Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom had its first international screening at the Toronto International Film Festival on Saturday, 7 September 2013.
The stars of the film, Idris Elba, Naomie Harris, Riaad Moosa, Terry Pheto, Deon Lotz and Lindiwe Matshikiza, surprised throngs of fans when they stopped to pose for pictures with them before taking to the red carpet.
Mandela hews closely to a conventional biopic format, telling the story of the South African anti-apartheid leader (played by Idris Elba) over the course of several decades, a lot of speeches and an uplifting score by Alex Heffes that tries to outdo James Horner in its determination to underline every dramatic moment with the sonic equivalent of a Sharpie marker.
When the 152-minute movie ended, there was a sustained standing ovation at the cavernous, not-quite-full Roy Thompson Hall through the closing credits, not unusual for a gala screening at Toronto but also indicative that there might be room enough this Oscar year for multiple films that examine race in very different fashions.
Message delivered, loud and clear. But when its Elba, a rightfully respected actor from his work on The Wire and Luther, delivering said message, you can often forgive director Justin Chadwicks biopic-by-the-numbers approach. Or even the prominent use of a song written about Martin Luther King, U2s rousing anthem Pride (In the Name of Love), in a movie about Nelson Mandela.
Introducing Mandela, the film festivals artistic director, Cameron Bailey, declared that finally, a film that does justice to Mandelas life had arrived. How fully the film accomplishes that rather tall order will be the subject of much debate.
But when Bailey later added that the movie was a big deal and means a lot to a lot of people, he wasnt overreaching. That meaning will count for a lot as the film, set for release Nov. 29, begins a long political campaign of its own.
The screening ended on a high note with an unprecedented eight-minute standing ovation from a visibly moved audience.
http://www.nelsonmandela.org
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Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom had its first international screening at the Toronto International Film Festival on Saturday, 7 September 2013.
