Invictus – Film Essay L2

Leadership

Drama

- Internal conflicts - External conflicts - Societal conflicts

Dialogue and close-ups

Dialogue and two-shot

Dialogue and mis-en-scene

- The Springboks - The flag - Nelson Mandela

The director uses dialogue and camerawork to convey the symbol of the springboks to show how it is possible to change attitudes.

Eastwood uses camerawork and historical film footage to show the symbol of the flag to convey its importance in changing attitudes.

Dialogue and close-up shots were used by Eastwood to express how Nelson Mandela was used as a symbol to show how a strong leader can change the negative attitudes of a nation in conflict.

\"I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul\" is a quote by William Henley in the poem Invictus. Clint Eastwood refers to this poem in the film 'Invictus' to convey the meaning of leadership and how it is a hard and lonely road to follow. The film represents symbolism in many ways, to portray leadership and how it was used to unite and heal the nation of South Africa in Feb 11 1990-1995. A strong leader in the film is Nelson Mandela, as he leads with forgiveness and reconciliation to bring the country together.

Eastwoods purpose in this film is to show how leadership is such a difficult task, as it forces us to make difficult decisions, and for the president in 1990-1995 it meant drawing two different races together peacefully, against what was expected to be violent. The Springboks, the flag and Nelson Mandela himself are strong symbols of how this leadership came to effective use.