Rugby Union has long been viewed in South Africa as a game for the white population, and the country’s success in the sport has been a true source of Afrikaner pride. When the 50-year-old policies and entrenched injustices of apartheid were finally overthrown in 1994, Nelson Mandela’s new government began rebuilding a nation badly in need of racial unity. So the world was watching when South Africa played host to the 1995 Rugby World Cup. Though they had only one non-white player, the South African Springboks gained supporters of all colors as they made an improbable run into the final match where they beat the heavily favored New Zealand team. When Mandela himself marched to the center of the pitch cloaked in a Springbok jersey and shook hands with the captain of the South African team, two nations became one. Oscar winner Morgan Freeman and director Cliff Bestall will tell the emotional story of that cornerstone moment and what it meant to South Africa’s healing process.
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Better Late Then Never
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 film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.
This is a story of hope and unity; both these things are found through the game of rugby in South Africa in 1995. In the previous year, 1994, blacks in South Africa were give the right to vote and they voted into office, Nelson Mandela as president. President Mandala was the countries first black president and he understood the need for unity within the country. What good would come of giving black's the right to vote and in electing South Africa's first black President if the country remained divided by race? President Mandela understood the opportunity presented to him in 1995 as South Africa hosted the World Cup. The Springbok's were South Africa's rugby team. Most American's know little about rugby and the World Cup. I know so little about the game I needed to consult Wikipedia for my questions. The World Cup is a sports competition held every four years and a different country hosts the World Cup every four years.Greatness has a sense of timing. With the worlds attention on both South Africa and the World Cup being held in South Africa the Springbok's played a significant role in 1995 World Cup. This is one of the best documentaries I've ever seen. It's one of those documentaries that makes you feel good about the Human Race. I highly recommend this documentary!
If you've seen the film "Invictus" you really don't need to see "The 16th Man" or vice-versa. This is because both cover the same material--and both do it very well. And, both star Morgan Freeman (as he narrates "The 16th Man" and starred as Nelson Mandela in "Invictus"). Since I love South Africa and have spent quit a bit of time there, I enjoyed seeing both but the more casual viewer probably needn't see both!The film is about the famous 1995 international rugby competition held in South Africa--the first since Apartheid ended. But the film is about much more than the game--but about how this event helped to unify the nation and create a sense of brotherhood between the races and what Mandela's part was in all this. It's extremely inspirational and well worth seeing. In fact, my non-sports loving family members also seemed to enjoy this one because it was well made and the story so emotionally charged.
30 for 30: The 16th Man (2010) *** 1/2 (out of 4)Emotionally charging documentary cover the political and racial climate in South Africa after the release of Nelson Mandela and how much of the racial tension took a back seat to the rugby team that would end up winning the World Cup. Of all the entries in the ESPN series this one here features some of the most recent events so I'm sure many will already know the story of this. The story was also told by Clint Eastwood in INVICTUS, which also had Freeman playing Mandela. Even though the story is very familiar that doesn't take anything away from the film because it does such a good job at telling different sides of the story you can't help but get caught up in the message and especially the outcome. We get to hear from white folks who hated black and had never even spoke with them. We hear from blacks who hated whites and wanted to kill them. Both sides explain the causes for their hatred and then we get to hear about Mandela and why he felt this team was what the country needed. The movie does a great job at really getting to know the players, the location and all the events that were going on during that time. The actual sporting events get footage played but what keeps this film going the best are the actual interviews with all the people who played in the game. Seeing how emotional they still are was quite touching and is what made this film stick out so well.
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