Invictus - Matt Damon and Morgan Freeman on Monday Night Conversation

BlackTree TV's Brooke Christopher sits down to talk with Academy Award® Winners Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon to talk about their new picture, Invictus.

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION
Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire, it has the power to unite people, in a way that little else does.
Nelson Mandela
The 1995 World Cup Final was, to most people around the world, little more than a thrilling rugby match. But to the people of South Africa, it was a turning point in their history—a shared experience that helped to heal the wounds of the past even as it gave new hope for the future. The architect of this benchmark event was the nations president, Nelson Mandela. Its builders were the members of South Africas rugby team, the Springboks, led by their captain, Francois Pienaar.
Directed by Clint Eastwood, Invictus chronicles how President Mandela and Francois Pienaar joined forces to turn their individual hopes—the president, to unite his country; the captain, to lead the nations team to World Cup glory—into one shared goal with the motto One team, one country.
In the film, Mandela calls upon Pienaar to lead his team to greatness, citing 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. The title is translated to mean unconquered, which, Eastwood says, doesnt represent any one character element of the story. It takes on a broader meaning over the course of the film.
Morgan Freeman stars in the role of Nelson Mandela and also serves as an executive producer on the film. This is an important story about a world-shaking event that too few people know about, he states. I cannot think of any moment in history when a nation coalesced so suddenly and so completely. I was proud to have the opportunity to tell this story. And when you have the chance to tell it with Clint Eastwoods abilities...its something you just have to do.
As Invictus opens, Nelson Mandela—a man who had spent 27 years in prison for fighting against apartheid—is 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.
Eastwood notes, This story takes place at a critical point in Mandelas 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.

A BlackTree Media Production

Footage courtesy of Warner Bros Pictures

Segment Produced by Jamaal Finkley

On Camera Talent Brooke Christopher

for more info log onto http://www.blacktree.tv

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• Morgan
• Freeman
• Clint
• EAstwood
• Matt
• Damon
• Academy
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• Brooke
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• BlackTree
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• South
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• Nelson
• Mandela
• Springboks
• rugby
• world
• cup
• football

[leomburroughes1]

the world cup for rugby, is in 2011, and is in New Zealand, the football (or soccer) world cup is in South Africa, they're completely different

[utarefson670]

Go bokke! Yeah South Africa did what very few countries have been able to do. Change peacefully. Proud to be South African.

[jdowney429]

This is an epic film. It is amazing to see what was going on in the world around the time I was born.

[blacktreemedia]

@Fireslingerpirate I don't have to argue that the Republicans started it, it is quite obvious. The Republicans continue it with their courting special interest and lobby groups instead of their constituents and the American People. The middle class are paying the bill, they are not getting the tax breaks. They are our military, our teachers, our fireman our police. They make america, not the Ultra rich. Of course 20% of 1 million is more than 35% of 50K, but which is more?

[Fireslingerpirate]

@blacktreemedia honestly this is my last response because im tierd of listening to your support the lazy liberal act. politics as a whole is crooked and each have their blames. the democrats are the problem that is sinking the country RIGHT NOW with their desire to become socialist. You can argue that the Republicans started it, the problem is the democrats continue it. Have a nice life

[blacktreemedia]

@Fireslingerpirate Overall i find it amusing that someone that says they play runscape for hours on end, will sit and call someone else lazy. And if you are not American, maybe you should worry about your own Stupid country. If Obama voted for the war, than Congress also voted for the economic policies that have left us in debt. So why does Obama get the blame on one end and Bush get's expunged on the other. I will tell you why, because your problem is with his black skin.

[blacktreemedia]

@Fireslingerpirate I find it odd, that people continue to try to credit President Bush for two failures. First they credit him for keeping America Safe after September 11, but disregard that September 11 happened on his watch. Obama has actually kept the country safe. Then they try to credit Bush with catching Osama when he obviously made several slips that actually aided in his escape, but they charge Obama with keeping the country less safe. It all sounds illogical to me

[blacktreemedia]

@Fireslingerpirate No Bush was responsible for 11 trillion, he signed the first bailout to help save the banks that he caused to almost fail because of the housing crisis that he caused.  Where is the 7 tril that Obama added. Was it because he decided to finally put the two wars in the budget that Bush had conveniently excluded from the budget. You see, I think the fools are those that think that Obama caused the problems that obviously did not begin with his term.