“Forgotten Hollywood”- Nelson Mandela Depicted in Cinema…

Posted on December 6, 2013 by raideoman1 | No Comments

Manny P. here…

   Over the next few weeks, lots of ink will be written about the legacy of Nelson Mandela, the South African anti-apartheid revolutionary who was imprisoned and then became a politician and philanthropist. He served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the first black South African to hold the office, and the first elected in a fully representative, multiracial election. His government focused on dismantling the everyday nature of apartheid through tackling institutionalized racism, poverty, and inequality, and fostering racial reconciliation. Across the world, Mandela came to be seen as a moral authority with a great concern for truth.

   His larger-than-life persona has been depicted in cinema numerous times. Danny Glover offered an impassioned performance in the 1987 television piece Mandela, while he was still imprisoned. The small screen film Mandela and de Klerk starred Sidney Poitier; and Dennis Haysbert played him in Goodbye Bafana in 2007. In the BBC television film Mrs. Mandela, Nelson was portrayed by David Harewood, In 2009, Morgan Freeman earned an Oscar nod for his role in Invictus. The actor yesterday reflected by saying: As we remember his triumphs, let us, in his memory, not just ponder on how far we’ve come, but, on how far we have to go. Terrence Howard co-starred as the iconic leader in the recently released Winnie Mandela. Stevie Wonder dedicated his 1985 Academy Award for I Just Called to Say I Love You to Mandela, resulting in the songwriter’s music being banned by the South African Broadcasting Corporation.

 220px-Goodbye_bafana  Invictus-poster

   The figure known as Madiba or Tata is currently portrayed by Idris Elba in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. This current production is sure to receive upcoming attention from the acting guilds. It premiered at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival on September 7th, and it went into limited release in this country on November 29th. President Barack Obama recently screened the motion picture at the White House. Prince William and his wife Kate were attending the London premiere of the movie when the former leader’s death was announced. Mandela was supposed to see the cinematic production, but passed on before he could. The theatrical release has turned from a living tribute to a big-screen eulogy.

   His funeral is expected to take place after lying-in-state at the Union Buildings, and before burial at his native village – Qunu. The majestic Nelson Mandela was 95.

 Until next time>                              “never forget”

This entry was posted on Friday, December 6th, 2013 at 12:10 am and is filed under Blog by Manny Pacheco. You can follow any comments to this post through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.


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