Magical Mystery

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Still, the Botswana of Precious Ramotswe is idealized. At the beginning of the film, Precious calls the country "the finest place on God's earth." AIDS is never referred to by name; a character in the movie merely remarks that there are "so many funerals these days in Botswana from these bad diseases." Precious also romanticizes traditional Africa. In the book, McCall Smith writes: "Mma Ramotswe did not want her Africa to change, to become like everybody else, soulless, selfish ... " In the film, she lets her secretary install a phone only with great reluctance, while villains relish modern monstrosities like satellite dishes and Bluetooth headsets. The movie glows with screenwriter Curtis' signature rosy touch. Voodoo gangsters are fallible rakes, nobody dies young, and love triumphs in the end.

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On Set With Anthony Minghella

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• Africa's Many Film Roles

"I've worked for 20 years on TV programs that fund raise for Africa," says Curtis, a prime mover behind Comic Relief and Live 8. "And always, because we're trying to move people into giving money, we've had to concentrate on some of the harshest things. [This film] was a chance to show the other side of things — that people in Africa, when asked if they are happy, are more likely to answer yes than people in Europe or the U.S. I also believe that if people can really believe in the rich, normal life of people in Africa, we won't be happy to have millions die there."

It's with an eye on shifting perceptions that one of the more heavyweight teams in cinema has opted for a TV movie. "We need to reach the largest audience," explains co-producer Tim Bricknell, "and many more people watch TV." Another co-producer, Amy Moore, says the kind of exposure they're expecting may well make Scott "the face of Botswana" — even though she's from Philadelphia. Indeed, so confident is Botswana's government in the movie's benevolent aura that it is covering a third of the $15 million budget, will build tourism campaigns around the project and hopes to use it to kick-start its own film industry.

So is The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency a realistic vision of Africa or just a beautiful fantasy? Cast and crew have certainly taken pains to ensure that the feel of it is richly authentic. The set replicates real buildings found by production designer Johnny Breedt on a three-week drive across the country. Several prominent citizens appear in the film: the village priest, for instance, is played by the Bishop of Botswana. And Scott and Anika Noni Rose, who plays Precious' petulant secretary, immersed themselves in the culture, attending weddings and funerals, and mastering the Setswana accent with the help of a dialect coach. Interviewed on set, Scott muses, "All that American stuff we have on us, it's started falling off. I don't know if I really want to rush back to the States after all this is over. I don't know if I'll fit."

In some ways, the world that Minghella and his crew have been at pains to create seems so realistic that it has even confused the locals. When Breedt built a cardboard set of an African mall, people showed up to buy groceries. Likewise, the shooting of the funeral of Precious' father was interrupted by passersby stopping to pay their respects. The ultimate test came on the seventh week of the shoot, when Botswana's President Festus Mogae paid a visit. It was a surreal moment: the nation's leader being shown around a fictionalized version of his country by an American playing a character whom they both hoped would become the face of the real Botswana. But Mogae told Time that he felt at home. "There is an element of romanticizing reality," he says. "But this is not fiction. We are used to our women talking and discussing and being wise. And we are a very gentle and peaceful people." He adds: "We want this film to be seen all over the world. The more people see it, the more they will know about us, too, and the more businessmen and tourists will come to see and join in our African life." Even presidents, it seems, believe in the magic of movies.