Talk:The Last King of Scotland

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Africa: Uganda Low‑importance

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Bob Astles

Latest comment: 17 years ago1 comment1 person in discussion

The book and especially the film are not really about Bob Astles except in a really vague way. Whereas the character goes to Uganda with good intentions, gets caught up in events and acts as an observer, none of those things are true about Astles.

The film would be closer to Bob Astles' real experience if all the medical missionary stuff at the beginning were cut out and the main character was presented as a low-class social climber hanging around the capital and eventually charming Amin (not the other way around). Aside from the later medical scenes, the rest is somewhat close except for the ending. To be closer to reality, the ending would have had the main character tortured (as in the film) and put in jail for a while. But then released, given a role in Amin's security service and then captured/imprisoned in Uganda when Amin fell.

I imagine the character was radically different to make him more likable than someone closer to Astles would have been. But I didn't actually find much redeeming about the book/film doctor character anyway. The character was moralizing at the same time he was utterly amoral in all his behavior. 12.96.162.45 00:22, 25 January 2007 (UTC)Reply

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Can you be more specific?

'Bob Astles also more fully compromised himself by his direct association with Amin's security forces'-- this sounds rather coy. It sounds interesting-- surely worth clarifying if not elaborating upon?

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