Invictus
Invictus: from the Latin invictus, meaning "indomitable".
Also the title of a poem by William Ernest Henley.
The most famous lines of the poem are "I am the master of my fate:/I am the captain of my soul."
This poem was Nelson Mandela's favorite poem, and is what added to Mandela's indomitable spirit while in prison. This means that Mandela's steadfastness was due to his realization that he is the master of his own fate, and the captain of his own soul. Hence he shall not die, but will live on to become president of South Africa.
What this movie is really trying to say, though, is this: "I (Nelson Mandela) am the master of my fate, and I am the captain of the South African rugby team."
Wait, I thought Matt Damon was the captain of the Springboks? He even learned the Afrikaaner accent for an Oscar nomination.
Well of course Matt Damon is the captain of the Springboks. What this movie really wants to show is that Nelson Mandela (played superbly by Morgan Freeman) is higher up than Matt Damon. Mandela is the captain of the captain. So in essence, Nelson Mandela was actually the captain of the Springboks, winners of the 1995 Rugby World Cup.
And Clint Eastwood was able to seamlessly merge politics, nationalism, and sports, into one great story. Well, Clint Eastwood didn't write it. But he directed it. And you have to admit it, Clint Eastwood is a great director.
*some info from IMDb and Wikipedia
pic from NY Daily News
Invictus. USA. 2009.
Rating: Seven out of ten.
2 comments :
I still don't have much love for Rugby though, after seeing this good film. Hehe. But the whole stadium singing scene was really moving. ;D
It's okay, I don't like rugby much either. Hehe.
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