Coming from the World Premiere of “Behind the Rainbow“, which was held last night at Maponya Mall in Soweto, one can’t shake the feeling of how the media has actually shaped the perceptions of the man on the street with regards to South African politics and especially with regard to the personalities behind the politics.

Behind the Rainbow, directed by the seminal filmmaker Jihan El-Tahri, covers South Africa’s political history focusing on the internal struggles and challenges faced by the ruling party, the ANC. One can’t help being moved by the understanding of the conflicts within the party as we see very different personalities coming up against each other; each with their own way of working and their own visions of the future of their organisation and their country, even though they subscribe to the same Charter.

Of particular interest to me was the focus on the very recent events in which Thabo Mbeki (ex-President of South Africa) went up against his life-long friend and fellow comrade in the struggle for the ANC, Jacob Zuma. Two very different personalities by all accounts and the events which lead up to these two going up against each other at the Polokwane conference in 2007 and the recent “re-calling” of Thabo Mbeki by the ANC. Everything is covered… Corruption, The arms deal, Jacob Zuma’s Rape Accusation, the un-wielding support of Jacob Zuma by ANC members, the mindset behind the ANC Supporters and the Youth of the ANC in general, Black Economic Empowerment, etc. All of which give you a holistic understanding of what the ANC faced as they were put into power.

Many members of the ANC were present at the premiere itself… Mac Maharaj, Andrew Feinstein and some others who were featured in the documentary as well. The personal interviews with both Mbeki and Zuma, as well as personal perspectives of Members within the ANC make the documentary more personable than any other recent documentary done on the ANC and its internal workings. The fact that the documentary covers aspects right up until the recent appointment of current President Kgalema Motlanthe (who is also featured prominently in the documentary), shows its relevance to the here and now.

Overall, it was a very well researched documentary on the current state of South African Politics and the direction was nothing short of brilliant. It isn’t slow or make you lose interest in any way and keeps you hooked onto pertinent topics without straying or becoming boring. The points hit home hard, everything we’ve read in newspapers, seen on tV and analysed among friends is covered and criticised by the ANC members themselves.

A definite must-see for any South African interested in the past, present and future of the country they live in.

Directed by: Jihan El-Tahri

Produced by: Steven Markovitz

Behind the Rainbow – Trailer

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Jihan el-Tahri, Behind the Rainbow, Documentary, South Africa, Politics, Jacob Zuma, Thabo Mbeki, Nelson Mandela, Chris Hani, Andrew Feinstein, Mac Maharaj, ANC, African National Congress, Polokwane, Steve Markovitz

I finally watched it and I’d like to tell all the people that told me that it was a waste of time that they were wrong. Dead wrong.

I really enjoyed the movie simply because it seemed, well… real. The story, the characters, the setting, etc. All of it really jumped off the screen and hit you like it was some adaptation of a true life story. Apart from the brand heritage which Rocky Balboa has for anyone who grew up during the 70’s and 80’s. Rocky is a Legend, and Stallone really did a good job of bringing the franchise back for one last go… the same as the protagonist.

Normally, what you’ll find with the last-shot-at-it type movies is that they fall flat and don’t ring true to the originals… This one really does, paying homage to it’s glorious past and still being true to modern cinema.

I grew up with Rocky… I remember shouting at the TV every single time he was in the ring, no matter how many re-runs of it I saw. I have written something similar about Why I Like Rambo on my personal blog, and I think the same goes here. The movie does not seem strewn together in order to make a little money off the side off of a dying franchise, but it has heart… real heart. The emotions which the movie invokes on so many different occasions is incredible. The only reason I can think that so many people don’t get it and hate it (and this goes for most movies) is because they sit “outside” the movie and try and judge it critically instead of sitting there, getting involved in the movie and seeing if you really enjoy it or it irritates you.

So that’s it from me. What do you think about Stallone’s foray into making the last sequels in the Rocky and Rambo franchises? And did you enjoy them?

No, don’t get scared, they aren’t remaking Jarhead. I was just looking through my files, and saw that I had written a review for Jarhead. Here goes…

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