Broken English (1981 film)

Broken English is a 1981 drama film based on the theme of interracial romance. It is the only film to feature Oona O'Neill in an acting role.

Plot
Partly subtitled, the film follows the story of Sarah, who comes under fire from her family, friends and colleagues when she marries an African man, Maas. When she discovers that Maas is part of an underground group of South African freedom fighters, she must analyze her own political and sexual beliefs.

Cast

 * Beverly Ross as Sarah
 * Jacques Martial as Maas
 * Greta Ronningen as Leslie
 * Mansour Sy as Cheekh
 * Oona O'Neill as Sarah's Mother
 * Frankie Stein as Cecile
 * Sandy Whitelaw as Arms Dealer
 * Hassane Fall as Amidau
 * Valérie Kling as Agency Woman
 * Michel Nicolini as Merchant
 * Serge Rynecki as Jacques
 * Réginald Huguenin as Pat
 * Makhete Diallo as Makhete

Production
Broken English was the directorial debut of Michie Gleason. It was produced by Bert Schneider, whom Gleason had conflicts with; he insisted that his wife Greta Ronningen be cast in the film and pressured her to add more sex scenes.

Lorimar, the production company, refused to distribute the completed film because it was not sexually explicit enough. Schneider filed a successful lawsuit against them, but it would be his last picture as a producer. The film has never been shown or released outside of festival screenings.