Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom Teaser Trailer - Watch Idris Elba Give Voice To Apartheid Leader
Coming on the heels of the 94 year-old apartheid leaders hospitalization earlier this month, the teaser trailer for Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom is short on content but big on emotion and respect for the mans ideals.
Theres only one scene of actual footage, literally evoking the films metaphorical title with a long-shot of elderly Mandela walking along a sun-set field with children flagging behind him. What tugs the heart-strings is the stirring narration by actor Idris Elba, who portrays the former South African president, giving voice to Mandelas ethos: People learn to hate; they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart."
For Elba, whos got Pacific Rim opening now and the small-screen Luther returning for its third season, playing Mandela represents a well-deserved prominence that will likely garner awards season buzz. It will be interesting to see his take on the man and how it compares with Morgan Freemans version in Clint Eastwoods Invictus, where the president played a smaller role. If the voice and cadence featured here are any indication, its going to be a career-defining turn.
Directed by Justin Chadwick, whose "The First Grader" was the powerful tale of a Kenyan freedom fighter returning to elementary school for a formal education, "Mandela: The Long Road to Freedom" also stars Naomie Harris (28 Days Later, Skyfall) as Nelsons wife Winnie. The film opens in limited release in the US on November 19th and in the UK on January 3rd.
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