Nelson Mandela And The Movies
Nelson Mandela, a true giant, has died at 95. Mandela, who was portrayed onscreen by Morgan Freeman, Sidney Poitier, Dennis Haysbert, Danny Glover, David Harewood, Terrence Howard and others, died in his bedroom at his suburban Johannesburg home. Idris Elba can now be seen playing the world leader in the biopic “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom,” based on his 1995 autobiography. The movie got mixed-to-positive reviews, but the great man’s death may propel Elba to an Oscar nomination for Best Actor and will certainly juice the box office this weekend. When Ray Charles died the year “Ray” came out, the death helped push Jamie Foxx to an Oscar. I don’t think the same will apply to Elba because the film isn’t strong enough, but we will see.
