Goodbye Bafana (SP) ( Il colore della liberta' ) ( The Color of Freedom )

Goodbye Bafana (SP) (DVD) (*)

~~$31.99~~ $25.97

Original Title: Il colore della liberta'
Alternate Title: The Color of Freedom
Screened, competed or awarded at:
Berlin International Film Festival

Language Selections:
English ( Dolby Digital 5.1 )
English ( Subtitles )
French ( Dolby Digital 5.1 )
French ( Subtitles )
Spanish ( Dolby Digital 5.1 )
Spanish ( Subtitles )

Product Origin/Format:
Spain ( PAL/Region 2 )

Running Time:
113 min

Aspect Ratio:
Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1)

Special Features:
Anamorphic Widescreen
Interactive Menu
Scene Access

Movie filmed in 2007 and produced in:
Belgium ( France, Benelux )
France ( France, Benelux )
Germany ( Germany, Central Europe )
Italy ( Italy, Greece )
Luxembourg ( France, Benelux )
South Africa ( Africa, Middle East )
United Kingdom ( Great Britain, Ireland )

Directed By:
Bille August

Written By:
Bille August
Bob Graham

Actors:
Joseph Fiennes ..... James Gregory
Dennis Haysbert ..... Nelson Mandela
Diane Kruger ..... Gloria Gregory
Patrick Lyster ..... Major Pieter Jordaan
Shiloh Henderson ..... Brent Gregory
Tyrone Keogh ..... Brent Gregory
Megan Smith ..... Natasha Gregory
Jessica Manuel ..... Natasha Gregory
Faith Ndukwana ..... Winnie Mandela
Terry Pheto ..... Zindzi Mandela
Leslie Mongezi ..... Walter Sisulu
Zingizile Mtuzula ..... Raymond Mhlaba (as Zingi Mtuzula)
Mehboob Bawa ..... Ahmed Kathrada
Shakes Myeko ..... Andrew Mlangeni
Sizwe Msutu ..... Cyril Ramaphosa

Synopsis:

Bille August's inspirational docudrama Goodbye Bafana begins in 1968, with South Africa buried neck-deep in the horrors of apartheid and Nelson Mandela (Dennis Haysbert) -- then an underground leader of the African National Congress -- imprisoned on Robben Island for sedition. As the story opens, the native African population of the country -- 25,000,000 in number -- buckles beneath the crippling weight of the racist white minority, who control the Nationalist Party Government. The film follows the spiritual and psychological journey of James Gregory (Joseph Fiennes), a Caucasian Afrikaner who came of age on a farm in the Transkei and initially views all blacks as subhuman. Gregory also speaks Mandela's native language of Xhosa with perfect fluency, which makes him an ideal candidate to serve as warden of the Robben Island Prison and eavesdrop on Mandela and his inmates. What he fails to anticipate is the most unlikely and special of friendships (one of history's greatest) that burgeons between himself and Mandela -- and helps him evolve from a narrow-minded bigot with limited self-awareness to a sensitive, humane critic of social injustice with a heightened awareness of mankind's ill treatment of one another and a genuine level of love for his fellow man. As the friendship between Gregory and Mandela grows and matures, it symbolizes Africa's transition from the oppressiveness of Apartheid to the freedom of multi-racial democracy.

James Gregory, a male Caucasian, lives in a South African farm, and is friendly with a black native, Bafana. Both children communicate in the local language, and James even poses in a photograph with his arm around Bafana. Both children bid each other goodbye when James re-locates to live in the city.Years later, James, who now works for the Government, is married to conservative Gloria, who has been taught, and in turn, teaches her children, Brett, Chris, and Natasha, that the suffering of the native blacks is 'God's Will', and is not to be questioned.James' friends view the photograph of Bafana and himself and make fun of him, leading James to hate blacks.The South African Secret Service finds out about James' knowledge of the native language, and they recruit him as a Prison Censorship Officer, and he is instructed to monitor and censor all information and meetings of all inmates, especially Nelson Mandela, the leader of the African National Congress, who has been imprisoned since 1963 for allegedly inciting riots against the government.James converses with Nelson and even finds out his native name is Madiba. When Winnie is permitted to visit Nelson, James monitors the conversation along with another guard, and interrupts them when he finds out that they are talking about the African National Congress.James also finds out that Nelson's son has acquired a driver's license, and he reports this to his supervisor. Shortly thereafter, he is told to hand over a newspaper report that Nelson's son has been killed in an automobile accident.While conversing with another guard, James is told that the 'Freedom Charter' of the African National Congress is the 'extermination of whites'. James sets forth to examine this document, and finds out that it is banned and special authorization is required to even view this document. He does manage to obtain a copy and keeps it on his person.His children experience the trauma of watching police brutality on civilians, including women, children, and infants. While James continues his conversation with Nelson, both men come close to almost being friends. It is then Nelson asks James to give Winnie a piece of chocolate as a Christmas present during her visit to see him. James secretly hands this over - setting into motion a series of events that will isolate him from his very own peers, and force him to consider resigning from his current position.Not able to witness Gloria's distraught and isolation, he resigns, but his resignation is not accepted. He is then asked to accompany Nelson to another prison, which he does.Amongst mounting international pressure to free Nelson, as well as imposition of crippling economic sanctions, the South African government representative meets with Nelson and agrees to free him if he re-locates, but Nelson refuses.Amongst mounting riots from the natives, James' family starts to receive threatening phone calls, and their movements are closely watched by the secret service, a visibly shaken James receives news that Brett has been killed in an automobile accident.He must now attempt to find out if this action was carried by his superiors, the members of the African National Congress, or was it just plain natural justice for betraying Nelson's son.

The true story of white South African racist, James Gregory, whose life was profoundly altered by the black prisoner he guarded for twenty years. The prisoner's name was Nelson Mandela.
For 25 years, Gregory looked after Mandela until his liberation in 1990.

This product was added to our catalog on Tuesday 24 November, 2009.