Saturday, February 6, 2010

Unbeaten

Clint Eastwood's film Invictus(2009) honors a poem by William Ernest Henley (1849-1903) that was controversial when first published in 1875, due to its closing affirmation "I am the mater of my fate: / I am the captain of my soul." Apparently the poem helped Nelson Mandela to keep his head up through the long prison years. This must be Eastwood's response to the question, "Can Poetry Make Anything Happen?"



Links
Anne Billson, "Invictus aside, poetry in cinema is embarrassing," Guardian (January 28, 2010).
"Invictus: When Mandela — and sport — united a nation," Guardian (January 2010).
Trailer for Invictus from the Guardian (January 1, 2010).
Official Website for Invictus (wwws.warnerbros.co.uk/invictus).
Translation of "Invictus" into French by Yves Lanthier on Termexplore (December 2009).