Actor Idris Elba and actress Naomie Harris attend a screening of ‘Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom’, hosted by U2, Anna Wintour and Bob & Harvey Weinstein, with Burberry at the Ziegfeld Theater on November 25, 2013 in New York City.
The Source Magazine attended a special screening of the Weinstein Company’s “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom,” this week. The event was hosted by Anna Wintour, Burberry and U2. Bono & The Edge were in attendance to celebrate the original song “Ordinary Day” that they wrote for the film and honor the Mandela family. Zenani Mandela was in attendance. Idris Elba and Naomie Harris shine in”Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom,” which is now playing.
They say persistence is what it takes to accomplish your goals. This attribute can accurately describe Nelson Mandela’s life and the justice he pursued. Struggle is another word one can associate with his life. His entire life was a struggle and he persistently pushed him and his people towards his ultimate goal, freedom. Due to the length of Mandela’s pursuit for freedom, capturing the truth and the journey in its entirety is a difficult task. Director Justin Chadwick however, accomplishes that with his new film “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.”
The title is fitting as Mandela’s march to freedom spanned multiple decades. The film chronicles Mandela’s life from his childhood all the way to his victory in the election for President of South Africa. Chadwick evokes one’s emotions with the constant themes of struggle and oppression throughout the film. He sheds light on how Mandela not only struggled fighting for what was just, but he also struggled with his family life due to his incarceration. On top of that, the growing tension between Mandela and his second wife Winnie became an obstacle on his journey to freedom. The film did have a lot going on, not necessarily on screen, but it kept us thinking and feeling for the situation at hand.
The acting of both Idris Elba and Naomie Harris brought this film to the Academy-Award level many were hoping it would. Elba was sensational in his role. His mannerisms and ability to show strength, sadness and pride at the same time eeriely resembled Nelson Mandela. This is a Denzel as “Malcolm X” type of role for Elba and he does not disappoint. Naomie Harris also delivered an excellent performance. The anger and disgust for the South African government she shows makes you only wish you could have done something to help.
With the admirable acting of Elba and Harris, Chadwick is able to show more of the personalities of Nelson and Winnie Mandela. They are no question revolutionaries, but they are also human. The film details their tendencies and attitudes, even some negative ones like Mandela’s promiscuity in his younger years. This makes the feel of the story more personal and in the end, more real. Mandela’s incarceration does not only hinder the progress of his work for the African National Congress, it also hinders the progress of his marriage with Winnie. The struggle the Mandela’s faced was so grand that some may forget the wear and tear it had on them and their relationship. Although the split was not a happy moment, it is still part of the story.
When Mandela celebrates his victory as President at the end of the film, the feeling of relief is unmatched. Through constant struggle, the Mandela’s made the world a better place. The film could not have displayed strife Mandela faced and his triumph any better.
-Joe Money (@realjoemoney)
