Soccer is far more than just a sport. It has both caused wars as well as resulted in a truce during World War I. But it also enriches our lives by allowing us to learn more about history and other cultures.
In preparation for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, I want to share a movie recommendation. It’s not a soccer movie but it’s set in South Africa and tells the true story of Stephen Biko and the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa. The film is called Cry Freedom, and it’s a classic. Directed by Richard Attenborough, and starring Kevin Kline and Denzel Washington, the movie tells the story of the friendship between journalist Donald Woods and freedom fighter Steven Biko.
Watch the above trailer to get a preview of what the movie is about, and feel free to rent it from your local movie store or find it online. It’s in my top ten movies of all time. And especially with the 2010 World Cup around the corner, I feel it’s important to understand part of the history of South Africa to get a better appreciation of how far they’ve come in such a relatively short amount of time.
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Gaffer,
Great topic to raise! I am interested in watching Invictus and hope it will be as good as some are claiming. It is not about football but it is definitely related to South Africa’s situation and at least involves a sport (Rugby)!
You definitely bring a great point which relates to football’s (soccer’s) role in dealing with social issues and in a number of cases defining cultural identity (look at Barca and the Catalan pride)
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Thanks Rami. More good news is that World Cup Buzz blogger Eric Altshule will publish a review of the movie Invictus in the coming days. While the movie has nothing to do with football, it is South Africa-related.
Cheers,
The Gaffer
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Brilliant choice! I also highly recommend this.
I took a South African history class in college in the spring of 1994, so my classmates and I got to follow the run-up to Mandela’s election while at the same time studying exactly how and why South Africa had gotten to where they were in the spring of 1994. It was very exciting, and I did a paper that went in-depth to the character, whose name is escaping me at the moment, that Kevin Kline portrays.
I’m also excited to see “Invictus,” as well.
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