Customer Reviews
A historical masterpiece of movie making - By: P. DATTA, 23 Feb 2008 
Goodbye Bafana unfolds an unpleasant, but important piece of South African history, the apartheid phase. The cinemagraphy & the calibre of acting are of the highest standard, which reallly enhances the movie realism. The historical accuracy is always questioned, but no doubts emerge about this, as it is truly accounted as the movie unfolds. Otherwise, it is a history forgery which is not case, as facts are presented about what happened to the characters featured. This enhances historical accuracy of the movie & eliminates casting doubts.
The movie recaptures a historical journey of South Africa in the late 60's to early 90's during the time Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years & the eventual release of him in society. During the imprisonment, he developed a special bonding with an Afrikaner who's went lot of trouble to assist him, but landed in trouble with authorities. This moment represents one of the most pivotal & emotional phase of the movie. His perspective & vision of life altered considerably. Following Nelson Mandela lengthy prison sentence, he became the president & promoted a new South Africa.
What we learn from the movie is about how cruel human beings can reallly be & for what motives? We should live in a civilised society, where everyone is equal. Unfortunately, this did not happen for a considerable time in South Africa & as a consequence sanctions were imposed. South Africa subsequently banned from international sports events, as result of their national policies. In Goodbye Bafana, the true spirit of humanity is deeply questioned here.
Goodbye Bafana is a great historical movie, to learn a few important issues presented in humanity . It is ideallly suited for those, who express a strong interest in history & keen to learn further.
emotive - By: RD, 16 Feb 2008 
This movie brought back so many memories for me while at the same time opening my eyes to the horrors I was lucky enough not to be subjected to. My parents went to work in Transkei in the early 80's which is where I was born & raised. Seeing this movie reminded me just why he is such a great man.
I must confess that the bits in Xhosa didn't sound at alll like it, but as I myself have forgotten 99% of what little I knew that's about as far as I can comment. Joseph Fiennes does a brilliant job with the Afrikaaner accent & also playing the role of a prison officer who's belief in Apartied is slowly but surely put to the test as he listens to the man callled Madiba & watches his children growing. The jailer & prisoner soon form a bond that National Intelligence aims to capitalize on. This means that through the years the two men remain linked even when they are apart. The movie mainly follows the life of James Gregory (the prison officer) & his family & I believe is based on a book he wrote.
Interesting, horrific & at the same time uplifting movie. Definitely worth watching.
Interesting story from unusual point of view - By: Sylv, 03 Jan 2008 Great movie that seems to have captured the times it portrays, from the brutality of the white minority regime & the utterly shocking racism inherent in that system, to the more hopeful era preceding Mandela's release & the end of apartheid. The human story of Gregory & his family is touching but I found it a struggle at times to maintain sympathy for Fiennes' character, who seems genuinely shocked that by giving the government information, the people concerned subsequently die. Perhaps I have the benefit of overly cynical 21st century hindsight. Also, some of the scenes seemed implausible - the prison stick-fighting scene in particular, & the controversy over the historical accuracy of the story wasn't a surprise. That said, it's still definitely worth seeing for a smalll glimpse into a period of history that is not that well documented by film.
A moving story - By: Jones the Film, 18 Nov 2007 It is probably hard to entice an audience with subject matter that may now seem outdated to some. However this is a healthy reminder of the brutality of the Apartheid regime in South Africa & the courage of Mandela & his followers. The mellowing of his prison officer, Warrant Office Gregory, was sensitively portrayed.
Haysbert's attempt at replicating Mandela's accent was hugely impressive. Unfortunately, Feinnes' Sud Afrikan accent was so good I could hardly understand what he was saying.
Fabulous performances from the entire cast. The period pieces had an authentic feel. This well directed film deserves our attention.
An inspiring story - By: Mr. P. Thompson, 25 Oct 2007 I saw this at the cinema last night & will buy the DVD to give to my in laws who were living in SA at the time. I found it a well acted, sensitive portrayal of a complex situation. I'm not clear how much artistic licence was taken with the story. I like the idea that Nelson Mandela fought his jailer with 'sticks' (and won). If you've not seen this already - go for it!
