Killing Heat

Killing Heat (released in Sweden as Gräset sjunger) is a 1981 film based on Doris Lessing's 1950 novel The Grass Is Singing. It stars Karen Black and John Thaw and was filmed in Zambia and Sweden. The film was released in Zimbabwe as The Grass is Singing.

Killing Heat
English-language release
Directed by	Michael Raeburn
Written by	Doris Lessing Michael Raeburn
Based on	The Grass is Singing by Doris Lessing
Produced by	Mark Forstater Catharina Stackelberg
Starring	Karen Black John Thaw John Kani Patrick Mynhardt John Moulder-Brown Margaret Heale
Cinematography	Bille August
Edited by	Thomas Schwalm
Music by	Lasse Dahlberg Björn Isfält
Distributed by	Chibote Swedish Film Institute
Release date	2 September 1982 (1982-09-02) (Australia)
Running time	105 minutes
Countries	Sweden Australia Zambia
Language	English

Plot

The film takes place in an unidentified nation in southern Africa in the early 1960s (implied strongly to be either South Africa or Southern Rhodesia). Mary, a city woman from Livingstone in Northern Rhodesia, marries a farmer named Dick Turner. Mary leaves the comfortable familiarity of her urban life and goes to live on Dick's struggling farm. Mary has little experience handling black Africans as servants or employees and is harsh and tactless in her treatment of them. Mary, who is deeply unhappy with her new life, eventually runs away from Dick and journeys back to Livingstone, only to find that she cannot get her old job back. This forces her to accept the realization she has nowhere to take permanent refuge and no means of financial support. She returns to the farm. Mary slowly becomes insane and begins an affair with a domestic servant, Moses. After the affair is discovered by Dick's new farm manager, Dick decides to separate from Mary and send her away. Learning of Mary's forthcoming departure, Moses murders Mary during a rainstorm. Moses is arrested by the police and led off in handcuffs.^[1]

Cast

• Karen Black as Mary Turner
• John Thaw as Dick Turner
• John Kani as Moses
• Patrick Mynhardt as Charlie Muller
• John Moulder-Brown as Tony Marston
• Margaret Heale as Ellen Muller