I disagree with your points 1 & 2. I found the time passed smoothly for me and I think the security subplot was important for several reasons.
First of all it gave main characters a chance to express the bitterness of the blacks towards the whites. It wouldn't have had as much impact had it just been a few one-scene blacks scowling at a couple of nameless white extras, or if it had just been the wide shots of the black people booing the springbocks.
Secondly, it illuminates how extraordinary a man Mandela is. He was not simply a figurehead of a unifying government. He was unique in his remarkable compassion. Most of his staff wanted nothing to do with the whites. His security staff were livid when they discovered they would have to work side-by-side with them. It served as a quick, clear explanation to the audience that Mandela's quest was not simply to conquer the racism of his white opressors, but to eliminate all racism in South Africa completely and establish a nation of peace and harmony.
It set the scene before the introduction of football into the plot to show what the atmosphere of his country was like and the enormity of his challenge, thereby allowing football to be introduced as a possible solution. Without sufficient context, this movie could easilly have come across as one that was simply about an unpopular football team - not a nation in turmoil.
Thirdly, it later aloud Eastwood to show how Mandela's plan was working, while it was still in action, through that brief scene where the white and black bodyguards (who had previously hated each other) were playing a friendly game of football in his yard together.
"Feeling Stupid? I know I am!" - Homer J. Simpson
reply
share