The Bernstein-Baker-Clint Eastwood Connection

Im currently reading a book by Hilda Bernstein, "The World That was Ours". I've only read the first chapter but its already quite an emotional book about fighting apartheid, fearing persectution and going through the experience of house arrest. She was a family friend of my parents and grandparents, and her husband was Rusty Bernstein, a determined anti-apartheid activist. He was tried for treason alongside Mandela at the Riviona trial.

Their son is Keith Bernstein, an excellent photographer by all accounts. He took the photos for mandela's "long walk to freedom book". It is strange because in this book im reading he is 3 years old! Anyway, he also take photos for films. The latest film Keith is working on is "The Human Factor" about Mandela's first term i think, Directed by Clint Eastwood with Morgan Freeman as Mandela.

Amazingly, yesterday, i walked out of a resturant after dinner and just up the road was a big filmset and a closed off road. I walked up and saw Morgan and Clint shooting a scene right there and then! It was great to see, but i didnt realise how slow and boring the whole process is. We were watching for half an hour and they did the same scene maybe twice in that time, adjusting everything to get it just right.

A strange concoction of coincidences and connections you have to agree!