Invictus

Last night we went to see the movie, Invictus starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon. It depicts the early part of Nelson Mandela's presidency and parallels the South African national rugby team's journey to the 1995 World Cup. When the commercials first started to come on television for this movie, I was really turned off by the fact that this was a South African story being told by Americans. No South Africans in the two starring roles. No South African directors/producers/screenplay writers. It just seemed silly to me, even though I have huge respect for Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, and Matt Damon. More and more though, I felt curious about it. A few days back, a good friend of Eva's called and said she'd been to see Invictus twice already and urged Eva to see it. So, we did, last night.

Inspiring inspiring inspiring. Excellent script. Great acting, of course.
I highly recommend it.

We saw Morgan Freeman interviewed on Jon Stewart recently and during that interview, Morgan Freeman said that awhile back Mandela was asked which actor would he choose to portray him if ever there was a movie made about his life. And he chose Morgan Freeman. I wonder if Mandela has seen the movie yet....and it would be really interesting to hear his thoughts....and the thoughts of South Africans in general actually.

The movie title is taken from a poem which inspired Mandela through his trials and tribulations of prison life and beyond, written my William Ernest Henley in 1875. The word Invictus is Latin for "unconquered." The poem goes like this...

Invictus

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.

-William Ernest Henley

So inspiring.

While I still think it would have been cool if this story would have been told by South Africans, I'm glad the movie was made and the folks who made it did a kick-ass job. Kudos Clint and co.