Rugby has had a rough life on the silver screen, but this weekend a major film from Warner Bros. directed by Clint Eastwood opens hoping to score at the box office where not many have.
“Invictus” tells the inspiring true story of how Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) joined forces with the white captain of South Africa’s rugby team, Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon), to help unite their country during an improbable run at the 1995 World Cup.
The story begins with Nelson Mandela-a man who had spent 27 years in prison for fighting against apartheid- who is now elected president of a South Africa that is still bitterly divided. Though the unjust system has officially ended, the long-held racial lines between people cannot easily be erased. With his country teetering on the brink of implosion, President Mandela sees hope in an unlikely place: the rugby field. With South Africa poised to host the World Cup Finals, Mandela looks to unite the country behind their national team, the Springboks which, with the exception of one black, is an all-white squad.
Based on the book by John Carlin, Playing the Enemy, the green shirt of the Springboks was a powerful reminder to black South Africans of apartheid. Mandela’s bold and unusual maneuver of getting the black population to rally behind a traditionally all white sport and attempting to turn this symbol of division and hatred into a powerful tool of national unity makes for a compelling story. In the face of daunting social and economic crises, even the new President’s closest advisors question why he is focusing on something as seemingly insignificant as rugby.
Trying to connect with Pienaar to utilize his influence and leadership on the other players, Mandela cites a poem that was a source of inspiration and strength to him during his years in prison. It is later revealed that the poem is “Invictus,” by William Ernest Henley.
Mandela and Pienaar Won More Than a Rugby Title in 1995
Director Eastwood explains what appealed to him about the project using sport as a metaphor for teamwork, “This story takes place at a critical point in Mandela’s presidency. I think he demonstrated great wisdom in incorporating sport to reconcile his country. He knows he needs to pull everybody together, to find a way to appeal to their national pride-one thing, perhaps the only thing, they have in common at that time. He knows the white population and the black population will ultimately have to work together as a team or the country will not succeed, so he shows a lot of creativity using a sports team as a means to an end.”
That end is Mandela’s dream of a “rainbow nation,” starting with the Springbok colors of green and gold.
The film also has a familiar sports picture element of the underdog.
Eastwood explains, “Because of apartheid, South Africa had been banned from participating in international sporting events for years. So no one thinks the Springboks have much chance of winning, including them. But they open themselves up to the possibility.”
What is the possibility that two sports-themed pictures, Eastwood’s rugby-flavored “Invictus” opens this weekend number one, while football-tinged “The Blind Side” rolls up number 2? Have two sports pictures ever taken 1 and 2 at the box office in the same week?
If so that might have studio executives huddling up and examining how they can take those film’s two common elements, violent sports with racial themes, and expand their development roster to take advantage of that success.
