"Invictus"

According to director Clint Eastwood's "Invictus," William Ernest Henley's 1875 poem of the same name was a source of inspiration to South African president Nelson Mandela during his 27 years as a political prisoner on Robben Island. "Under the bludgeoning of chance/My head is bloody, but unbowed," Henley wrote. "I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul."

In 1994, after having been elected to lead the same country that once accused him of treason, Mandela (Morgan Freeman) passes this source of inspiration along to Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon), captain of the South African rugby team known as the Springboks. Mandela only has to unite a fractured nation; Pienaar is being called upon to win the 1995 World Cup and, considering the Springboks' sorry track record, he's going to need a lot of encouragement.

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