The Stage

TV review

Published Monday 8 February 2010 at 18:20 by Harry Venning

I remember an episode of The Cosby Show in which the Cosby family adopted two adorable puppies and named them Nelson and Winnie, in honour of South Africa’s most celebrated couple. This would have been just after Nelson was released from prison, but before Winnie was revealed to the world as an alcoholic megalomaniac at the head of a private army of thugs, implicated in the kidnapping, torture and murder of a 14-year-old boy.

Mrs Mandela starred Sophie Okonedo as the one-time Mother of the Country, now widely referred to in South Africa as the Mugger of the Country, in a powerful and concise dramatisation of her life under, and struggle against, apartheid. In courage, determination and conviction she was shown to be the equal of her husband. Tirelessly campaigning on behalf of the movement, Winnie served two long stretches in prison, as well as suffering internal exile as a designated “non-person”, as a consequence. But unlike Nelson, who followed the path of reconciliation upon his release, Winnie was brutalised by her experiences - graphically personified by David Morrissey as her interrogator and tormentor - and ultimately adopted the mentality and methods of her oppressors.

Ninety minutes was hardly sufficient time in which to depict, let alone explore, all the complexities and contradictions in Winnie’s character. But the film and Okonedo’s compelling performance, succeeded in lending her sympathy without making her likeable, and placing her behaviour in a historical and political context, without ever justifying its excesses.

The film’s only weakness was David Harewood as Nelson. Possibly because their facial similarities were negligible, possibly because the former president is such an iconic figure, but Harewood’s portrayal never really convinced and resolutely remained this side of impersonation.

Marginally better than Harry Enfield’s, though.

Mo Mowlam was the subject of the week’s second biopic, Mo. Julie Walters took the title role and was quite brilliant. In fact, I can’t remember a performance where Walters was anything other than brilliant, so it hardly seems worth mentioning anymore.

On the eve of Labour’s 1997 election triumph, Mowlam was diagnosed with a brain tumour, the malignancy of which she hid from Tony Blair, so as not to jeopardise her political career.

Personally, I am a big wimp when it comes to dramas about terminal illness, so I was relieved when Mo almost immediately changed direction and concentrated on Mowlam’s phenomenal contribution to the Northern Ireland peace process.

It was surprisingly gripping stuff, especially since the outcome - the Good Friday Agreement of 1998 - is known in advance. Mowlam was shown to be cunning, brash, manipulative, charming, vulgar, brave and recklessly irresponsible, given the potentially catastrophic effects of a judgment-impairing tumour on her ability to make decisions.

However, the film has fun recreating her two most notorious negotiating ploys - flashing her knickers at David Trimble and whipping off her wig in front of Gerry Adams. Whether this behaviour was down to Mowlam’s actual personality or to the disinhibiting effect of the tumour remains a mystery.

Meanwhile, Peter Mandelson, played with sinister relish by Steven Mackintosh, is furtively glimpsed in the background, engineering Mowlam’s departure from the post she loves.

From which point on it was pretty much downhill all the way for Mowlam, ending in a painfully moving deathbed scene. That I hadn’t wimped out and turned off by then is a tribute to how engrossing the drama was.

Feelgood moment of the year so far has to be Glee’s high school football team bamboozle the opposition with their spirited interpretation of Beyonce’s Single Ladies. Mowlam would almost certainly have approved of the tactic.

PROGRAMMES

Mrs Mandela BBC2, Sunday, January 31, 11.50pm

Mo C4, Sunday, January 31, 9pm

Glee C4, Sunday, January 31, 5.30pm