Genuine, heartfelt emotion is difficult to portray on celluloid. Inspiring words are often lost in platitudes. This is not the case in Clint Eastwood's "Invictus". The movie takes us through one year in Nelson Mandela's fledgeling presidency, and his determination to forge a new unity among South Africans. After decades of Apartheid, Mandela wants to give the nation a common purpose, a reason to come together - and he finds what he's looking for in Rugby. With only one black player in the team, the "Springboks" weren't exactly the symbol of a new South Africa - in fact, their flag, their colors, even their song, were looked upon by most blacks as a representation of their oppression.As the Springboks prepare for a tough journey to the 1995 Rugby World Cup, Mandela launches a campaign to make the South African team an inspiration for the rest of the country. This was an unpopular move at the time, however, the movie showcases moments where blacks and arikaners come together in support of their team.
Morgan Freeman (as Mandela) and Matt Damon (as Francois Pienaar, captain of the Springboks) are masterful in their roles. Freeman's characterization of Mandela is free from cliches, and you can almost sense the steely determination in his hushed tones as he urges Pienaar to set an example, both on and off the field. Damon is ever the consummate actor, fitting the bill perfectly as the quietly confident Pienaar.
Pienaar gathers strength from Mandela's encouragement, and is humbled by the leader's ability to rise above the animosity that still lingers from the nation's sordid past. Pienaar leads his team through a series of improbable wins and finally to victory at the World Cup finals. His words right after his team won the final match - "We did not have 63,000 fans behind us today, we had 43 million South Africans" - brings home the entire message of the movie. Clint Eastwood does an excellent job of showing how Mandela's leadership attempted to transform the distrust between the black majority and the afrikaner minority into the beginning of a mutual dialog. Eastwood accomplishes this by doing away with hackneyed sayings, and just focuses on the merits of the story itself.
You will hear snatches of a poem, written by a Victorian poet (William Ernest Henley) throughout the film, as the movie shows how this poem motivated Mandela to "stand when all I wanted to do was to lie down".
Invictus - by William Ernest Henley
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.
