That film takes you by what you have most private, your soul

Rating: 10/10 (7 March 2010)

Clint Eastwood was probably the only filmmaker who could produce a film on Nelson Mandela that centered on a side event that became a major initiative in the history of South Africa and the world. He chose to center the film on the Springboks and their victory in the World Cup of 1995. That was a brilliant idea since it showed Mandela as a real transformer of human beings. It also brilliantly proves man does not make history. A certain thickness of imbecility was needed to pile up in the minds of some not to see that the enslaved majority of the South African population could not remain slaves for ever. Let my people go. The choice, if it is a choice and not the only logical sequel of the fifty preceding years that Mandela does was to center his own action on a sports event that could unify the people in a victory. And we can see how little it takes to attract the attention and the heart of the other, a cup of tea for instance served by the President to his guest François, like Jesus washing the feet of his disciples before the Last Supper, though forgiveness is not that easy, and yet easier for the victims of the bad treatment than for the people who inflicted that bad treatment. Those had to become aware of the hardship of that treatment to finally be conscious enough to forgive themselves and to forgive the victims. Clint Eastwood then adds some symbols to strike our eyes: the little black boy carried by the white cops on their shoulders after the victory. The green Springboks cap Mandela is wearing at the end, not as a provocation of the All Blacks, but as a symbol of his support to his team and as a symbol of the unity of the country around their team. This film is first of all emotional for us who have lived these dark years and harbored for a night or several some AWOL special force soldiers who were deserting apartheid. And how many pages of ANC press releases have we translated for the whole world to know about their fight. And yet we wonder at the end who is the main character of this story. Nelson Mandela or François Pienaar. This appears clearly in the remarks these two exchange when Mandela gives the cup to François. "Thank you François for what you have done for South Africa." "No, Mister President thank you for what you have done for South Africa." And the green Springboks cap Nelson Mandela wears all the time is not a provocation to the All Blacks, but the sign of his support to his team, and the symbol of the reunification of South Africa thanks to that sports event. Then the answer François makes to the journalist when this one asks him if he was encourage in his fight by the 63,000 people in the Stadium, is prophetic: "We were not supported by 63,000 people but by the 43 million South Africans." That makes us very humble in front of history that no one can stop, than some can only slow down, ,and some others encourage and help in its own direction. And we will forget Henry Kissinger's answer when he refused to support Nelson Mandela, the political prisoner that he accused of being a communist. One of these details in history that get lost in the pages of some encyclopedia and then is forgotten by humanity.
Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne, University Paris 8 Saint Denis, University Paris 12 Créteil, CEGID