We watched The King's Speech last night. I had looked for it in the local cinema listings but then heard a rumour that it might not come to Silverbird Kenya (they seem to generally prefer American flicks), so, since the film has already won multiple awards, I decided to chance my arm at buying a pirate copy from one of the hawkers. Add this to the fact that the TV my husband bought recently is fairly similar in size to a cinema screen and I thought, what the heck - it'll be a cinematic experience anyway!
As promised the film made fab Sunday night viewing and we tried our best not to mind that towards the end (never mind the stutter) the King's Speech and all other dialogue was very definitely out of sync with the various actors' lips. I thought that Helena Bonham Carter as the Queen (or Queen mother) was fabulous, almost stealing the show but in fact, they were all good. We loved it. I'll be interested to see how the pro-Mrs Simpson film that is being made now (by Madonna?) turns out - as Mrs Simpson was one character who, understandably, didn't come off well in the film. And hang on a minute, was it our pirate dvd or did they keep calling Edward VIII, David?
After The King's Speech - my husband said,
'Funny how you can get a movie that ends with the Second World War being announced, into a feel-good flick?!' But that is beside the point. We were just pleased for dear old George VI that his speech went off alright, even if the content of the speech was all about girding one's loins and trouble to come etc.
What never ceases to amaze me - is how easy it is to get pirate copies of new release films, either at the, shall we say 'informal', dvd rental shops or just from sellers on the road. The Kings Speech cost me 250 shillings (I didn't haggle. Our local dvd hire is 150/- per time) and if the copy is not good quality, then Nairobi salesmen assure you that if you return it, you will certainly get a replacement copy - gratis of course.
In fact, we have long been devotees of the dvd hire shop, once watching the entire collection of The Wire and various other series in order to tide us over the 6-9 month period that we were too tight to pay for DSTV/Satellite (the subscription is horribly expensive, it still pains me to make those monthly payments).
My daughter once strong-armed me into buying a dvd in England that she couldn't live without; 'St Trinians 2'. I nearly died when I got to the counter and they wanted 15 pounds 99! Never again! Our UK visitors have cottoned on to the fact that, along with kikoy towels, sarongs and beads, pirate dvds are the bargains to look out for and over xmas bought up pirate copies of various current films while in Nairobi (The Town etc).
I was slightly horrified when my husband's (near to retirement age) UK boss was out here toward the end of last year. He spotted a local hawker with a bunch of films fanned out in his hand, asked the price and said, 'Seems like an excellent bargain to me! What do you recommend I buy?'
My husband, mind suddenly blank and caught out on the spur of the moment said, 'Er, well, 'Get him to the Greek's' quite good!'
Since 'Get him to the Greek', while amusing, is nothing short of soft porn - I imagine that the UK boss would have been watching this movie through his fingers, or else clamping his hands over the eyes of his wife, or worse - his post-teenage kids. While uncomfortably sitting on the sofa, he must have been thinking to himself, 'I can't believe the bugger did this to me. How on earth can I get him back? Terminate contract?'
Let's hope there will be no boardroom reprisals!
10 comments:
Glad you are back blogging regularly after your Xmas break... As for Edward VIII being called David, didn't you notice George VI being called Bertie throughout!! In fact I gather those were their names in the family but both chose other names for "kinging"!!
The Town won't work on our DVD player. Do you reckon he will still exchange it...?
I love the pirate dvds; now have a supplier who'll let me have them at 50 SHILLINGS EACH!!! One-a-day easy
;)
i dunno if you have had a chance while in the cbd nrbi to go shopping in river road, its after moi ave cross to tom mboya cross to river rd. there you get latest movies, albums, and what i love most, clothing. you'll get those you buy at westgate mall for 3000kshs going for 250kshs! that trade usually happens at 5pm onwards. everything you want from electronics to anything for your house. we now call it riverwood becos all kenyan movies, videos etc are made at studios along river rd and lagos road.
WORD OF ADVICE: DONT GO THERE WITH A FANCY WALLET OR YOUR FONE KEEP IT WHERE NO ONE "MAY" PICK POCKET COS FIVE MINUTES LATER YOU MAY BUY THE SAME ONE THOUGH BY THEN UNLOCKED AND GOING VERY CHEAP.
for the record im not glorifying river road but doing shopping there is very exciting. better thrill than village mrkt n maasai mrkt.
try it, its kenya guys!...i love it...its nairobi after all!!!!
peculiar kenyan
you can get better copies on Moi Avenue at 50/= very good quality. I stopped going to the movies long time ago
Sounds like I paid too much! Never been that good at bargaining! Rosa - The Town?
Must take a trip to River Road one day! Have been to the fabric shops on Ngara Rd and the Masai market when it was on Globe Roundabout - but River Road sounds even better!
riverwood is the best place ever. two months ago i bought some cool clothing there. NEW shirts for 100 bob each...had window shopped one at westgate as said above. i believe those hustlers have a way of getting them while on transit to westgate or something near that line...bt what the heck!!!! i bought the carterIII lil wayne's album for 50 bob! the downside of river road is you be evry careful not to carry pickpocketeable stuff cos i assure you you show it off you lose it off!! also mwangaza studio on lagos rd has the best albums of kenyan musicians like juacali and nonini. nduti onestop studios is better. all on riverwod. when i came to kenya was skeptical bt ths days i SAVE money KENYA STYLE on riverwood. yeeeeeeeeeeeah!
amerikenyan
mmmn, I remember speaking to an exec of a international drug company in Nairobi... 1/3rd of all drugs in Kenya are supplied legit, 1/3rd are smuggled in from elsewhere, often past expiry, the last 3rd are completely fake with no or little active ingredient etc. Now how do you expect to change that when you are buying fake DVDs, cosmetics, clothes etc?
250 Kshs....that was steep! There is a place in Lonrho House in the CBD where you can get them for much less. Either 50 or 100 Kshs,can't remember too well. It's on the 1st or 2nd floor in the same building as Gallery Watatu. They have both recent movies and series.I was in Kenya about 3 months ago and I managed to get 'Water for Elephants' and the 'Next three days' before they were officially on DVD :). Both copies were clear. As for the satellite TV, why not let it go. Save the money and put it towards something else.
Piracy is a crime, even in Kenya. Please do not fund it because the proceeds of Piracy fund illegal activities like terrorism, organized crime and child porn. Your conscience cannot allow you to finance the very criminals who toss bombs at you or rob you when they have the chance!
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