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Invictus, meaning Unconquerable in Latin, is a poem by William Ernest Henley. The movie, Invictus, is a wonderful, wonderful movie. I’ve seen it twice and enjoyed it just as much the second time as the first. It is uplifting, inspiring and heartwarming. I cried through much of it – not because it was sad, but because of its uplifting message to mankind. Clint Eastwood directed the movie which was written by Anthony Peckham, based on the book by John Carlin: Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game that Made a Nation. 

Invictus is not a biopic; rather, it is a glimpse into the world of South Africa when Nelson Mandela was freed from prison. It is a glimpse into the world of how one man strove to heal a nation that had been torn apart by apartheid. It’s about politic strategy through hope and inspiration. Morgan Freeman plays Mandela – a master of charm and soft-spoken gravitas. And Freeman does an incredible job. The message of the movie is soul-stirring and life-changing. If this were fiction, you wouldn’t believe it. The fact that it’s a true story is an amazing fact.

The movie begins with Mandela being released from prison and his winning the presidential election. We follow him through his earliest days as President, with special attention to his focus on the National Rugby team, named the Springboks, and its captain, Francois Pienaar, played superbly by Matt Damon.

To create harmony in their country, Mandela invites Pienaar to his office and discusses rugby and the young man’s sports’ strategies. The whole goal is to inspire his team to victory at the Rugby World Cup, which South Africa is hosting. Mandela aims to fuse nation and team, standing together in markedly underdog status, with the idea that while his bid for election was a victory to some, it was a defeat to others, and what his nation needs now is a victory for all.

Freeman doesn’t overplay his scenes. He is methodical, taking the time necessary to portray Mandela as both a leader and a family man who has problems with his family. And Matt Damon has never been better as the young South African rugby player. He underplays his scenes as well, giving breadth and emotional layers to his character, Francois Pienaar.

When Mandela starts studying the rugby team, he realizes that the nation’s racial tensions are somewhat symbolically tied to the team. As Mandela notes in an early match, the whites are cheering for their team, the Springboks, the blacks are cheering for the visitors’ teams and the one black player on the team: Chester. The Springboks, whose mascot had direct ties to the apartheid regime, would go on to defeat the New Zealand All Blacks that year in a victory that was given special significance by Mandela, who had hopes it would help unify the wounded and splintered aspects of his country.

There’s quite a bit of humor in the movie, too – especially amongst Mandela’s security guards. He has a staff of both white and black guards and it’s fun to watch them. At first, they are wary of one another, but as they work together, they find a common bond –  both groups love Mandela.

Eastwood is a classical director in most every respect, and sometimes those instincts result in a film of unique power like Letters from Iwo Jima. Other times, they bring about accomplished but stilted ones like The Changeling or Flags of Our Fathers. For Invictus, the award-winning director peers into the South African situation and Mandela’s time as president and hones in on a particular event; the president’s 1995 support of the nation’s rugby team in the World Cup. I think Invictus is powerful. It’s subtle, it’s underplayed. But, it possesses the same strength, emotion and power of Eastwood’s other movies.

In essence, this movie is about the way Mandela uses a national sports team as an instrument of healing. Mandela talks about poetry and how it helped him in prison. One of the poems that most inspired him was Invictus by William Ernest Henley. Freeman/Mandela narrates this poem in the movie. In fact, this poem was the soul of the movie. You’ll understand why once you read it. Everyone should go see this movie today.

Invictus

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

William Ernest Henley