Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom is a biographical film directed by Justin Chadwick from a script written by William Nicholson. The film is based on the 1994 book Long Walk to Freedom by anti-apartheid revolutionary and former South African PresidentNelson Mandela.[3] The film premiered on Saturday September 7, 2013 at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival,[4] and it was released on November 29, 2013, less than a week before Mandela died. It stars Idris Elba and Naomie Harris.

Synopsis[edit]

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom is based on South African President Nelson Mandela's autobiography of the same name, which chronicles his early life, coming of age, education and 27 years in prison before becoming President and working to rebuild the country’s once segregated society. Idris Elba (Prometheus, Thor, Thor: The Dark World) stars as Nelson Mandela, Naomie Harris (Skyfall, 28 Days Later, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End) stars as Winnie Mandela, with Justin Chadwick (The Other Boleyn Girl) directing.[5]

Production[edit]

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom is a South African film based on Long Walk to Freedom, the 1994 autobiography by Nelson Mandela, a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary and politician. Producer Anant Singh started working on the project after interviewing Mandela while he was still imprisoned two decades ago.[6] Following the publication of Mandela’s autobiography, Singh was granted the rights to the film adaptation, which was completed 16 years later by screenwriter William Nicholson. The two-hour-and-thirteen-minute film is directed by Justin Chadwick.

Music[edit]

It was revealed on 17 October 2013, U2 had written a song specifically for the film entitled "Ordinary Love".[7] Subscribers of the band's official website were able to hear a short snippet first.[8]

Release[edit]

The film held its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2013.[6] It premiered in South Africa on November 3, 2013 and was shown at the White House on November 7, 2013. Mandela was supposed to see the movie, but passed away before he could. It was released in South Africa on November 28 and premiered in New York and Los Angeles one day later.[9]

Critical reception[edit]

The film has received mixed reviews. Rotten Tomatoes reported that 56% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 34 reviews.[10] Scott Foundas of Variety said the film "never opts for a light touch when a sledgehammer will do", but also praises Elba for "a towering performance, a Mandela for the ages".[11]

Claudia Puig of USA Today agreed that Elba's performance was powerful but felt the film wasn't as strong, stating, "Earnest and ambitious, the film suffers from trying to squeeze in too many milestones of Nelson Mandela's long life as he worked to end the oppressive regime of apartheid in South Africa. But the talent of the lead actors lends it heft, particularly the commanding performance of Idris Elba as Mandela." [12] Jordan Hoffman from Film.com also gave the film a mixed to negative review, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom should have been a layup. A slow burn leading to eventual triumph, moving speeches, Idris Elba raging against injustice, the world made a better place because of one man’s sacrifice. But as crazy and offensive as it may sound, you’ll get more chills from Elba’s idiotic speech about canceling the apocalypse in Pacific Rim than you will in this by-the-numbers bore."[13] However, Peter Travers of Rolling Stone gave the film a generally positive review with 2 and a half out of 4 stars, mostly circling the performances. [14]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandela:_Long_Walk_to_Freedom