The Gods Must Be Crazy Trivia Questions

While the San actors spoke in their native language and improvised some dialogue, writer-director Jamie Uys had a full script. The film was carefully storyboarded and rehearsed.

Released in 1984, it earned over $30 million in the U.S., making it the most successful foreign-language film ever in America until 'Life Is Beautiful' (1997).

N!xau (pronounced 'Nikau') was a San bushman from Namibia. He was paid in cattle and reportedly had no concept of currency until the film's success. He later became a minor celebrity but returned to farming.

The famous chase was edited from multiple takes using clever camera angles and stunt doubles. Uys was a master of visual comedy but relied on classic editing tricks.

It was banned in Botswana (where it was set) and Namibia for allegedly depicting San people as primitive and childlike, echoing colonial stereotypes. The ban lasted years.

The title was invented by Uys. It plays on the phrase 'the gods must be crazy' as a humorous reaction to the absurdity of modern objects, not a real San expression.

Uys said the bottle was simply a plot device to show how a modern object disrupts a traditional society. He was not making a political statement about Coca-Cola or capitalism.

He received roughly $2,000 plus a cow, which was a fortune by his standards. He later negotiated better pay for the sequels, earning around $500,000 for the second film.