Mister Johnson

Set in colonial Nigeria in the early 1920s, Mister Johnson centres on a young, educated African man who works as a clerk for a British district officer named Harry Rudbeck. Fluent in English ways and loyal to the Crown, Johnson considers himself British even though he has never set foot in Britain, and he dreams of a life far removed from that of the villagers around him. Eager to prove his worth, he becomes involved in Rudbeck's efforts to secure funding for a road linking the district to the wider colonial network, an ambition that draws him into risky dealings with the colonial administration.

Bruce Beresford directed the film, the ninth of the twenty features listed in his career, arriving between Black Robe and Silent Fall. William Boyd wrote the screenplay, and Michael Fitzgerald and Penelope Glass produced. Maynard Eziashi takes the title role, with Pierce Brosnan as Rudbeck, Edward Woodward as Sargy Gollup, Beatie Edney as Celia Rudbeck, Denis Quilley as Bulteen and Nick Reding as Tring.

The film was released in March 1991 and runs 101 minutes. Its worldwide box office came to roughly a million dollars, a modest return. On IMDb it holds a rating of 6.4 from about 1,400 votes, while on TMDB its rating stands at 6.2 from around 40 votes.