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Jo Menell and Angus Gibson, dirs. Mandela: Son of Africa, Father of a Nation. 1997. 155 minutes. English. South Africa and U.S. Palm Pictures. $19.97.
This Oscar-nominated documentary tells the inspiring story of Nelson Mandela from birth to his ascendency to the presidency of South Africa. The story is told through interviews with Mandela himself, his sister, Mabel, his first wife, Evelyn, Winnie Mandela, and several ANC activists and lawyers. The film also features archival and contemporary footage of confrontations between South Africans fighting for justice and the police; political speeches by supporters of apartheid as well as the ANC, the Inkatha Freedom Labor Party, and neofascist extreme right leaders; and trials, rallies, celebrations, and funerals. All of this provides a comprehensive picture of the man who has come to be known as the Father of the Nation of South Africa.
The film opens with a pan over the desolate landscape of Robben Island before focusing on the prison where Mandela spent twenty-seven years of his life. It then shows Mandela looking out the window of his former cell, his back to the camera. The scene gives way to festive music and a scene of people making their way into a stadium for a rally to support Mandela's candidacy for president.
Using narrative voiceover, the film provides a brief history of the Xhosa people in eastern South Africa, including the arrival of Europeans and their subsequent campaign to drive the Africans from...