| The Power of One | 
| Director: John G. Avildsen
Actors: Stephen Dorff, Armin Mueller-stahl, Morgan Freeman, Nomadlozi Kubheka, Agatha Hurle
Studio: Warner Home Video
Category: DVD
List Price: $9.98
Buy New: $3.47
You Save: $6.51 (65%)
Buy New/Used/Collectible from $2.99
Avg. Customer Rating:   (143 reviews)
Sales Rank: 5219
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Letterboxed, Widescreen, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: DVD
Running Time: 127 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
DVD Layers: 1
DVD Sides: 1
Picture Format: Letterbox
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.7 x 0.6
MPN: WARD12411D
ISBN: 0790740850
UPC: 085391241126
EAN: 9780790740850
ASIN: 0790740850
Release Date: June 22, 1999
Theatrical Release Date: March 27, 1992
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Description
The Power of One is an intriguing story of a young English boy named P.K. and his passion for changing the world. Growing up he suffered as the only English boy in an Afrikaans school. Soon orphaned, he was placed in the care of a German national named Professor von Vollensteen (a.k.a. "Doc"), a friend of his grandfather. Doc develops P.K.'s piano talent and P.K. becomes "assistant gardener" in Doc's cactus garden. It is not long after WWII begins that Doc is placed in prison for failure to register with the English government as a foreigner. P.K. makes frequent visits and meets Geel Piet, an inmate, who teaches him to box. Geel Piet spreads the myth of the Rainmaker, the one who brings peace to all of the tribes. P.K. is cast in the light of this myth. After the war P.K. attends an English private school where he continues to box. He meets a young girl, Maria, with whom he falls in love. Her father, Professor Daniel Marais, is a leader of the Nationalist Party of South Africa. The two fight to teach the natives English as P.K.'s popularity grows via the myth. Maria is killed. P.K. looses focus until he sees the success of his language school among the tribes. He and Guideon Duma continue the work in hopes of building a better future for Africa.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 138 more reviews...
 Power of One DVD November 18, 2008
I had read the book "The Power of One" again and thought the original opinion about it was right on. It is a great book. I learned there was a movie called "the power of one" and sought it out. What a dissappointment. The only thing that resembled the book was the title. I could not even finish the movie it was so bad and distorted.
 a beautiful african masterpiece November 10, 2008
This movie is quite possibly one of the best representations of the struggles that existed in South Africa in the 1900s. It covers a variety of genres: action, drama, romance, ...the list continues. The character of P.K. is inspiring and as a child, evokes the perfect childlike innocence that we all know children possess. Although this movie is not completely "on-point" with the book, it still follows the main story line with a few extras thrown in here and there.
One of the greatest books ever! October 24, 2008
This book is an education in growing up all by itself. It is beautifully written, easy to read and magnificent in it's philosophy on life. From the very beginning it is a tale of survival that makes turning every page exciting. A must read for everyone.
Great Film August 9, 2008
I think this is one of the best films Ive ever seen. Based on the novel of the same name, the film documents the life of a young British lad coming of age in South Africa in the late early 1940's. PK is sent off to a Dutch Boarding school following the nervous breakdown of his mother. There he undergoes a solitary right of passage hated by the other boys for his ethnic background. PK undergoes egregious psychological and physical abuse at the hands of the oldest boy.
He returns home to confide in his Nanny following the death of his mother. She then calls on a Sangoma (Shaman) of her tribe who renders a healing ceremony to PK, noting prophetically that he "is a man for all of Africa."
This film dramatically follows archetypal themes of the heroes journey. PK is then off to live with his Grandfather who turns the boy over to a Jewish Mentor who also happens to be a world renowned pianist and professor. His mentor guides him into the mysteries of nature, music, and following his arrest and later imprisonment by the British Administrators, PK goes deeper into racial hatreds while visiting the professor in prison. But there he also meets a second mentor (Morgan Freeman) who teaches PK the art of Boxing. (Freeman by the way gives one of the best performances in his career.)
The story then shifts again into themes of racial injustice with PK working to overturn the oppression by teaching blacks to read English despite the fact that the white government bans the practice. This event leads to the tragic death of his girl friend, and the various ironies found between conflicting ideologies. His girl friend is the daughter of a high government official responsible for the crack down.
Overall, this film empowers human life on multiple and subtle levels, and demonstrates that one life can in fact make a difference. I loved this film, and consider it great!
Screenplay very bad adaption of book. June 2, 2008
This has to be one of the worst adaptions of an excellent book ever made. The story has been turned into junk, i would have given it no stars at all if i could have, although i guess that the cast is worth the star.
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