Orzowei

Orzowei
Son of the Savannah
Directed by	Yves Allégret
Written by	Alberto Manzi
Story by	Alberto Manzi
Based on	Orzowei by Alberto Manzi
Starring	Peter Marshall: Orzowei (Isa) Bonne Lundberg: Pao Stanley Baker: Paul Doris Kunstmann: Anna Vincenzo Crocitti: ?
Music by	Oliver Onions
Running time	22 minutes per episode
Country	Italy/Germany
Language	Italian/German/English/Spanish

Orzowei is a 1955 novel by Italian writer Alberto Manzi. It is an anti-racist educational story set in Southern Africa. Adaptations of the novel include a movie (Orzowei, il figlio della savana, 1976)^[1] and a popular TV series (1977).

Plot

Isa is a white boy who is abandoned in the jungle somewhere in Southern Africa. He is found and adopted by an old couple of a Swazi tribe. Isa is somewhat isolated in the tribe because of his white skin, and gets nicknamed "Orzowei", "the foundling"; his main antagonist is Mesei, the chief's son. Also because of his white skin, Isa is not accepted in the warrior society, despite passing a painful initiation rite. He ultimately chooses to leave the village, and later joins a Bushmen tribe. The wise Bushman Pao accepts him in his family and teaches him love and respect for all people, independent of colour. When the Swazi and Bushmen get on a war footing, Pao's teachings help Isa put an end to the conflict, thereby beating his all-time enemy Mesei.

Adaptation

The novel was first adapted as a movie in an Italian/German 1976 production entitled Orzowei, il figlio della savana ("Orzowei, son of the savannah"). In 1977, the TV-series Orzowei was aired on RAI 1 (Italy's primary national television) featuring Peter Marshall as Orzowei. The TV-series was very popular, partly due to a very successful soundtrack by the Oliver Onions.

References

1. ^ Orzowei, il figlio della savana