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Joseph Fiennes, Dennis Haysbert, Diane Kruger, Faith Ndukwana, Terry Pheto ... see more see more... , Lesley Mongezi , Zingi Mtuzula

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 ... read more read more...of the African National Congress -- imprisoned on Robben Island for sedition. As the story opens, the native African population of the country -- 25 million 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 humankind's ill treatment of one another and a genuine 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 multiracial democracy. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

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81% liked it

5,065 ratings

R, 1 hr. 58 min.

Directed by: Bille August

Release Date: December 14, 2007

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Flixster Reviews (524)

  • pontxo
    January 25, 2011
    pontxo
    Not a bad movie at all, although Dennis Haysbert as Nelson Mandela was the worst choice for such a role.
  • dredzag
    November 10, 2009
    dredzag
    This film, specially at the end, brought back a lot of memories of watching the news footage of Nelson Mandela walk out of prison a free man.

    Bit slow at times but I enjoyed it and I also learned a lot about Mr Mandela's imprisonment that I had not known before.

    In the end... read more this movie just reaffirmed my belief that discrimination, whatever it is, will always lose against the goodness of equality.

    BTW, this movie's alternate title is 'The Color Of Freedom' which is what Netflix has it under.
  • emeka79
    April 16, 2008
    emeka79
    Let me tell you now this movie is pretty long...longer than expected but very well done. I'm glad it doesn't try to do too much to sell the story just sticking the life of the guard. Thumbs up from yours truly.

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Critic Reviews

February 23, 2012
Variety

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Ben Rawson-Jones
July 14, 2011
Ben Rawson-Jones, Digital Spy

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