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Blog by Don Kennedy

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Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom stars Idris Alba who for most of his twenty some odd year acting career has played supporting roles. No pressure then portraying Nelson Mandela, the worshipped South African hero who went from mud hut to nation builder with a slight detour of 27 harsh years in between as a political prisoner of the Apartheid system. By the way Alba does a stellar job! Maybe not so much by appearance but the voice is eerily spot on. Although Mandela is renowned worldwide as a pragmatic diplomat this film refuses to gloss over the actions of the once dashing young lawyer attracted to the African National Congress and its peaceful protesting against legalized white supremacy by the Afrikaner minority and how that was radicalized to more militant action. That almost cost him a death sentence but ultimately he was condemned to life at the brutal Robben Island prison. Also chronicled is the transformation of his shy bride Winnie (Naomi Harris) to a steely, ruthless, unstoppable voice for change. Most revealing is how this power couple so united in separation could separate when finally united. Only hinted at however is the crushing international financial pressure placed on South Africa which probably had just as much to do with Mandela’s release as his hardball negotiations with the ruling parties of Presidents P.W. Botha and F.W. De Klerk. Mandela himself gets writing credits as his autobiography is the basis for the screenplay and writer William Nicholson and director Justin Chadwick, faced with the task of covering this remarkable epic life did justice to recreating its highlights. This docudrama of one of the world’s most beloved icons could have its producers accused of being cynical what with their scheduled release date unimaginably coinciding with the sad passing of Madiba and may seem gauche and opportunistic by opening this film as planned rather than respectfully delaying its release. But being neither overly critical nor particularly fawning, the timing feels pretty right.

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