Invictus - scene by scene

INVICTUS : the film (2h08)

1- Chapter 1 is composed of historical videos and interviews dating back to Mandela's being released from prison in 1991 -

2- Mandela is waking up and going to work early in the morning – He is escorted by two bodyguards – A van stops to drop down a pile of newspapers – views on poor districts (probably in Pretoria ) - a group of black servants are getting lunch ready -  Mandela is shaving and looking at himself in the mirror / He looks thoughtful – The news on TV : We learn that it Mandela's first day as President – In a white family's home, a dad sounds worried about his son's and the country's future –

3 - Back to Mandela's first day in his office : view on Union buildings – Mandela asks all his staff to come together so that he can talk to them all – He's telling them all can stay and work on here even if they worked for the previous government - « The past is the past »

4- Mr Mandela's chief bodyguard (Jason) is waiting for new men to protect the President – As white men come into his office, he fears he might be arrested – in fact, the men have just been hired by the President himself – the room is divided into 2 groups, the white men and the black ones, looking at each other - we understand that black and white people are going to work for the first time ever together – Jason wants the President to explain his decision : « The Rainbow nation starts here – Reconciliation starts here » - Jason doesn't understand because of the recent past events – Mandela is asking him to forgive and try to accept the new situation – Jason has just fetched the schedule for the month and the white bodyguards notice Mandela has planned to work a lot – Jason notices a rugby match coming soon and is getting worried – a few differences are quite obvious : the whites support England whereas the Blacks don't ; the whites don't want to call the President his « clan name » Madiba – The room is divided into the 2 groups again

5- The rugby match : captain François Pineaar and his South-African team (the Springboks) are presented – Mandela is showing himself to the cheering and booing crowd – The president is shaking hands with all the sportsmen and then is coming back to the crowd to smile at them and give them a wave – then he is coming closer to the supporters ( mostly whites) to shake hands with them and thank them for being here – Jason and the bodyguards are worried – We can still hear the crow boo – someone has just thrown a pop-corn cup at the President – the bodyguards are discussing the incident – The match is starting and England soon scores goals – The President decides to work while watching the match – He and his minister (or assistant) have noticed the apartheid flags and the fact that Black people are cheering England whereas White People are cheering the Springboks – another assistant is trying to talk Mandela into changing the name of the team, the color... in case they lose the match.

6- In the changing rooms of the Springboks : the players look disappointed and tired – a man on TV is commenting on the match and on the team's failure – we can see different people watching him and reacting to his comments, among whom the captain and Mandela – in a church of a poor and black district : a white woman is giving children second-hand clothes for themselves and their family ; a boy refuses to take a Springbok t-shirt because it still represents apartheid – At the national sports council, the leader is talking the audience into eliminating the Springboks and into changing the team, along with its colours (green and gold) and emblem ; people are raising their hands and mostly want the new team to become “the Proteas”- The President is being informed straight away

7- As the bodyguards are getting to their cars, the President's assistant is trying to convince him to follow the black population's opinion, that is change the Springboks and eliminate them but Mandela refuses to do so for ethical reasons – Mandela is welcomed by the leader of the national sports council and is explaining why the Springboks have to be restored immediately despite the earlier vote – Only 12 people are following him – He and his assistant are discussing his reasons in the car while leaving the place

8- The match is over, the Springboks have lost (20-49) - back to the Springboks' changing room : the captain is giving a toast to defeat – he and his mates are all throwing their can of beer at the door

9- At Mandela's office – Mandela is getting his salary but there is a problem – On TV at Pineaar's home we can hear he has decided to give 1/3 of his salary to charity because he thinks he is overpaid – François is receiving a phone call and is being invited for tea by the President – François is arriving at the Union buildings ; he is escorted by a white bodyguard ; François and him talk about the President because he wants to know more about him ; the bodyguard is saying that for Mandela “No one is invisible”

10- Mandela and François meet – Mandela wants to know about François' ankle who look surprised – tea is served – they are talking about inspiration – François gets to his girlfriend's car and tells her he thinks Mandela wants them to win the World Cup

11- At Mandela's home – He and his wife are talking about the meeting with François because we can see a photo of them shaking hands on the front page of the newspaper – She disagrees with his decisions – they both disagree on main ethical issues

12- The Springboks are training – Mr Mandela is being explained how the world cup of Rugby takes place -  The team is asked to appear at clinics to entertain the sick – the mates don't agree but François tells them they need to change

13- The bus team is driving them into one of the poorest districts in Pretoria –  all the children on the rugby field are gathering around the black payer of the team, Chester  - the captain is teaching them the main rules of rugby and they start practicing – at the end of the afternoon, the white players and the black children clap their hands together – as the bus is leaving, the children cheer and the horn beeps – we can see a sign and read “One team – one country”, Mandela's motto during his campaign – back to the President's office : a meeting is taking place, serious matters are being discussed but Mandela decides to interrupt the speech to watch the news on TV showing the Springboks playing with the black children ; the President is delighted  

14- A plane is landing at Johannesburg – it is the team's plane ; a journalist is commenting the team's chances to win the quarter final – Mandela who's watching the news, is wondering if the team can beat Australia – then he is writing a poem on his desk : this poem is called “invictus” - the bus team is driving them through the city – a sign is shown, on which “South Africa – rugby – world cup – 1995” can be read – the players only have one week to train - the bodyguards are preparing Mandela's protection during the first match – Mandela is in his car and wants his assistant, Brenda, to test him on the players' names – the payers are running and cheered in the street – François is trying to persuade his players to sing the national anthem but they refuse to do so – He is telling them the song means “God bless Africa”

15- The President is being interviewed about his opinion on the team and on rugby – we learn that he has changed his mind and used to support the Springboks' rivals – he has come in a helicopter to meet the team who are training – in person, he wants to wish them good luck for tomorrow's match – he is shaking hands with all the players and knows everyone's name – Chester is missing and injured, the President looks worried about that – he is giving François a sheet of paper, probably the poem he was writing a few days before – Mandela can's go to bed the night before the match because he is too excited and prefers to watch TV instead – François' girlfriend is visiting him ; he tells her about the poem and is making a connection between her visit, the poem and the word “inspiration”

16- The first match : Australia VS South Africa – South African has won – all the crowd is overwhelmed with joy – A party is given : First on Mandela's side – he is dancing and seducing a woman ; all the people celebrating the Springboks' success are black here ; a music band is playing music – then, on Pineaar's side : all the people around him are white this time  ; they are drinking – Pineaar is informing his mates they have to run at 6:00 am the next morning

17- The players are running – then they are embarking on a boat with their girlfriends and are sailing towards an island – we learn that they are entering the prison where Mandela had been kept since 1964 – we can see his cell – François is closing the door of the cell and measuring the space of the place by stretching out his arms ; Mandela's poem is read aloud and François can see him working in the prison ground and sitting on his chair – We can hear the poem's last sentences :