetrope: All-Story Volume 5 No. 3
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