The Power of One

It's been a while since I have seen the movie for the first time. Though I really liked the first two thirds of the film (up to the point, when Stephen Dorff takes over the main-character (but that has nothing to do with his performance)). I found, that the last part was strange and somehow out of continuity. The first part strictly sticks to the idea of experiencing Apartheid from the view of a boy, who is growing up in a system of classes and injustice and who himself fails to really belong to any of these classes. The last part however suddenly tries to be a lot of movies in one: Action, Romance, Patriotism and a Historic Anti-apartheid picture. And I think, trying to do too much, it failed to be anything of the above in the end.

The reason I'm writing this comment now is, that I am just done reading Bryce Courtenays novel. And I was really surprised to learn, that exactly after two thirds of the story, the movie totally goes its own way and ignores the course things take in the novel. The last part of the Novel is just as great as the first. If you liked the movie (or at least the first part) read the book, it's worth it!

To sum it up: I believe The Power Of One had the potential to be an outstanding picture. The music was great, the landscapes beautiful and the acting excellent (Armin Müller Stahl at his best). But unfortunately somebody tried to write an american ending for an african story and couldn't have failed worse.

This is the best film I have ever seen. I read the book in 1989, which I enjoyed so much. It was emotional, real and I raved about the book to anyone near me. So much so, that my fiancé took me to our local cinema during a festival to see the film in 92. For those that have read the book, all I wanted to know was how were they going to do the chicken scene?

However for those of you that haven't read the book, the chicken scene did not matter. For once a film is so fantastic, that you cease to compare it to the book. I enjoyed this film, in a cinema with fewer than fifteen people in. I laughed and cried and it was so sad that no one had made the effort to come and see this masterpiece.

Years later, when I talk about the film, people say " Oh it's the one about the boxer" but it is so much more. If you think this is a boxing film, think again. It is a film about love, about being different , about perseverance and about not only wanting to make a difference, but doing so. It shows that you may be a small fish, but you can make a difference to the world if only you believe in yourself.

Morgan Freeman is just fantastic in this film. As is Stephen Dorrf. For Morgan, it is on par with Shawshank Redemption and beats performances in anything he had done written by James Patterson. I was so chuffed recently when seeing Enduring Love, with Daniel Craig, I realised he was PK's enemy Jaapie Botha in the film from 13 years ago. I am lucky to have The Power Of One on video and I wait for the day when it is released again on video or DVD and I can purchase it for friends to watch. You cannot watch this film without getting something positive out of it. I have since parted with the chap I first watched the film with, but have married a man born in South Africa who appreciated this film as much as me. I only hope and dream that one day, we together, we will make a difference. If we touch on PK's achievements I will feel I have succeeded.

Judging by the user comments, it would (definitely) seem that you guys think that 'The Power Of One' didn't have a snowballs chance in Hell of being a favorite with you guys, and that it was pretty much a waste of money (Stop me if I'm wrong). Am I right?

Well, I had to study the movie for an English assignment a week ago, and while these kind of movies usually bore the **** out of me, I found 'The Power Of One' to be a moving, and inspirational film. Of course, I haven't read the book (a book with that many pages? Hell no!) - and we all know that books are usually better.

But anyway, I really liked this film. Stephen Dorff's and Morgan Freeman's performances were great as eighteen-year-old P.K. and Gail Peit (or however the hell you spell his last name). And while Fay Masterston as Maria is an okay actress, she appears to be in the film for absolutely no reason at all.

Well, I still think 'The Power Of One' is a really good movie, no matter how many people pan it.

When Stephen Dorff's character of PK sees the African child reading from the U.S. Declaration of Independence about that all men are created equal, he knew he'd started something. Literacy is always the key to freedom and accessibility to read everything is the second step. The southerners in the slave holding part of the USA knew that well. It was a crime back in the day to teach a black slave to read. In our own country Frederick Douglass knew that well and he counted his education as a first step for freedom for his people.

What I liked about The Power of One is that it goes into the history of the Union of South Africa as seen not from a historian, but from the point of view of a growing boy who was of English parentage. The young man who grew up to be Stephen Dorff because he's orphaned as a child has to go to a school for Afrikaans children. Their resentment of English encroachment and victory in the Boer War runs deep. Their ministers in the Dutch Reformed Church preach a brand of Christianity that can now only be found in the USA among white supremacist fringe groups. It wasn't so long ago it was more in the mainstream here, let alone in South Africa.

Dorff identifies with the blacks because he's an oppressed minority as well. The film takes us through the late twenties. thirties, and forties in South African history. The year 1948 is a critical one as shown here. The coalition building of Jan Christian Smuts came to an end as his South African Party was voted out of office and the white supremacist Nationalist Party of Daniel Malan was voted in. What was informal before became established law at that point. Of course even then a lot of people of good will in all races living there opposed that policy. It remained in affect until Nelson Mandela was elected president.

Young people are shown as the engineers of change in South Africa. Dorff, his friend Dominic Walker, his African boxing rival Alois Moyo and even Fay Masterson whose father is high up in the Nationalist Party are the opponents. All of them give fine performances.

The two most well known names in the cast are Sir John Gielgud as Dorff's English headmaster and Morgan Freeman the African who teaches him to box. The first half of the film is a flashback as Dorff's is reciting an autobiographical essay for class which we don't realize until the classroom is shown. He learned to box to combat the unceasing bullying he took from the Afrikaans kids. Freeman gives a wonderful performance and the coda to it was supplied by Dorff when he says that the Afrikaans policeman who beat Freeman to death was later found strung up in an isolated area.

One of the kids who bullies Dorff grows up to be Daniel Craig who also becomes a policeman who now have powers greater than they had before. Their confrontation in the end is something to see. As a kid Craig idolized Hitler and as an adult we see how he put those ideas into practice. It's a truly malevolent portrayal of hate, you could tell Mr. Craig had a good career ahead of him.

As did Stephen Dorff. He's got a great ear for dialect, right in the tradition of Robert Mitchum. Hard to believe he's an American.

For a great picture of South Africa turning a dark corner in its history, I highly recommend The Power of One.

I watched this film several years ago and it brought back many memories of my life in South Africa. While living there I saw many things that were portrayed in the film so can relate to it. I thought all the actors were very good and but Morgan Freeman's role was truly exceptional and should have won him an Oscar for his portrayal. The accents were very much true to life even though the main characters were not South African. I found the story line very thought provoking and the music was so good I went out and bought the CD. I think it's about time they showed this film on TV as many things can be learnt from this. I feel this film is on a Parr with another South African film called Serafina which dealt with the riots in Soweto.