Two For Tuesday: Mandela: A Long Walk To Freedom / The Butler

FREEDOM WRITERS

The world has been in a state of mourning recently at the tragic, yet ultimately predicted, death of Nelson Mandela, a key inspirational and controversial figure in the apartheid struggles of 20th century South Africa.  Coincidentally, a recent biopic of the famous freedom-fighter was made just before his death, and it's release has since been rescheduled and previewed early, most likely to cash in and take advantage of grieving cinema audiences.

I was in one of those early-previewed audiences, filled with people wearing rose-tinted glasses about the man they thought only as a 'kindly grandpa' figure, sporting tufts of white hair, often wearing pyjamas and meeting Prince Charles and the Spice Girls back in the late 1990's.  I was treated to gasps of shock and horror as the people around me learnt what violent acts that sweet old man had endured and carried out during his rise to power.  A lesson was certainly learnt in the auditorium that night, if only the art of the timely cinematic release date.

Mandela: A Long Walk To Freedom recounts the major events in the life of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, a man born within the Xhosa tribe of South Africa.  As he begins his adult life as a lawyer defending the abused and mistreated black citizens of South Africa, Mandela joins a freedom-fighting 'terrorist' movement, leading to his eventual incarceration and *SPOILER ALERT* election to become the country's first black President.  

Idris Elba delivers an incredibly powerful performance as Mandela and this is entirely his film.  His power and pathos draws the audience's attention and won't let it go no matter what.  Elba's South African accent may waiver at some times but you forgive it as you entirely lost in the other facets of his performance.  Naomie Harris also performs admirably as the tortured soul of Winnie Mandela, but it will be Elba that is remembered for this film.

In attempting to recreate most of Mandela's major life events, and twinning the events with the background of racial segregation and apartheid, Long Walk To Freedom draws some parallels with Lee Daniels' recent pseudo-biopic The Butler.  The Butler is a curious film as it depicts events during the race riots and freedom demonstrations of 1960s America, yet shows how it affects a fictional character, the titular butler Cecil Gaines

Gaines is based upon Eugene Allen, the real-life butler who served inside The White House under several different American Presidents, such as Carter, Reagan and Nixon.  What I, as a viewer, did not understand was why did you create this character of Cecil Gaines' instead of using the real life inspiration for him, Eugene Allen?  

During the anti-segregation demonstrations, Gaines' son meets the infamous freedom-fighters Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. and stages rallies with them and risks his own life for his beliefs.  Yet we know this man we have become accustomed never really met these people and didn't exist.  Therefore are the situations we see him endure fictionalised too?  Did Malcolm X really torture his own followers to prepare them for the hardships ahead?  Were The Black Panthers that violent in their behaviour?  Did Oprah Winfrey really sleep around?

Both films attempt to feature many key points in the history of black oppression, but Mandela handles it in a much more understandable way.  Whilst the film tries to fit in as many milestones in Mandela's life as physically possible, they are properly explained with context and are allowed to breathe.  This can't be said about The Butler, which just throws scene after scene at you, with various famous actors portraying famous politicians (Cusack as Nixon, Rickman as Reagan etc.) and none of it is allowed to sink in to the audience's understanding.  Mandela also treats their shared subject matter of the history racial tension with a certain brutality and frankness that was refreshing after watching The Butler's sporadic protest montages.  These montages of the first Black American students taking a stand against the segregation do leave an impact, as they do depict horrible torturous scenes, but they are only a fleeting backstory instead of being at the forefront, like Mandela's.

Don't get me wrong, you will get a history lesson from both of these films, and rightfully so, as the message is one that needs to be remembered.  However, I would rather my lesson be taught by such a powerful and determined individual that my attention is stuck on the screen, than someone who makes me question their own research.

Does that metaphor work?  Perhaps not.  Screw it; go see Mandela, leave The Butler on the shelf.

FLAWLESS VICTORY

Until next time folks, thanks for reading!

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