Goodbye Bafana (2007)

You won't be disappointed!

The Worst Film Ever

Good concept, poorly executed.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

The picture was well based on real events and actual characters , regarding the true story of a white South African racist , a prison warden (Joseph Fiennes) whose life was profoundly altered by the black prisoner named Nelson Mandela (Dennis Haysbert) he guarded for twenty years . Although Mandela initially committed to non-violent protest, in association with the SACP he co-founded the militant Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) in 1961, leading a sabotage campaign against the apartheid government . In 1962, he was arrested , convicted of conspiracy to overthrow the state , and sentenced to life imprisonment in the Rivonia Trial . Mandela served 27 years in prison, initially on Robben Island, and later in Pollsmoor Prison and Victor Verster Prison. An international campaign lobbied for his release, which was granted in 1990 amid escalating civil strife . Dismissed President Bota , Mandela joined negotiations with Nationalist President F. W. De Klerk to abolish apartheid and establish multiracial elections in 1994, in which he led the ANC to victory and became South Africa's first black president .This is an enjoyable as well as thought-provoking story about a warden and his relationship with Mandela , an emotive flick revolving around imprisonment Nelson until his freedom and inauguration as the first democratically elected president of South Africa . This story about prison and apartheid is very compelling made and deserving a fine treatment with poignant moments . It's completely convincing and makes a moving and powerful statement about the evil of the racism. It's an intelligent movie that shows the nature of racial policy and political events in South Africa . The picture has some strong moments as police cruelty on civilians as well security officers' brutality against prisoners and other people , including women , and infants . There's enough background information to give the spectator a taste of what South African life was like under apartheid , detailing hard confrontations , violent environment , fear and tension . The flick describes perfectly a great man who could have lived in bitterness and anger all his existence , seeking vengeance when he ultimately achieved power , but who instead chose to devote himself to democracy and peaceful reconciliation between blacks and whites in South Africa . The main actors , Joseph Fiennes , Dennis Haysbert and Diane Kruger give awesome interpretations and the story was professionally directed by Billie August . Twice winner of the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival for Pelle the conqueror (1987) and The best intentions (1992) , Billie August is an expert on literary adaptations such as ¨Les Miserables¨, ¨Smilla's Sense of Snow¨ , ¨House of the spirits¨, ¨Marie Kroyer¨, ¨Jerusalem¨ and ¨Night Train to Lisbon¨ . Any yarn regarding Nelson Mandela is a flick worth seeing in my opinion and this one seems to be one of the best . Rating : Better than average , worthwhile watching for historical characters buffs . Other films based on this historical figure are the followings : ¨Mandela¨ (1987) by Philip Saville with Danny Glover , Alfre Woodward , Warren Clarke , Julian Glover ; ¨Mandela and De Clerk¨ (1997) by Joseph Sargent with Sidney Poitier and Michael Caine ; ¨Winnie¨ by Darrel Root with Jennifer Hudson , Terrence Howard , Elias Koteas ; ¨Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom¨ (2013) by Justin Chadwick with Idris Elba and Naomi Harris .The film was correctly based on historical facts , these are the followings : Nelson Mandela who was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, politician and philanthropist . He was leader of the African National Congress, who has been imprisoned since 1963 for allegedly inciting riots against the government. As he spend long time in prison amidst tight economic sanctions by the international community, and growing unrest by the natives who continue their fight for equality, and freedom for Nelson Mandela . Amongst mounting international pressure to free Nelson, as well as imposition of crippling economic sanctions, the South African government representative meets with Nelson and agrees to free him . One time freed Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was South Africa's first black chief executive, and the first elected in a fully representative democratic election. His government focused on dismantling the legacy of apartheid through tackling institutionalised racism, poverty and inequality, and fostering racial reconciliation. Politically an African nationalist and democratic socialist, he served as President of the African National Congress (ANC) from 1991 to 1997.

If you are looking for a film which is based on true facts about Mandela's time in prison and about apartheid in South Africa, then this is the right film for you. The film is about the time Mandela spent in prison and the prison officer James Gregory. During the film James Gregory changes his attitude towards Nelson Mandela and the black people. Not everybody agrees with the changing attitude of James Gregory. Because of this change he gets into a lot of trouble. The main characters are played by Dennis Haysbert (Nelson Mandela), Joseph Fiennes (James Gregory) and Diane Kruger (Gloria Gregory). The actors are very convincing in their roles. So it is easier for the viewer to identify with them.In our opinion the film is a good film to inform the viewers about apartheid and the events around Nelson Mandela. In the film there were many long dialogues and less action, which sometimes made it a bit boring. But there are also some scenes which were very emotional for us. To sum it up, we can recommend this film because it is easy to understand. If we were asked to rate the film from zero to ten, we would give it seven points.

I had great expectations for this movie as Nelson Mandela is by far the most important political figure of our age(second perhaps only to Ghandi), and as such he deserves every bit of homage that can be sent his way."Goodbye Bafana" should have been the paramount praise for this extraordinary man, yet it never reaches the potential that lurks just beneath the surface.One reason for this is the fact that the time frame that has to be covered is too big for the time set aside telling it. As a result, the movie jumps from episode to episode or from highlight to highlight because every aspect of the two men has to be told. This way of telling the story leaves the characters under developed and rather one dimensional. Especially the change in Gregory (Fiennes)from bigot to humanitarian seems to happen overnight. The leading men are excellent as the prisoner and the guard, but the pace of the movie is too fast and does not give time to delve into the relationship, because there are so many events that have to be covered.The movie receives 5 stars for the acting and the settings, the direction prevents it from achieving greatness.

This film would have been easier to watch if the makers had cast a total unknown in the role of Mandela. I like Dennis Haysbert; he's a good actor, but he was miscast in the part of Nelson Mandela. There's a point in the film when Joseph Feinnes, in character, does a brief imitation of Mandela making a public statement; he does a very convincing job of it, and I thought:"This white guy would have made a better Nelson Mandela than we have here". Do the producers think that any black actor equals any other black actor? Why not place some South African character actor with a long, distinguished portfolio in the Mandela role? It seems obvious to me. Why go all the way to Hollywood for someone who's clearly wrong for the part? It's not a bad film-the motivation is clear, the pacing is OK, it held my interest...it just didn't present a convincing Nelson Mandela.