Review of Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (2013) by Dawdlingpoet — 25 Nov 2021

This is a historical biopic drama, with strong themes on equality, justice and human rights. It is understandably quite an emotional watch. I felt it was well made, with some beautiful scenic shots, good wide panning camera angles and some very convincing performances, I felt it was easy to get caught up in the world of the various characters. The strength of emotion felt by Nelson, his parents, Winnie et al is clear to see. The script seemed well thought out, as I found some dialogue to be quite touching/poignant, while there are other, more light hearted, parts in which the characters make some amusing comments.

Mandela and Winnies romance, as they get to know each other, was quite touching and I'd say that both Idris Elba, who plays Nelson Mandela and Naomie Harris, who plays Winnie Madikizela, do very well with their portrayals - being somewhat carefree at times, while clearly with a love of their community and people. I was quite surprised by how well Idris Elba managed to replicate Nelsons voice - it was very realistic. Cast wise, other members include Deon Lotz who plays Kobe Coetzee, Terry Pheto who plays Evelyn Mase, Tony Kgoroge as Walter Sisulu and Jamie Bartlett as James Gregory.

I found it quite sad and also shocking, almost harrowing, how natives were treated during the socially unjust time of segragation. Watching the tragic turn of events during the Sharpeville massacre certainly made me feel anger on behalf of said natives and it made me feel more understanding of Nelson's feeling of injustice.

The lack of compassion shown by those in government at the time, is quite chilling. Its an important story, that much I'm sure of and I felt it was well handled by this film - it seemed well thought out and is of quite high quality. I felt that the use of multiple camera angles to show Nelson as he was forced to spend his days in prison, helped to bring home how it may have been like for him, cut off and isolated, with a bleak future seemingly ahead of him.

I found it a very absorbing watch, its quite engrossing and also of course thought provoking. The plot is fairly fast, all things considered and at no point did I feel like it was dragging on or becoming overly/unnecessarily boring or anything like that. Of course its bleak viewing but there is definitely something quite compelling about the film. If I had to define the film, and indeed Nelson himself, in one word then that word would be determined. I was also quite taken aback by how his partner, Winnie, was treated following Nelsons guilty verdict. To say that they were maligned would be very much an understatement.

One thing I did notice, understandably towards the end of the film, was that as Nelson aged, he looked physically less realistic. I can't quite think how else to word that otherwise - it must be the prosthetics used to artificially age the actor. Its a shame but it just didn't quite look right or sit right with me somehow. It led me to wonder why the same didn't happen to Naomie as Winnie - surely she would have aged in a similar way, yet she appears just as young and youthful after Nelsons return from Robben Island as she did when he was given a guilty verdict.

I think whats likely is that, at the end of the day, there was more to the story, in terms of events that happened and also different peoples perspectives on such events - who is to blame for the violence, whether the ANC were justified for their actions and whether Winnie was right in doing what she did etc. but that, I suppose, is up to you, the viewer, to decide. The film runs at about 2 hours and 20 minutes long and I think thats a reasonable running time. I'm not sure if it would be possible to somehow include all the potential details, every event from every possible angle and so on, in to a not overly-long film. I know that some people have quite strong opinions on Mandela and this may be seen to sugar coat things perhaps - I'll leave that for you to decide but it doesn't entirely shy away from the main race issues. If it raises awareness on the injustice of segragation and Apartheid then ultimately, surely that has to be a good thing? I would have thought.

Yes I would recommend this film as I felt it was well made, in numerous ways - the script, the main performances, the use of camerawork and cinematography and the use of music. It is a very emotive film and it tells an important story. I couldn't comment regarding how precise or accurate it is in terms of bringing Nelsons autobiography of the same name to life, as I haven't read it but believe its certainly a very good film and as such I'm happy to recommend it.