Palm World Voices - Mandela
Also known asMandela: Son of Africa, Father of a Nation, this Oscar-nominated documentary paints an indelible portrait of a complex subject. The film begins with Nelson Mandela's pastoral, if polygamous childhood--his tribal chief father had four wives--and touches on his 27-year imprisonment, historic presidency, and Nobel Peace Prize (shared with former president F.W. de Klerk). Although South Africa's most famous son does not narrate, his words are the movie's ace in the hole as he provides most of the on-screen commentary. (Though his English is excellent, his accent can be a little strong; a few subtitles would've been nice.) Filmmakers Jo Menell and Angus Gibson do an admirable job at alternating between the personal, like Mandela's divorces from Evelyn and Winnie, and the professional, like his turbulent leadership of the African National Congress. That said, the film has taken a few (deserving) knocks over the years for a lack of opposing voices and for downplaying de Klerk's role in ending apartheid. There are some heavy hitters behind this biography, including director Jonathan Demme (Silence of the Lambs), who produced, and horn virtuoso Hugh Masekela, who composed the score (along with Cédric Gradus Samson). ThisPalm World Voicespackage includes a 26-track soundtrack CD, 48-page book, and even aNational Geographicmap of South Africa.-- Kathleen C. Fennessy