Tag Archives: Francois Pienaar

South Africa sparkles on Oscar screen

South Africa features strongly on the Oscar nominee list, which was announced in Hollywood last week, reports the Cape Argus, and will be good for the marketing of the country.

South African film ‘District 9’, a movie which is set in a township in Johannesburg, has been nominated for Best Picture, Best Editing, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Visual Effects awards.    ‘District 9’ is up against ‘Avatar’, which has won all the major movie awards to date, specifically as far as special effects are concerned, a strength of “District 9′ too. 

‘Invictus’ has been enjoyed by many South Africans, living in the country and abroad, who nostalgically  relived the World Cup Rugby championship, which was played in South Africa in 1995.   Then-President Nelson Mandela wore the number 6 jersey when he went on the field before the final match between South Africa and New Zealand was played, to help the South African team face the power and strength of the New Zealand team.  South Africa won against all odds.   Matt Damon successfully plays Springbok rugby captain Francois Pienaar, at least as far as his South African accent goes, while Morgan Freeman is less successful with Nelson Mandela’s accent.   See the review of Invictus here.   Invictus has been nominated for Best Actor (Morgan Freeman) and Best Supporting Actor (Matt Damon).

The Oscars take place on 7 March.

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com

‘Invictus’ a victory for South Africa

When leaving the cinema after seeing ‘Invictus’, I could not come to a conclusion about my feelings about the movie.   While it has a star cast of international actors (Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon) and a star director in Clint Eastwood, and is set in Cape Town and Johannesburg, which bodes well for the country’s awareness and visibility, there was a nagging question as to which movie-goers around the world would be interested in a movie about South Africa’s transformation into a democracy almost 20 years ago, and more particularly, the country winning the Rugby World Cup in 1995 against all odds.   

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt and one of their adopted sons were at the premiere of the movie in Los Angeles a week ago, and one wonders what would have made them see the movie, other than respect for their fellow-actors and the producer.

The filming is mainly concentrated on the rugby field and in Madiba’s official residences and offices.  Cape Town features in the scenic shots, one being a magnificent shot of a SAA aeroplane flying in front of Table Mountain; various shots of the V&A Waterfront, including a trip to Robben Island on the ferry, and a number of rugby match celebrations at Ferrymans; and a run on Beach Road in Mouille Point, the lighthouse forming a dominant backdrop.

While most would say that Morgan Freeman was the star of the movie, playing the role of the magnificent Nelson Mandela, who sees the Rugby World Cup as a way in which to unite 42 million South Africans, it is Matt Damon who is the real star.   Matt Damon IS Francois Pienaar, and speaks with a most believable South African accent; Morgan Freeman is Morgan Freeman in voice, and is Nelson Mandela in looks only.

Nostalgically, the movie was interesting to see, in observing how much and yet how little has changed in South Africa in 20 years.    Long-forgotten brand names, such as Volkskas, Xerox and Iscor, and old logos such as those of SAA and Coca Cola, were visible around the rugby fields.

One error was that Madiba was seen to be reading the Cape Argus for breakfast!   Some characters had too pronounced an (unrealistic) South African accent, including Pienaar’s mother, and the white security men.   Pienaar’s wife Nerine, played by local actress Marguerite Wheatley, was very real in acting and speaking.  Both Freeman and Damon have been nominated for the Screen Actors’ Guild awards, as best actor and best supporting actor, respectively.

The name of the movie comes from the Invictus poem by William Ernest Henley, which Mandela had in his prison cell on Robben Island, and was the mantra by which he survived:

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishment the scroll,

I am the master of my fate:

I am the captain of my soul.

Given the 2010 World Cup, and a similar scenario of only a particular section of the South African population enjoying soccer,  ‘Invictus’ may hold clues as to how President Zuma and FIFA will get all South Africans behind the spirit of the world’s biggest soccer event.

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com

Where did IPL billions go?

The IPL Championships were moved from India to South Africa in April, as the Indian elections in May were a threat to cricket players participating in the cricket tournament.  

The cricket championship was billed as the saving grace to prevent South Africa from sliding into a recession, due to the vast sums of money it would generate for the economy.

Rugby hero Francois Pienaar was charged with the marketing of the event – did he not have a day-job at FNB in Cape Town?   His marketing budget is said to have been R 150 million!  

One wonders where the billions went to, as they do not appear to have benefited the small accommodation sector in Cape Town,  if the guest houses in Camps Bay are anything to go by.  The Cape Town matches were played late in April, and in the ten day period not one Camps Bay guest house had a booking from an IPL cricket supporter.   Talk of the town was that the cricketers and their fans had received a special deal at the One&Only Cape Town in the V & A Waterfront.

During the time of the IPL championships, few Indians were visible in Cape Town.  A busload were seen leaving the Vintage India restaurant in the Gardens’ Centre, and in April a smallish party was seen having lunch at Salt restaurant in the Ambassador Hotel.

The IPL ended off with a kitsch Miss Bollywood IPL South Africa competition, broadcast live on M-Net last Monday.  Presenter Micheal Moll looked ill at ease and struggled over his words in hosting the show.   Ex-Miss Universe Michelle McLean and Francois Pienaar were included on the judging panel.

Matt Damon celebrity Argus cyclist

Matt Damon is the most high-profile VIP to be riding in the Cape Argus Pick ‘n Pay Cycle Tour today, together with 35000 other cyclists.

The Cape Argus reports that Francois Pienaar, ex-Springbok Rugby captain,  inspired Damon to participate in the Cycle Race.  Damon plays Pienaar in the movie ‘The Human Factor’, which is about the 1995 Rugby World Cup win for South Africa, and is being filmed in Cape Town at the moment.   Pienaar climbed Mount Kilimanjaro this past week, only to come back and get on his bicycle and participate in the Cycle Tour, all in aid of charity.

The Cycle Tour has been successfully hosted in Cape Town for many years, and is estimated to contribute R 400 million to the economy of Cape Town and the Western Cape through entry fees, accommodation and restaurant costs, and travel costs.   Part of the monies generated by the race will go to charities.    The Tour also plays an important tourism marketing role for the city and its environs. 

For the first time in a number of years, the Cycle Tour will go through Chapman’s Peak, but only after the cyclists have signed an indemnity absolving the race organisers from any responsibility.