Goodbye Bafana (2007)

GOODBYE BAFANA is the true story of a white South African racist whose life was profoundly altered by the black prisoner he guarded for twenty years. The prisoner's name was Nelson Mandela.

Director:

Bille August

Writers:

Bille August, Bob Graham (book),

Stars:

Joseph Fiennes, Dennis Haysbert, Diane Kruger

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Joseph Fiennes	...	James Gregory
Dennis Haysbert	...	Nelson Mandela
Diane Kruger	...	Gloria Gregory
Patrick Lyster	...	Major Pieter Jordaan
Shiloh Henderson	...	Brent Gregory
Tyrone Keogh	...	Brent Gregory
Megan Smith	...	Natasha Gregory
Jessica Manuel	...	Natasha Gregory
Faith Ndukwana	...	Winnie Mandela
Terry Pheto	...	Zindzi Mandela
Leslie Mongezi	...	Walter Sisulu
Zingizile Mtuzula	...	Raymond Mhlaba (as Zingi Mtuzula)
Mehboob Bawa	...	Ahmed Kathrada
Shakes Myeko	...	Andrew Mlangeni
Sizwe Msutu	...	Cyril Ramaphosa

Storyline

James Gregory once lived in a farm and had befriended a native youth, Bafana, and had even had a photograph taken with him. Years later, now married to Gloria and father of three children (Chris, Brett, and Natasha), James has nothing but shame and regret, as many South African Caucasians in the oppressive Apartheid-era ridiculed him, leading him to hate Africans. He seeks to redeem himself by spying on imprisoned African National Congress Leader, Nelson Mandela. In the restrictive high security prison his job is to censor all written and verbal communications between prisoners, their visitors, and correspondence. James is uncomfortable when he witnesses Caucasian police and security officers' brutality against civilians, including infants, and tries to understand why Nelson became a rebel. This leads him to examine the 'Freedom Charter', a banned document, reportedly known to incite violence against 'whites'. And when he does read this document, he changes his mind about Nelson's ...

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Plot Keywords:

nelson mandela | african national congress | prison life | racism | apartheid | 

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Taglines:

Based on the memoirs of Nelson Mandela's prison guard

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language including some sexual references

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Germany France Belgium South Africa Italy UK Luxembourg

Language:

English Xhosa

Release Date:

11 April 2007 (France)

Also Known As:

The Color of Freedom

Filming Locations:

Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Banana Films, Arsam International, Film Afrika Worldwide

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Winnie Mandela: When I married you, I knew I was marrying the struggle.

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Soundtracks

"Manqoba"
Composed, Produced and Arranged by Johnny Clegg
Guitar, Mouthbow, Vocals by Johnny Clegg
Vocals by Mandisa Dlanga
Drum Programming by Verny Scholtz
Recorded and Mixed by Verny Scholtz at Eleven Studios, Johannesburg

User Reviews

Good story with problems in the telling

This film would have been easier to watch if the makers had cast a total unknown in the role of Mandela. I like Dennis Haysbert; he's a good actor, but he was miscast in the part of Nelson Mandela. There's a point in the film when Joseph Feinnes, in character, does a brief imitation of Mandela making a public statement; he does a very convincing job of it, and I thought:"This white guy would have made a better Nelson Mandela than we have here". Do the producers think that any black actor equals any other black actor? Why not place some South African character actor with a long, distinguished portfolio in the Mandela role? It seems obvious to me. Why go all the way to Hollywood for someone who's clearly wrong for the part? It's not a bad film-the motivation is clear, the pacing is OK, it held my interest...it just didn't present a convincing Nelson Mandela.