A very long walk indeed
In putting such an iconic, widely beloved figure to the screen, the pressure is most definitely on. The film shouldn’t offend, nor should it be an unbiasedly kind portrayal, as even the most celebrated people have flaws to speak of.
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
Director: Justin Chadwick
Writers: William Nicholson, Nelson Mandela (autobiography)
Starring: Idris Elba, Naomie Harris
Runtime: 141 minutes
Certification: 12A
In putting such an iconic, widely beloved figure to the screen, the pressure is most definitely on. The film shouldn’t offend, nor should it be an unbiasedly kind portrayal, as even the most celebrated people have flaws to speak of. And Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom does get that balance to a certain extent, putting the long years of Nelson Mandela’s struggle against oppression to the screen.
The film benefits enormously from the presence of Idris Elba who plays the title role with impressive restraint and although at appropriate times, great force. His natural assets, the tall, towering frame and deep voice work tremendously to his advantage in setting him up to take the role of a strong leader. Elba takes his role even further, putting a very much relatable human face to the extraordinary man.
It moves at a remarkable pace, sprinting through the early years of Mandela as an active revolutionary, plus the infamous trial where he was imprisoned for life, then his subsequent release after 27 years and his political actions from then on until he reaches the Presidency. Just getting him elected takes 141 minutes.
The idea of a 27-year imprisonment is remarkably diminished and trivialised and its harsh conditions are barely looked at, during which time we focus on Winnie Mandela, Nelson’s second wife, and her more aggressive, no-nonsense stance to resist inequality. Winnie Mandela is played by Naomie Harris, the newest Miss Moneypenny, who goes through a startling change from being Nelson’s female companion, to a fearless leader who frequently clashes with Nelson’s more peaceful approach to diplomacy. And it’s a flawless transition Harris shows with compelling charisma.
For anyone unfamiliar with any part of the history it is enormously informative too, highlighting the most important, intense events surrounding the character’s complex life (a lot of senseless shooting, a lot of rioting, plenty of deaths, cue news channel clips), but for experts, errors and missed out details will be glaringly obvious.
Could this have served better as a mini-series? Yes. Even at 141 minutes (an off-putting length for sure) not everything is squeezed in. With a cast this good they could have been put to even more use, and there are of course such productions planned, although it will be difficult to find actors as good as the aforementioned pair.
