Rhodes: The Race for Africa

Anthony Thomas, a South African exiled in 1977 after he made an anti-apartheid documentary, approached English empire builder Cecil Rhodes (1853-1902) with just the right attitude. Thomas strongly criticized the racially unjust and politically corrupt methods by which Rhodes built the white-dominated states of Southern Africa, but he was also fascinated by the forceful personality that enabled Rhodes to charm, cajole, and finagle his way into wealth and power. Vigorous prose and a propulsive story line do justice to Rhodes's action-packed life, which is also the subject of a Masterpiece Theatre dramatization by Thomas.