Goodbye Bafana

• Dennis Haysbert: Nelson Mandela
• Joseph Fiennes: James Gregory

Goodbye Bafana (English for Goodbye Bafana ) is a film drama from 2007, which is based on the memoirs of Nelson Mandela's prison guard James Gregory. Bafana is the name of his black childhood friend, who should remain present throughout his life. "Goodbye Bafana " are the words with which James Gregory finished his book of the same when he passed Nelson Mandela to freedom. The film for the first time at the Berlinale 2007 theatrical release in Germany was shown was 12 April 2007. Feature film was produced by the company X Filme Creative Pool ( Germany ), Banana Films ( Belgium) and Arsam International ( France).

Action

South Africa in 1968: Towards the brutal Apartheid regime of the National Party always formed stronger resistance. For fear of losing power, the white government bans all resistance organizations and banned their political leaders on the prison island Robben Iceland near Cape Town.

So even Nelson Mandela, the racist prison guard James Gregory meets on Robben Iceland. Gregory, who has grown up with Xhosa and therefore dominated Mandela's native language Xhosa, is head of the censorship department and checked the mail, and the conversations of the prisoners. In time, he learns Nelson Mandela always better to know and from the former racists Gregory is a supporter of the struggle for a free South Africa.

Reviews

• Rolf von der Reith wrote in the digital TV 8/2007, that the exciting story was told, unfortunately, too nice and sedate, but under the woodcut -like characters in the movie would persuade the 24- star Dennis Haysbert.

• Movie service: The film tells how in the embossed by the apartheid regime man gradually over the racial boundaries grows respect for the prisoners and an intimate friendship is formed. The staging makes use of many deeply moving moments, but their historical credibility is doubtful. A voluptuous and quite noble dream without binding to the real events.

• Critic.de: Goodbye Bafana will tell the history of a racist man and the basis of his example that of a just such a regime. Only this happens in leaps, not gradual, and is therefore difficult to understand and involvierend. After some common scenes that offer little opportunity for a credible approach between the two main characters, Gregory already beating on Mandela's side so that everything that follows thereafter can miss excitement and surprise.