Product Description

Mandela & De Klerk was filmed in South Africa. Most of the locations are those where the actual events took place, and the dramatized sequences are augmented with newsreel footage to ensure the most accurate portrayal possible of recent historical events.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #79836 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-06-07
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: Afrikaans, English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 114 minutes

Amazon.com
Sidney Poitier and Michael Caine both received Emmy nominations for their performances in this made-for-TV movie. The plot follows Nelson Mandela's 27-year struggle to end apartheid. That segregation was abolished without bloodshed also had much to do with the political maneuverings of South African President F.W. de Klerk, played with convincing and tired resolution by Caine. Poitier plays the more powerful personality, and shines as the self-assured leader. Filmed in Cape Town, this extremely talky and sometimes static film is intriguing as a historical study. As a drama, it is a bit dry. --Rochelle O'Gorman

Customer Reviews

When Vision Is Not Enough...Make It Reality!
This video is an excellent follow-up to the former video produced where Danny Glover plays Mr. Mandela. It takes up where the other video leaves off! Not only does it do an excellent job of portraying the struggle of a people but enables you to see all prospectives involved, namely those of the white South African community. My whole family is inspired by the life of Mr. Mandela and all those involved. And after seeing this version of the circumstances, I was able to see the sacrifices of Mr. DeKlerk also! I am inspired to achieve those visions in my own life and not to fear what man or society may do to me! Thank God for men with a vision and a will to see it became a reality!

Mandela's South Africa...
Although the movie gave me great insight into the turbulent times of the struggle of aparthied, I wish the movie could have done more to portray the multilayered conflicts that surrounded race relations in South Africa during this time. I also felt as if the ending could have continued into what Mandela did next after becoming President of South Africa.

Time Mag called this relationship a fascinating pas de deux
"Mandela and de Klerk" is a 1997 made-for-TV docudrama that a history buff shouldn't miss. I didn't even know of this until this month (Could this have been so under the radar or was my rock difficult to climb out of?). The film chronicles the efforts of then South African President Frederik Willem de Klerk to release anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela from prison and pave the way for a new constitution and abolishment of apartheid. This is, of course, an extremely simplified synopsis of the film. The film itself is quite complex, primarily because the central characters - Mandela and de Klerk - are complex individuals, as one would expect of history makers. Their relationship was cagey at best, and both men seem larger than life, skillfully bartering with the powers they held and keeping at bay the forces that would have easily exploded into civil war. Add to this the magic that is Poitier and Caine, and I assure you, this will be one of the best hour-and-a-half you'll spend.

The negotiations between the two central characters dominate the film. To fully appreciate these exchanges, I found it helpful to brush up on some basics (e.g., the African National Congress and its raison d'etre, Die Groot Krokodil or P.W. Botha, the staunch defender of apartheid, etc.). Even without these preparations, the film is so expertly plotted and scripted that the viewer walks away having learned a great deal of Pres. Mandela's intelligence and struggles, and appreciating the equally intelligent and progressive Afrikaner, de Klerk. As god-like as they would seem, I admired the filmmaker's refusal to deify both men. They are depicted as the very real people that they are, faults and all. They resent each other, they attack each other, they abhor each other, and they make grand history together. What a film!