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Mandela – The Film

Tom Winnifrith
Saturday 1 February 2014

Sitting on a train on my way to inflicting misery on my daughter by taking her to Upton Park, I am thinking of last night’s film. But first one I saw the other day: Mandela. As those who have read my articles will know, the man is a hero of mine so I suppose it is hard for me to view the film entirely objectively. But it was wonderful.

There may be some younger readers who forget that Mandela (reluctantly) found himself and the ANC engaging in acts of terror in the early 1960s. There were those on the right who branded Mandela a terrorist as a result. I suppose a Gandhi- style campaign of passive resistance might have been more desirable. However, the Apartheid regime in South Africa was a lot more evil and heavy handed than the British in India. The Mandela defence of “just cause” is not something I feel uncomfortable with. The film begs the question and allows each of us to answer it. 

The two things about Mandela which make him truly remarkable were his willingness to admit to his failings as a man and his unbelievable power of forgiveness to those who had locked him up and made his life hell for 30 years. It was the latter that give South Africa a chance to heal its wounds and move forward.

Mandela insisted that his biography, upon which the film was based, did not airbrush out his failings. How many other world leaders would have behaved thus?  The lamentable (BBC) aspect to coverage of the death of this great man was that it attempted to portray him as a saint, whiter than the driven snow. Mandela did not view himself in that way which makes him all the more of an amazing human being. It is a subtlety some missed. 

As to the forgiveness, that has been covered in other films, notably that one about the Rugby world cup which always brings a tear to the eye. Again this comes through strongly in Mandela the film but I am not sure that any film can truly convey how great was his desire to forgive and too achieve reconciliation for his country.

The cinematography is breathtaking and the acting powerful.  This is one to buy as a DVD to watch again and again and to make sure that your kids watch. For someone of my age who as a teenager grew up in the “Free Mandela” era this is compelling viewing. Those who are younger will gain more from seeing the warts and all depiction of this film, rather than the sanitized BBC version of his life, to appreciate why Mandela was so remarkable a man.

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About Tom Winnifrith
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Tom Winnifrith is the editor of TomWinnifrith.com. When he is not harvesting olives in Greece, he is (planning to) raise goats in Wales.
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