Invictus

Invictus, directed by Clint Eastwood, is probably the best biopic of Nelson Mandela that we are going to get. Like many good biographical films Invictus does not attempt to portray the full scope and breadth of Mandela's life, but rather reveals key aspects of his character by tracking him closely through a critical event or time. Stephen Frear's The Queen is another excellent example of this approach, where Queen Elizabeth II's reaction at the time of Princess Diana's death is closely examined. Invictus focuses on events in South Africa in 1995 when Nelson Mandela was the newly elected President and the Springbok rugby team won the world cup. It is a truly inspiring and moving account. Morgan Freeman was born to play the role of Mandela. He goes beyond performance to completely embody the character. It is extraordinary that a character as well known as Mandela can be portrayed that convincingly. Matt Damon is also excellent as Francois Pienaar, hitting the right note with that tricky accent and even doing well with a few sentences of Afrikaans. If fact, he does a better job of the Afrikaans bits than Morgan.

I know that as an South African expat I am too close to these events to be completely objective, but I loved every minute of this movie and it will become one of my firm favourites. I was moved to embarrassing snuffling on several occasions. I remember watching the final of the 1995 World Cup in a bar in Singapore. Even in this far flung corner of the world, there was great excitement over the Springbok win and the tension of the close game was almost unbearable.

The title Invictis is from a poem by William Ernest Henley in 1875.

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

In the movie, Mandela gives a hand-written copy of the poem to Francois Pienaar as inspiration before the World Cup. In reality, I understand he actually gave him a copy of the famous "Man in the Arena" speech made by Teddy Rooseveldt at the Sorbonne in 1910. This is the key extract:

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

Invictus may not be the best film ever made, it may not even be the best that Clint Eastwood has made, but it is, beyond doubt and by far, the best film ever made about South Africa.

The Lovely Bones

Usually I like to write a little review as soon after seeing a movie as possible. If I don't, its likely to get crowded out by other things. However, with The Lovely Bones, I'm glad I have waited a week or so. Some movies grow on you over time and are all the better after some reflection. With The Lovely Bones, it has been quite the reverse. Just after seeing it I felt inclined to give Peter Jackson the benefit of the doubt. After all this is the man who brought us The Lord Of The Rings. Sadly though, The Lovely Bones is anything but lovely. Its a mess. It doesn't work as a thriller. Is it a serious drama? Really? Is it a feel good movie about serial rape and murder? I have not read the book, but if this is an accurate adaptation I cannot begin to imagine how confusing that must be. Saoirse Ronan does a good job of playing the role expected of her, but no amount of convincing acting could save this. I should have know that the presence of the hapless Mark Wahlberg was a bad sign. This poor bloke is not a bad actor, he just makes the most horrible choices, starting with that awful remake of The Planet Of The Apes. A deeply unsatisfying film.

Up In The Air

Jason Reitman is only 32 and has made three of the best movies of the last ten years: Thank You For Smoking, the magnificent Juno and now Up In The Air, which has already won him the Golden Globe for his screenplay. Its a highly enjoyable, engaging and entertaining movie. To me it was particularly engaging because of the amount of travelling I do (some of it in the US) for business. Although, I am nowhere near Ryan Bingham's 10 million miles. I loved the bits where he moves through airport security with military precision and sympathised with his impatience with less capable travellers. I identified with the feeling that comes with solo travel of being connected, having the comfort of being surrounded by people and yet the independence and freedom of being alone. Its a wonderful and detailed performance from George Clooney. His two female supports, Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick, are no less effective. But the bulk of the credit here goes to Reitman, who is shaping up to be one of the masters of our time. I can't wait to see what he does next.