Mandela

This two-hour 'official' biography, co-produced by Jonathan Demme, serves a double purpose. It's a populist résumé of the life of one of the 20th century's most remarkable men, tracing Mandela's days from his Xhosa village at the end of WWI to his Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 and his inauguration as President of South Africa in 1994. Mandela gives extensive studio and on-location interviews and narrates much of the film himself. Second, as a political work, it serves as a celebratory, if far from hagiographic tribute to the man, echoing to the sound of the 'revolutionary' voices and music, ancient and modern, of South Africa.