It’s Morgan Freeman Time

One of things that is marvelous about Invictus is Morgan Freeman. To those who know him and love him will count this, I feel confident in saying, as one of his best performances. I used to think nothing could rival Red but his Mandela is right up there. And this time he gets to do an accent and nails it, so writes the NY Times’ profile on Freeman:

As someone who studied Mr. Mandela over the course of three years while he replaced an apartheid regime with a genuine democracy, I found Mr. Freeman’s performance in the film “Invictus,” directed by Clint Eastwood, uncanny — less an impersonation than an incarnation.He gets the rumble and halting rhythm of Mr. Mandela’s speech, the erect posture and stiff gait. There is a striking physical resemblance, enhanced by the fact that Mr. Freeman, 72, is just a few years younger than Mr. Mandela was in the period the film covers. More important, Mr. Freeman conveys the manipulative charm, the serene confidence, the force of purpose, the hint of mischief and the lonely regret that made Mr. Mandela one of the most fascinating political figures of his time. This is not, as the film’s screenwriter, Anthony Peckham, put it, “Rich Little doing Mandela in Vegas.”

After the cut – the chilling, beautiful Freeman scene in Shawshank: