INVICTUS

INVICTUS... is a Latin word that means "unconquered"; it is a short poem by British author William Ernest Henley
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Ernest_Henley
(1849-1903) first published in 1875 that goes like this...

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.


In the fell clutch of Circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of Chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.


Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find me, unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

INVICTUS was also chosen by Timothy McVeigh (the man who was convicted and sentenced to death for the lethal Oklahoma City Bombing of 1995) as his final statement... but why am I telling you this now???
Well, this is the title of the most recent film from Academy Award winning director Clint Eastwood now in theatres.
"Invictus” tells the inspiring true story of how Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) joined forces with the captain of South Africa’s rugby team, Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon), to help unite their country.

Newly elected President Mandela knows his nation remains racially and economically divided in the wake of apartheid. Believing he can bring his people together through the universal language of sport, Mandela rallies South Africa’s underdog rugby team as they make an unlikely run to the 1995 World Cup Championship match.

SOURCES: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1057500/plotsummary
http://wwws.warnerbros.co.uk/invictus/main/index.html?gclid=CKH7srqY358CFY-JzAod6DjiHQ
 
Right now, let's just watch the trailer:



In the week that marks the 20th anniversary (Feb 11th) of Nelson Mandela's release after having been imprisoned for 27 and a half (long) years and in the same year that South Africa will be hosting the Football World Cup, a tribute to a truly great man in a movie (surely) worth watching.
SEE ALSO:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Mandela
http://www.nelsonmandela.org/index.php
http://www.nelsonmandela.org/index.php/news/article/un_general_assembly_declares_july_18_nelson_mandela_international_day/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apartheid