Mandela: O Caminho para a Liberdade

As a 37 year old white South African, who never really saw, felt or experienced Apartheid and the way SA was back then as I was too young, I now have a much better appreciation for all the suffering, discrimination and pain that was caused.

Nelson Madela gave up most of his adult life for a cause which has now come full circle and SA is now better off for it, mostly.

A powerful movie, that shows a man more passionate about equality and human rights than his own well being, and sadly at the detriment of his own family.

I strongly recommend every single South African to watch this movie, especially our current government!

Mandela: Long Way To Freedom (English): The film which is releasing in India after 2 months (24 January 2014) of it's international release (a week before Nelson Mandela's death), is indeed a nice cinematic outing based on the Classic Hollywood narrative style. Despite the film losing it's track while focusing more on the life and times of Late Nelson Mandela, the film scores with it's screenplay (William Nicholson) based on the autobiography written by the legend himself, then comes the production designing work by Johnny Breedt, whose brilliantly portrays the Apartheid times on screen, the cinematography by Lol Crawly whose shots brilliantly bring out the best of the legend and his times and then the proper placement of music score as well as the archival footages within the film's coarse, the the performances by the lead. The best among them comes the performance by Idris Elba who greatly delivers a performance that's worth cherishing and successfully brings out the portrayal of Madiba well and then comes the narration by the director Justin Chadwick, who keeps you engaged and sympathize with the film's journey to freedom. Not to be missed! My rating would be: 4/5.

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.

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.

I have a great deal of respect for Nelson Mandela and was hoping that this film would do him justice but overall this was disappointing. Idris Elba was convincing as a young Mandela but not so much as he got older. It seemed rushed and just when the storyline became interesting it quickly jumped to another time. Given what Mandela had been through and accomplished it is impossible for a two and a half hour film to cover it all, but they seemed to dwell far too long on inconsequential events and too little on the essential parts of his life. Having said this. it is still worth a watch if your knowledge of the man's life is limited but I hope the definitive Mandela biopic is made soon.