Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

The idea of making a film about the life of Nelson Mandela is a very daunting task. Not only was he a great man but so much happened in his life that shoving it into a little over two hours is a bit ridiculous. Sure, you might do a good job in many ways, but you can't help skipping many things and making his life a bit sketchy at times. Still, if you do make a film, you can't do much better than this.

The first half of the film is the worst--mostly because so much was omitted. It's sort of a highlights reel--with seemingly less important stuff either skipped or condensed. I cannot blame the movie for this-- it was NOT a mini-series and, in hindsight, it should have been.

The second half is much better as it gets to the personal philosophy of Nelson Mandela. Because it is based not on events as much as personality, it is much more touching and insightful. The very end, in fact, is wonderful--and provides a wonderful ending by quoting the great man himself.

The bottom line is that this IS a good film but no film can adequately encapsulate Nelson Mandela's life and legacy. Well worth seeing--but there is so much more to the story that you should learn for yourself.

Interestingly enough, I have been to South Africa a couple times recently and was shocked that he is universally beloved--by whites and blacks equally. This was a great way to learn about the man--listening to people's stories and seeing where he lived and was imprisoned. Start with the film and then take a trip and just ask folks what he meant to them.

Nelson Mandela is a man that should be remembered for his incredible fighting spirit that not only helped him achieve his goals, but also be remembered as an important leader to his people. When making movie about such an iconic and historic figure, one has to cast the perfect actor. Idris Elba was very much the right man for the job. The actor is Mandela in every scene he appears and shares the same emotions as our real life protagonist. This is clearly one of the best roles of the year and one of my personal favorites. Naomie Harris is not far off either as Winnie, Madiba's second wife, a woman who stands by her man during his imprisonment, and slowly drifts apart from him as she no longer feels she knows him and his intentions. Much has been said about the movie's plot flaws, something I do not agree with as I found it to be quite entertaining and a great homage to the legend that is Nelson Mandela. Great performances in a fantastic movie.

Rating 8/10

Watched it earlier tonight. A reviewer was right when he said Chadwick had done a by-the-numbers job on it.

I am Not a fan of biopics. However, I did enjoy 'Gandhi', and, to a relatively lesser extent, 'Aviator'. Those characters too were undeniably compelling, which made the tales all the more riveting. Mandela's character is definitely one such. However, something was lost in translation when it came to filming Madiba's life's work, ironically, in the year that he was finally laid to rest.

No fault lies with the performers, but choosing to sideline a great many supporting characters and not depict the horrors of apartheid in the year of '12 years a slave' (the preview for which played before this one) seems a tad ironic, in not giving the audience something powerful to root against. I don't know if the responsibility rests with the original work itself (in terms of skimming over the details, that is), but the punch, the power, that was sorely needed to make this a rousing epic that it should aspire for, is missing. Someone needs to remake this, if possible, with the same cast, and hopefully make it more powerful/riveting. The old-age makeup on Elba also took me out of the movie multiple times. U2's 'Ordinary love' plays during the end-credits, but I don't know if the movie would have benefited more from it being played over one of the key sequences (take your pick). Perhaps Justin Chadwick was not the man for this job (He took the bite out of 'the other Boleyn girl', so that aspect's consistent enough, that did not make him suitable for this job in any case).

Having said all that, this is still a decent effort, just about right in most departments, and far better than other by-the-numbers predictable/routine fare playing at the local multiplex.

This is an insightful biography about great leader Nelson Mandela who was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, politician and philanthropist . He was leader of the African National Congress, who has been imprisoned since 1963 for allegedly inciting riots against the government. As he spend long time in prison amidst tight economic sanctions by the international community, and growing unrest by the natives who continue their fight for equality, and freedom for Nelson Mandela. Amongst mounting international pressure to free Nelson, as well as imposition of crippling economic sanctions, the South African government representative meets with Nelson and agrees to free him . One time freed Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was South Africa's first black chief executive, and the first elected in a fully representative democratic election. His government focused on dismantling the legacy of apartheid through tackling institutionalised racism, poverty and inequality, and fostering racial reconciliation. Politically an African nationalist and democratic socialist, he served as President of the African National Congress (ANC) from 1991 to 1997. Internationally, Mandela was Secretary General of the Non-Aligned Movement from 1998 to 1999.

This is an enjoyable biopic about Mandela's life , an emotive journey from his boyhood by means of flashbacks in a rural village , his imprisonment through to his inauguration as the first democratically elected president of South Africa . The picture has some strong moments as police cruelty on civilians as well security officers' brutality against people , including women , and infants . There's enough background information to give the spectator a taste of what South African life was like under apartheid, detailing hard confrontations , violent environment , fear and tension . The flick describes perfectly a great man who could have lived in bitterness and anger all his existence , seeking vengeance when he ultimately achieved power, but who instead chose to devote himself to democracy and peaceful reconciliation between blacks and whites in South Africa . The main actors , Idris Elba and Naomi Harris give awesome interpretation and the story was professionally directed by Justin Chadwick . Any film that concerns Nelson Mandela is a picture worth watching in my opinion and this one results to be one of the best . Worthwhile seeing for historical characters buffs . Other films based on this historical figure are the followings : ¨Mandela¨ (1987) by Philip Saville with Danny Glover , Alfre Woodward , Warren Clarke , Julian Glover ; ¨Mandela and De Clerk¨ (1997 )by Joseph Sargent with Sidney Poitier and Michael Caine ; ¨Goodbye Bafana¨ (2007) by Billie August with Dennis Haysbert ,Joseph Fiennes , Diane Kruger and ¨Winnie¨ by Darrel Root with Jennifer Hudson , Terrence Howard , Elias Koteas .

The picture was well based on real events and characters whose screenplay was faithfully written by William Nicholson upon Nelson Mandel's autobiography : As Mandela or Xhosa born to the Thembu royal family, Mandela attended the Fort Hare University and the University of Witwatersrand, where he studied law. Living in Johannesburg, he became involved in anti-colonial politics, joining the ANC and becoming a founding member of its Youth League. After the Afrikaner minority government of the National Party established apartheid in 1948, he rose to prominence in the ANC's 1952 Defiance Campaign, was appointed superintendent of the organisation's Transvaal chapter and presided over the 1955 Congress of the People. Working as a lawyer, he was repeatedly arrested for seditious activities and, with the ANC leadership, was unsuccessfully prosecuted in the Treason Trial from 1956 to 1961. Influenced by Marxism, he secretly joined the South African Communist Party (SACP) and sat on its Central Committee. Although initially committed to non-violent protest, in association with the SACP he co-founded the militant Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) in 1961, leading a sabotage campaign against the apartheid government. In 1962, he was arrested, convicted of conspiracy to overthrow the state, and sentenced to life imprisonment in the Rivonia Trial. Mandela served 27 years in prison, initially on Robben Island, and later in Pollsmoor Prison and Victor Verster Prison. An international campaign lobbied for his release, which was granted in 1990 amid escalating civil strife. Mandela joined negotiations with Nationalist President F. W. De Klerk to abolish apartheid and establish multiracial elections in 1994, in which he led the ANC to victory and became South Africa's first black president. He published his autobiography in 1995. During his tenure in the Government of National Unity he invited other political parties to join the cabinet, and promulgated a new constitution. He also created the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate past human rights abuses. While continuing the former government's liberal economic policy, his administration also introduced measures to encourage land reform, combat poverty, and expand healthcare services. Internationally, he acted as mediator between Libya and the United Kingdom in the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing trial, and oversaw military intervention in Lesotho. He declined to run for a second term, and was succeeded by his deputy, Thabo Mbeki. Mandela became an elder statesman, focusing on charitable work in combating poverty and HIV/AIDS through the Nelson Mandela Foundation. Mandela was a controversial figure for much of his life. Denounced as a communist terrorist by critics, he nevertheless gained international acclaim for his activism, having received more than 250 honours, including the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize, the US Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Soviet Order of Lenin. He is held in deep respect within South Africa, where he is often referred to by his Xhosa clan name, Madiba, or as Tata ("Father"); he is often described as the "Father of the Nation".

This is a film that is difficult to judge simply in cinematic terms since the subject is such a titanic figure in recent history, many older viewers (such as me) will have lived through most of the events depicted, and Nelson Mandela himself - the prisoner who became a president - unknowingly heightened the interest around his life by dying just weeks before the film was released. Yet, allowing for all of this, by any standards "Mandela" is a success, telling a powerful story in a honest and immensely moving manner with some outstanding acting. If it is somewhat reverential, this was to be expected, given the subject and the timing.

Unfashionably for recent bio-pics, "Mandela" chooses not to concentrate on a seminal incident in the subject's life but to paint on a huge canvas, covering many decades and lots of political events in a linear narrative that frequently deploys news clips from the time. It is based on Mandela's long 1995 biography of the same name which I bought on a visit to Robben Island and read with great admiration. British William Nicholson ("Gladiator") has done a skillful job of turning such a huge story into a manageable script and British director Justin Chadwick ("The Other Boleyn Girl") handles a complex of ingredients with genuine talent. It looks good with attention to period clothing and artifacts and use of actual sites and some breathtaking countryside (it was shot entirely on location in South Africa).

Ultimately, however, the success of such an ambitious work rests especially on the lead actors and the casting here was inspired. Idris Elba as the eponymous hero gives a towering performance, while Naomie Harris is a revelation as the more complex and less sympathetic character of his second wife Winnie. It helps that both are not major stars - although that is now set to change - and notable that both are British actors who affect convincing accents.

This is a balanced portrayal of multi-layered characters. Mandela is represented with great respect but he is not offered to us as a saint. He treats his first wife unkindly and his support for violence is not disguised. The film really impresses with its representation of Winnie, a woman who suffered so much, hated so much, and herself caused so much injustice. Mandela is now dead but his great project - the creation of a peaceful and prosperous multiracial nation - is still a work in progress.