Book and Movie Reports by Ed

Movie report: Invictus I recently became interested in rugby and, looking for videos to help me understand the game, I happened upon the movie Invictus. I found a lot more than I was looking for. In 1994, Nelson Mandela, freed after nearly 30 years in prison as a political prisoner and recently elected President of South Africa, attends a match of the country’s rugby team, the Springboks (it’s a kind of gazelle). They are a pretty crappy team, and are losing to England. Mandela (played by Morgan Freeman) notices that the whites in the audience applaud when the Springboks score, but the blacks applaud when England scores. To the blacks, the Springboks (and their team colors), are a symbol of apartheid. Mandela sees this rugby team as a way to help unify the country. He invites the white team captain, Francois Pienaar (played by Matt Damon), to tea. Mystified, Pienaar accepts, and there is a strange meeting between the two. Although Mandela never said it, Pienaar comes away with th