Nelson Mandela, viewed from an oblique angle

Rating: 8/10 (10 October 2010)

Nelson Mandela is such a towering figure of the 20th century and his life story so dramatic that you would expect any story dealing with him would tend toward an epic biopic. However, in this movie Clint Eastwood gives us insight into the man by focusing on his involvement in the 1995 Rugby World Cup hosted by South Africa, just a year after Mandela was elected President.
Mandela's wisdom and foresight is exemplified by his approach to the South African Rugby team, the Springboks. Mandela wanted to capitalize on the world spotlight being on South Africa for the World Cup. Even though rugby had been a sport appreciated mainly by whites, Mandela wanted the team to win and be supported by the entire country, black and white. By supporting the team and refusing to change its name this would be a symbol to the world that indeed things were changing in South Africa.
To accomplish his goals Mandela sought the support of the rugby team captain, François Pienaar. Mandela's encouragement and inspiration to Pienaar was no small factor in the Springbok's upset win over New Zealand.
Almost as asides we see how adroitly Mandela handled the transition of power, how he was determined not to form a government of retribution for past sins, as feared by many whites, but rather to try to work together with all races. The movie shows how many whites moved from fear to acceptance of Mandela and his policies.
Morgan Freeman plays Mandela with quiet dignity, which I think is truly the essence of the man. However, a certain impishness is seen as well. And one senses the sadness of the effects of Mandela's 27 years of imprisonment. That is not dwelled on here--it is enough simply to see the actual prison cell for us to get some sense of the enormity of Mandela's strength of character. From what we see in this film it is not difficult to imagine the farsighted vision Mandela had in creating the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. A politician who puts the welfare of his country over partisanship seems to be a rare quality.
Matt Damon is also in good form in his portrayal of François Pienaar. I don't know how accurate his accent is, but it sounded right to me.
The Rugby World Cup is not just the backdrop used to reveal character in the protagonists, but it is filmed as a thrilling sporting event in and of itself. Since it follows the script of what actually happened, it has a much more powerful effect than those fictional sports movies where the underdog scores in the last seconds for a stunning victory. I know little about rugby and the main thing I took away from this movie is that it is a brutal sport.
I think that focusing on a specific event in Mandela's post-prison life was perhaps as effective in revealing the character of the man as an epic covering the full sweep of his life.