Wednesday, December 18, 2013


                                                                                                                                     Matthew E.

                                                                                                                        1A

                                                                                                                        12/17/13

                                                                   Invictus                                                                
 

            Invictus is about the challenges Nelson Mandela faces as the First Black president in a post-Apartheid culture in South Africa. Some of the Problems Mandela faces is the amount of poverty and crime in South Africa but the biggest Problem he faces is the racial tension and division between the white citizens and the black/colored/native citizens. When Mandela watches a rugby game between South Africa and England he notices how severe the tension is between the people of South Africa. After the match Mandela talks with the captain and convinces him that the rugby team needs to win the 1995 rugby world cup that will be hosted in South Africa for the country to be united. The team trains and makes it to the final round of the world cup. Before the match the rugby team visits the cell the Mandela stayed in at Robbins Island for 18 years. The team goes and wins the world cup and you see everybody rejoicing.

            The 1995 rugby world cup was very influential in South Africa and around the world. One way it was influential was that South Africa was an underdog to win the world cup but they did. Another way it was influential was that the winning of the cup united a country that was torn apart by apartheid but was rebuilding. One other way it was influential was how the brotherhood and the unity of the team influenced not only South Africa but the World.

            I think the movie portrayed the events in South Africa very well. I liked how the country of South Africa united through the win of the rugby world cup. I believe that sports are the greatest form of entertainment and unity in the world because it can’t be scripted and the emotion is real. Another element I like about invictus is how the film included much of Mandela’s life in prison at how inspirational it was to the rugby’s team success. One other example I like about this film is how the team went out into the community and spent time with the citizens. Not only did the win help with the countries unity but when the players went to the community and showed they can get along, that also helped with the unity of the people.

            I would recommend this movie to a friend or someone in general. This movie portrays two important things in South Africa history, the 1995 world cup and the election and challenges of Nelson Mandela. Another reason I why recommend this movie is that people would rather watch movies than read and this movie teaches moral values as well as being a great film. One other reason I would recommend it is that it has Morgan Freeman in it and Morgan Freeman makes every movie better.

Bibliography:

1.      The movie

2.       http://query.nytimes.com/search/sitesearch/#/invictus

2 comments:

  1. I too enjoyed this movie due to the role that Morgan Freeman had in it and his alternating ability to make every movie he is in the greatest movie ever. I don't think I would say that sports are THE most powerful form of uniting a people. Although it is a commonality between many people it also is also a great divider between different rivals and the violence that may come from that. The greatest way to unite human beings would be a tragedy, think Hurricane Katrina, and 911. You did a wonderful job of describing the film, and the plot line and describing how the actions of the team effect the country and its people. The wording of the blog post is a little dodgy in parts but besides that I wouldn't change a thing.I wonder if there are any documentaries describing this event so I could see the real version of what happened and not the Hollywood make up version. -Bryant L 1/a

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  2. I thought this report was very informational and direct. The information that was in this report was straight from a source and cold hard facts. I liked how the author got straight to the point and did not spend any time trying to make Invictus seem unreasonably great. It was a good movie but i feel that a sports game is not as important as an actual political action. The writing in this blog seemed a bit informal but that is also a very interesting style to write reports in. It seems to be more relaxing to the reader. I still wonder how Mandela managed to make a simple activity like rugby, a way to unite South Africa.

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