Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
Following Nelson Mandela’s recent passing at the age is 95, it would be nearly impossible to think that Hollywood wouldn’t want to tell the story of one of the most remarkable men of the past century. So director Justin Chadwick (The Other Boleyn Girl) has done so with the respectful drama, Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom.
Based on the former South African president’s autobiography of the same name, this is scripted by William Nicholson (Gladiator, Les Miserables). Outstanding British actor Idris Elba plays Nelson Mandela and casting him was a brilliant decision as the similarities are scary. Elba is Nelson , with every shuffle as he walks and every emotion that appears in his eyes.
While most of us know Mandela’s basic story, Chadwick takes us back to the beginning. We see young Nelson in his village birthplace Xhora, where his clan name was “Madiba”. Then we follow him, his wife Evelyn (Terry Pheto) and young children to Johannesburg. Here, Mandela studied law and became a sharp, slick lawyer who loved the ladies. It was this womanising in fact, which ended his first marriage. It was around this time that he met sassy social worker, Winnie Madikisela (another brilliant performance by Naomie Harris) and they married. The unbelievable level of racial tension in South Africa begins to surface in the film and we witness Mandela’s growing frustration as he faced it every day at work with the underlying racial contempt of the courts.
A lively amateur boxer, Mandela joined the ANC (African National Congress) with the clear intention to fight apartheid and police brutality. South African Government reciprocated to their protests by cracking down even more which, in turn, lead the ANC to become violent. The Government response was to sentence Mandela and the ANC leaders to life imprisonment on Robben Island.
This is where Idris Alba reminds us of Nelson Mandela’s brilliance. To be able to play such a remarkable man with such intensity is hard for any actor, but Alba almost looks like he was born to play Mandela! Instead of resentment and revenge, Mandela sought reconciliation. He refused to let bitterness take control of his life; h remembered the names of the prison guard’s children; and he treated everyone as equal. How he remained sane through the 27 years he was in jail is a tribute to his absolute strength in character and his kindness to others.
All of the main moments are captured here, but to fit such a extensive autobiography, such an enormous lifetime into two and half hours, it can be expected that some things will be left out such as, what many consider to be his most romantic love story, his third marriage to Graça Machel.
Both Alba and Harris age as this amazing couple across a 50 year period and any minor complaints about the aged make-up are quickly forgotten as you are swept up with the performances.
Both rewarding and inspirational, Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom reminds us not only of an incredible life story but also to not let anything stop ourselves when we believe in something.
Reviewed by Kirstey Whicker
Rating out of 10: 8.5
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