Filed under: Coming Up Next

Eastwood's Mandela Feature Gets Titled 'Invictus'

Find out the meaning behind the title

For so long people have referred to Clint Eastwood's upcoming film as The Human Factor since it was first announced as an adaptation of John Carlin's book "Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation" as adapted by Anthony Peckham. Well, that title never stuck and for quite some time it has simply been referred to as the Untitled Clint Eastwood Nelson Mandela Project, but not any longer.

Kris Tapley at In Contention, through a series of check/double-check, has revealed the title to be Invictus, which means "Invincible" in Latin and was the title of a short poem written by William Earnest Henley and published in 1875. Apparently the connection to Mandela is that the Henley piece served as inspiration to the freedom fighter. Tapley even went so far as to uncover a quote from a Reader's Digest interview in which Mandela references the poem:

Reader's Digest: When you were in prison all those long years on Robben Island and elsewhere, was there something that came back to you, something you had either in your mind, a message or passage from a book, a song, something that helped sustain you and keep up your spirits?

Mandela: There was a poem by an English poet, W.E. Henley, called "Invictus." The last lines go: "It matters not how straight the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul."

Tapley has even more on the poem right here.

As for the newly titled Invictus, it is sure to be an awards contender once it is released in December with what I will assume to be a traditional slow roll-out followed by a larger release in 2010.

The film stars Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela and tells the story of how he joined forces with the captain of South Africa's rugby team to help unite their country. Newly elected President Mandela knows his nation remains racially and economically divided in the wake of apartheid. Believing he can bring his people together through the universal language of sport, Mandela rallies South Africa's underdog rugby team as they make an unlikely run to the 1995 World Cup Championship match.

Matt Damon plays Francois Pienaar, the rugby captain.

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Post #1
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That makes sense, since there are already 2 other unrelated films called "The Human Factor," anyway.

- Carson Dyle
( June 2nd, 2009 | 11:19 pm )
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Post #2
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I'm not sure what it is, but the 20th Century has done some wonderful things to reinvigorate Mr. Eastwood's directing career. Let's examine the evidence:

(2003) Mystic River
(2004) Million Dollar Baby
(2006) Flags of our Fathers, Letters from Iwo Jima
(2008) Changeling, Gran Torino

I'm quite sure that Invictus will be another Oscar-caliber film. It will probably be nominated for Best Picture. Also, I find it fascinating that here again Mr. Eastwood will be examining the issue of race. I like what he had to say in "Gran Torino," I hope this film is as astute and original in its observations (though perhaps without all the racial slurs).

Don't die anytime soon Clint, the century's not over yet.

- The Jackal
( June 3rd, 2009 | 12:43 am )
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Post #3
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@Myself: Correction – that would be the "21st Century" that's been kind to Eastwood

- The Jackal
( June 3rd, 2009 | 12:45 am )
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Post #4
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"@Myself: Correction – that would be the “21st Century” that’s been kind to Eastwood"

Whilst I agree wholeheartedly that Eastwood's recent work has been exceptional, not just for himself but for any living American filmmaker, let's not allow his recent work to obscure the fact that did actually make many great or near great movies during the 20th century.

Namely The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976), Bird (1988), White Hunter, Black Heart (1999), Unforgiven (1992), A Perfect World (1993) & The Bridges of Madison County (1995) .. for starters.

We can also add to that many fine Eastwood-directed titles such as Play Misty for Me (1971), High Plains Drifter (1972), Breezy (1973), The Gauntlet (1977), Bronco Billy (1981), Honkeytonk Man (1982) & Sudden Impact (1983), Tightrope (1984) & Space Cowboys (2000).

If we add his last six films to the list that's 21 out of the 30 movies Eastwood's directed & that's without counting decent, entertaining fare such as Every Which Way But Loose (1978) & Blood Work (2000). Funny how some continue to insist that he's an 'uneven' director. I'd like to see another working American director with a track record of comparable size to Eastwood's who could boast his level of attainment.

- Frankie
( June 3rd, 2009 | 5:26 am )
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Post #5
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Clint Eastwood is an extraordinarily talented director. But let's not nominate his newest film for any awards, much less best picture, until it has been edited, released, and viewed, at the very least.

@Frankie: Seriously? You're listing "Every Which Way But Loose" as decent entertaining fare? Now that's a die hard Eastwood fan.

- Patricia
( June 3rd, 2009 | 5:51 am )
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"@Patricia: @Frankie: Seriously? You’re listing “Every Which Way But Loose” as decent entertaining fare? Now that’s a die hard Eastwood fan."

Patricia, Every Which Way But Loose was Eastwood's highest grossing movie at that point in his career, indeed for a long while afterwards. And if you play the 'adjusting for inflation' game it may just be Eastwood's most commercially successful picture of all. So describing it as I did seems no more than the truth. Clearly, that's what the public felt. Look, it's just a silly, knockabout comedy (I wouldn't dream of describing it as a masterpiece) but on it's own level it does work. It's professionally made, it's very enjoyable & it was so popular with the public it spawned a sequel. Dismiss it all you like but them's the facts.

- Frankie
( June 3rd, 2009 | 6:26 am )
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@Frankie: Well, you've convinced me of your reasoning. But I remember why I went to see it at the time: it was because I couldn't believe Clint Eastwood would be in such an openingly dumb film. ("Paint Your Wagon" had been 9 years earlier and we had all ignored that fiasco. At least it had been a Western of sorts. )Yeah, and then he did the sequel to "Any Which Way…" I remember thinking it was the death of a great career. Boy, did he prove me, and others, wrong.

- Patricia
( June 3rd, 2009 | 9:01 am )
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