A chronicle of Nelson Mandela';s life journey from his childhood in a rural village through to his inauguration as the first democratically elected president of South Africa.
This film is only superficially illuminating, briefly informative; the drama is only mildly engaging, the imprisonment distantly horrific. It insists upon keeping us at an arm's length for its not inconsiderable running time.
Long Walk to Freedom is a solidly crafted drama and a timely reminder of Mandela's achievements. The younger generation and those who haven't read the autobiography may find it fascinating.
Even those familiar with the history will be impressed and moved to see these events as Mandela experienced them, before the Nobel Prize and universal adulation recast the past in a glow of inevitability.
