The Painful Path to Equality The American-made television film Confrontation (" Mandela and de Klerk) is the second title of the film, corresponding to its original Mandela and de Klerk directed by Joseph Sargent, not the first film I have seen about the leader of the struggle of the black population of South Africa against apartheid Nelson Mandela. I’ve seen the films Goodbye Bafana (2007, as Mandela Dennis Heisburth, also starred Joseph Fiennes and Diane Kruger), Unconquered (directed by Clint Eastwood in 2009, as Mandela Morgan Freeman, also starred Matt Damon) and The Long Road to Freedom (2013, as Mandela Idris Elba, also starred Naomi Harris). And all of them cover individual segments of the life of this great, powerful, unbending man, who received the Nobel Peace Prize by right. In “Confrontation” the role of Mandela was played by Sidney Poitier, and with him the main role was played by Michael Kane (the role of Frederick Willem de Klerk, who abolished apartheid).
The film directed by Joseph Sargent will tell us, as viewers, the story of how Nelson Mandela was already sent to the dungeons of a remote prison, he has already managed to establish close friendship with the white guard Jace Gregory (in “Confrontation” he was played by Ben Kruger, but if this dramatic story of friendship is interesting to anyone, then it is worth watching the film “Goodbye Bafana”), but from there Mandela is able to lead the popular expression against the white leadership of the country. The African National Congress is a community of black South Africans led by Nelson Mandela. After numerous skirmishes, deaths, almost the recognition of the existence of “death squads”, racist President Peter Willem Botha (played by Jerry Maritz) was replaced by Frederick Willem de Klerk. After long, grueling negotiations, the ANC was granted official status, before Nelson Mandela was released after 30 years in prison, and the flag of white and black equality in South Africa is visible on the horizon.
If you want to, you can find many sources that will tell you about this part of Mandela’s life and how a whole people fought for their freedom. But personally, I was interested in this film from the side of facts unknown to me. The ANC turned out to be far from the most humane organization, and they also shed blood, even the blood of their fellow tribesmen (mostly police officers). With documentary inserts in the film, its director Joseph Sargent and editors Debra Karen and Benjamin A. Weisman arrange a nightmarish, but, unfortunately, natural action of executions and murders. Blood and tears flow through the streets and sands of South Africa in an indelible stream. Meanwhile, de Klerk and Mandela are talking about how to stop the bloodshed, which soon threatens to grow into a real massacre and then the dead will be hundreds, thousands of times more. Also interesting from the historian was the fact that Mandela’s second wife Winnie (played by Tina Lifford) could be involved in the murder of a young man, whom ANC activists personally sentenced to death. Later, the court will not prove the involvement of Winnie Mandela in the murder.
It is really better to follow the Confrontation not as an artistic picture, but as a staging of events that took place in the period before the imminent release of Nelson Mandela and until peace agreements were reached with de Klerk, whom Mandela himself will soon succeed as President of South Africa. The effect of documentary is obtained precisely in the way that director Joseph Sargent inserts real scenes from videos shot on the streets of South Africa, immersed in the chaos of armed conflict. In many ways, a satisfactory viewing of the film “Confrontation” is helped by honored actors Sidney Poitier and Michael Kane, who not only charged the atmosphere with a difficult course of negotiations as real politicians (whether they are not nice, not actors, of course), but also contributed to the viewer believing in the naturalness of what is happening. It was a difficult acting job, where you had to be extremely accurate in the transfer of characters that really existed in the modern history of mankind and influenced much in its further evolution. By the way, Sidney Poitier will become a diplomat and travel from the Bahamas as an ambassador to Japan. Has the choice of actor influenced the film “Confrontation”? Why not?
The film is not for every viewer. It is a biographical drama, a drama of big politics and a great yearning for freedom. With the acquiescence of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher, South African President Botha pursued a policy of brutal apartheid, but their short-sightedness led to the birth of a man who became a worldwide symbol of the struggle for equality and against racism. The film is close to documentary, so only fans of the genre will like it, so only you have the choice to whom you belong.
7 out of 10