Bim

Bim is a 1974 Trinidad and Tobago film written by Raoul Pantin and directed by Hugh A. Robertson. It was described by Bruce Paddington as "one of the most important films to be produced in Trinidad and Tobago and ... one of the classics of Caribbean cinema".[1]

For other uses, see Bim (disambiguation).
Bim
Directed byHugh A. Robertson
Produced byHarbance Kumar
Hugh A. Robertson
Suzanne Robertson
Written byRaoul Pantin
StarringAnand Maharaj
Ralph Maraj
Wilbert Holder
Music byAndre Michael Tanker
CinematographyBruce G. Sparks
Edited byPaul L. Evans
Release date
1974
Running time
100 min.
CountryTrinidad and Tobago
LanguageEnglish and Hindi

In 1975 at the United States Virgin Islands Film Festival in St Thomas, Bim won a gold medal special jury award as "a film of unusual merit".

Plot

Bim (Bhim) Singh, an Indian teenage boy living in the countryside of Caroni County in central Trinidad during the British colonial-era, is sent to live with his paternal aunt, Babsie and her African husband, Balo in Belmont, Port of Spain after his father, Bhagwan Singh, a famous trade union leader for sugar-cane workers, is shot to death during his sister’s wedding. Bim’s uncle, Balo is an abusive, racist, gambling addict and dockworker. At his new school, Bim is isolated and picked on by the black students because of his coolie (Indian) heritage.[2] As tension builds during his very first day he is forced to stab one of the students as a means of defence to make it home alive. This incident gets Bim kicked out of school and his aunt's home and he is forced to live a life of violence and crime to survive. As Bim matures and becomes older, he moves from crime to crime, until involved by implication in a murder he flees back to his home place, the sugar cane belt in Caroni. Approaching one of his father's old friends, he is able to take revenge on his father's killers and rise to prominence as a trade union representative for the Indian sugar-cane workers.

During this time, tension is rife in the country because the previous colonial regime is rumoured to be coming to an end. This causes resentment among the Indians as they feel that once the "Blacks" have power they will be worse than the colonials were to the Indians. Bim's swift rise to power is tempered by loneliness and drunkenness. When he is invited to the Governor General's house (a high honour in colonial times) and is approached by the African political leader. He rejects both the African leader and the people to stagger outside. Then he ends his political and personal life in a dramatic way by killing some men who kidnapped his then girlfriend/helper Anna in a drunken power-drunk rage, ending the film in a scream.

Cast
  • Stafford Alexander as "Detective Jones"
  • Jennifer Ali as "Young Anna"
  • Clyde Alleyne as "Radio announcer"
  • Ronald Amoroso as "Balo (Bim's Uncle)"
  • Oliver Boodnu as "Chitram"
  • Helene Camps as "White Sympathizer"
  • Garnett Craigwell as "Tallsocks"
  • Joseph Gilbert as "Jalwat"
  • George Gogar as "Village Elder"
  • Rosr Hanuman as "Ria"
  • John Henderson as "Frenchy"
  • Ann Hilton as "Mary (Police Commissioner's Wife)"
  • Wilbur Holder as "Wabham"
  • Geddes Jennings as "Gas Station Attendant"
  • Errol Jones as "Ben Joseph"
  • Ramcharran Kissoon as "Village Elder"
  • Sonia Kowlessar as "Bhagwan's Wife and Bim's Mother"
  • Neville Labastide as "Corporal Joseph"
  • Claire Laptiste as "Melba"
  • Vernon Lloyd as "Governor"
  • Linda London as "Maid"
  • Tony Lutchman as "Tozo"
  • Dennis Mahabir as "Bhagwan Singh (Bim's Father)"
  • Anand Maharaj as "Young Bim"
  • Grace Maharaj as "Babsie (Bim's Aunt)"
  • Ralph Maharaj as "Adult Bim"
  • Ramontar Malahoo as "Village Elder"
  • Stanley Marshall as "African Politician"
  • Latiff Mohammed as "Village Elder"
  • Hamilton Parris as "The Captain"
  • Anthony Persad as "Ramdass"
  • Errol Pilgrim as "African Politician"
  • Ava Regis as "Angela"
  • Elaine Reid as "African Politician"
  • Anna Richardson as "Suzy"
  • Ernest Rodrigues as "Pinhead"
  • Finbar Ryan as "Mango-head"
  • Anna Seerattan as "Adult Anna"
  • Daniel Warner as "Teacher"
  • Herby Whiskey as "Goldteeth"

References
  1. Kumar Mahabir, "Caribbean Indian actors in cinematic movies", Race and History, 18 May 2006.
  2. Canby, Vincent (1976-12-02). "Movie Review - Bim - 'Bim,' a Film About Life in Colonial Trinidad". The New York Times. Retrieved 2011-11-29.
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