THE POWER OF ONE

US, 1992, 127 minutes, Colour.
Stephen Dorff, Guy Witcher, Simon Fenton, Armin Mueller Stahl, Morgan Freeman, Marius Weyers, Daniel Craig, Fay Masterson.
Directed by John G. Avildsen.

The Power of One is based on the bestseller by Bryce Courtney, a book that brought Bryce Courtney and his novels and non-fiction to world attention. Courtney grew up in South Africa but migrated later to Australia.

The film remains close to the book in many ways although many fans of the book lament the number of characters dropped for the film as well as the introduction of the character Maria, the love interest for the central character, PK.

The film opens in the 1930s, on a farm belonging to an English couple. When the father dies and the mother goes into mental decline, the young boy, PK, goes to a boarding school where the students and staff are Afrikaners. He is bullied. One of the main bullies, Boethe, reappears later in a life and death confrontation with PK. However, PK is befriended by a German musician who is interned because he did not register as an alien at the outbreak of World War Two. He is a cactus expert and PK becomes his assistant.

In the prison, they encounter are well-renowned boxing trainer. PK then becomes something of an expert boxer in the prison. The musician also fosters PK’s musical talent and there is a climactic concert for a visiting dignitary where the lyrics of the songs sung by the prisoners are revolutionary; at the same time, the boxing trainer is cruelly beaten.

After the war, PK goes to study, trains at a gym which is frequented by black Africans, experiences the introduction of apartheid, falls in love iwth the daughter of one of the apartheid officials, joins a group formed to teach black Africans secretly to read.

The three actors who portray a PK are excellent, especially the two children. Stephen Dorff is the adult PK. There is a strong supporting cast including Armin Mueller Stahl as the musician, Morgan freeman as the trainer. Fay Masterson is the young girl. A young Daniel Craig is the adult Boethe.

The film was directed by John G. Avildsen who came into prominence with his direction of the original Rocky film and his winning the Oscar for best director.

He also directed Jack Lemmon to a best actor Oscar in Save the Tiger.

1. The title and its inspirational tone?

2. The work of Bryce Courtney? The popularity of his novel? A successful adaptation, streamlining the plot and omitting characters and introducing new ones?

3. The initial history of South Africa, migrants, colonial powers? The Boers, the Afrikaners, the English, language issues? The newcomers’ sense of entitlement?

4. The black Africans, the tribes, the nations, subjugated, reactions? Leading to apartheid?

5. The 20th century history of apartheid, the Afrikaners, the Africans, institutionalized and politicised racism?

6. The pre-war story, people living together, the outbreak of World War Two, Hitler and the South African Afrikaner response? After the war, the apartheid laws? Inclusion vs. exclusion?

7. The narration by PK, by each of the actors portraying him, Guy Witcher, Simon Fenton, Stephen Dorff? His place in the story, in the South African context, the myth of the Rainmaker?

8. The family, the farm, mother and father, the birth, death? The nurse? The black and white children together? The milk? Grandfather and his influence, the friendship with Doc? The boy growing up, the farm, learning the piano, the death of the cow? His mother’s physical and psychological collapse?

9. Going to boarding school, an Afrikaner school, the sermon and its vengeful racism? Boethe, his superiority attitudes, the bullying of PK? Making him feel out of place? Piss Kopf? Classes, life at the school, the impersonal aspect of his being told his mother had died? The coming of the war, PK persecuted, the hanging sequence, the response of the teacher? The later encounter with Boethe?

10. The young English boy, out of place in the school, his mother’s death, the funeral, the effect? The ritual, the witch Doctor, the chicken and ritual?

11. Doc, friendship with the grandfather, his musical background, his training, interest in boxing? PK and his skills? The encounter with Geel Piet in prison, his promise of boxing, the training? A new life, his age, experience?

12. The outbreak of the war, Doc and his skills, the cactus, his not filling in the forms, being taken to prison? PK helping him? The role of the guards, the treatment of the Africans, the bullying, the deaths?

13. Life during the war, in the prison, the music, the singing, the group and the lyrics, anti-Afrikaner? The build-up to the concert, the official visitors, political? The rehearsals, PK and his conducting? The impact of the concert, for the Africans? The background with Geel Piet, the guards, the brutality, the beating, death?

14. PK as an adult, the end of the war, Doc leaving, the farewell to go back to Germany?

15. PK and his studies, his new friends, seeing Maria, her father and his position, bigotry?

16. The issue of boxing, the training, the gym, the manager, his taking a political stance, action against him, the police, brutality?

17. The group of school, rebellion, the gym, teaching, experiencing prejudice?

18. PK, the attraction to Maria, discussions, opening up a new world for her, her fears, going to visit her father, his warning PK away from Maria? The meal, Maria and her reaction, leaving?

19. Maria, joining the group in the teaching, the young people, men and women, support for PK? The protest, the bashing, the military, the attack, Maria’s death? The effect on her father? The funeral?

20. The encounter with Boethe, continuing his prejudice, brutality? Pursuing the group? The fights? The confrontation with PK, the echoes of the past, PK and his boxing skills?

21. PK, the situation, the offer to study in England, his deciding to go?

22. The film offering a personalised story to help South Africans and outsiders to appreciate something of what life was like during apartheid, its racism, its consequences, its evils?