Nelson Mandela

For those of us who campaigned over the years for the release of Nelson Mandela, he will always be held in our hearts as one of the great inspirations in the 20th Century. His inspiration was as a man who had endured so much pain and suffering. The ANC well thats a whole different matter.




Mandela what ever his politics, is a man viewed by many as agreat champion of the dispossessed. Since his release from prison he has done much to bring healing to his country. While many of us viewed the 1995 Rugby World Cup as simply another outing for well paid footballers and their wives, for Mandela the 1995 Rugby World Cup was yet another opportunity for blackman and white to sit beside each other and cheer for a common cause.



Mandela said, "Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire, it has the power to unite people, in a way that little else does". Mandela viewed the 1995 World Cup as another opportunity to move South Africa forward from its former darkness. Mandela wanted to heal and be healed by the wave of change in South Africa. We know that there is much work to be done, we know that much poverty and discrimination exists, but Mandela has a dream that we can all aspire to.



Yet Mandela was not alone in his dream, indeed, it would be impossible for one man to do what had to be done. Mandela the President of South Africa would team up with the Captain of South Africa's Rugby team (the Sprinboks) to bring unity and healing to their nation.



Francois Pienaar was a willing partner in this venture to bring hope and salvation to a new South Africa. Now this sensational story of hope and healing is brought to us in Invictus.



Invictus: Is inspiring, action packed and full of inspiration for anyone who has blood running thorugh their veins. The legendary Morgan Freeman plays the part of Mandela in Invictus. Morgan is convincing and magnificant in his portrayal of a modern day hero. Matt Damon plays Rugby Captain, Francois Pienaar.



The ending of apartheid did not bring about an end to the misery and suffering of many millions of blacks in South Africa. Mandela has a dream of an Africa where his people are at one with each other, a rainbow nation. Mandela wants to unite his people with one voice through their love of their countries sporting heros. Mandela knows that his nations rugby team are the under dogs of the 1995 Rugby World Cup yet he rallies the people to get behind their team.



The Springboks Green and Gold colours are to shine brightly in Mandela's vision of a rainbow South African nation. Even some of Mandela's most trusted followers and advisors ask him if he should be focusing on such an insignificant matter as sport when his country was in social and economic melt down. But Mandela the man persisted.







A New Dawn.



A New Dawn. Mandela

Most black south Africans had viewed the Green and Gold of the south African rugby team as a symbol of all that was bad about apartheid. They remembered how their country was represented by whitemen when they the blacks had been the natural majority in their own country. Yet Mandela knew that the Rugby team was a symbol of pride and purpose to the white minority. Mandela needed his people to unite, with him, in telling the white minority that they had a central place in black south Africa.



Invictus is of course inspired by the book, "Playing the Enemy" by John Carlin. Carlin could see that Mandela wanted to turn a symbol of hate (Springboks) for black south Africans, into a symbol of hope and inspiration for all. While this film is explosive with its combination of Damon and Freeman, their wonder is only fully fulfilled by the role of the man who once played Dirty Harry. Clint Eastwood is clearly written all over this magnificant movie.



This is a box office hit for me. This portrayal by Freeman is illuminating. The Mandela smile breaks through on Freeman's face as natural as the man himself. On one or two occassions I would say the south African accent plays tricks with Freeman, but this is small change when his overall portryal is considered.



Invictus is of course a poem by William Ernest Henley, a poem that Mandela says brought him great strength while he was in prison. Translated Invictus means 'unconquered'. Mandela quotes this poem as he calls upon Pienaar to lead the south African team to greatness. Mandela has forgiven those who hurt him so badly. He does not want revenge, he wants his people in unity, not in dispute.



Mandela knows that the white population follow their rugby team with great heart. He knows that if he can seek unity of black and white through sport his country can move forward. Mandela cries out for unity and hope. Almost in desperation Mandela says, "This country is hungry for greatness".



Damon plays an honest and recognisable role as Pienaar. Damon shows how this 1995 World Cup could be much more than a game of macho rugby. Clint Eastwood is all over this movie, his Directorship is captivating. Scenes that only Eastwood could contrive make this movie magical. The scene where two white police officers are listening to the game while a black lad lurks about their car, could have been taken from any one of Eastwood's earlier movies in the glory days of Dirty Harry.



Eventually the white police officers and the black lad would celebrate together as south Africa marched forward both on the football field and the road to political unity. Invictus is a movie of magnitudal proportions. This movie reaches deep into the soul and drags out any life that it finds. This movie is a must for any one with any sense of history. Leave your prejudice at the door and simply sit back an enjoy this masterpiece.