Director
Clint Eastwood
Leading Actors/Actresses
Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon
Supporting Actors/Actresses
Tony Kgoroge, Adjoa Andoh, Penny Downie
Genre
Biography, Drama, History
Language
English
Awards
Nominated for 2 Academy Awards: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role (Matt Damon), Best Actor in a Leading Role (Morgan Freeman)
Date of Release
2009
Producer
Clint Eastwood, Robert Lorenz, Lori McCreary, Mace Neufeld
Setting and Context
South Africa after Nelson Mandela becomes first black President in the country, 1994-1995 World Cup Victory.
Narrator and Point of View
Tone and Mood
Serious, Dramatic, Suspenseful
Protagonist and Antagonist
Protagonist is Mandela, Antagonist is his dissenters
Major Conflict
Nelson Mandela has become the first black President of South Africa. Racial tensions are high as Mandela attempts to unite the country in the beginning of the anti-Apartheid era. He attempts to do so by inspiring the nation with the help of the South African Springbok rugby team.
Climax
The climax occurs when the Springboks win the game against New Zealand.
Foreshadowing
The opening scene with Mandela being driven through the streets—between a white team playing rugby and a group of black kids playing on the other side—foreshadows the final moment of the film in which he drives through the streets of Johannesburg after the Springboks' win.
Understatement
Innovations in Filming or Lighting or Camera Techniques
Allusions
Allusions to Victorian poetry, to the "rainbow nation," to the legacy of apartheid.
Paradox
Mandela trusts and hires white Afrikaners even though they are who imprisoned him and who worked for political campaigns that promoted apartheid.
Parallelism
The final scene of unity through the Springboks' victory parallels the opening scene of the film.
