'Master Harold'... and the Boys

I've seen both the movie and a live production of "Master Harold" and it's an incredible, heart-wrenching script. I really enjoyed the movie production as well. If you get the chance to see it, do so, but bring tissues!

There are no special effects, elaborate sets, or huge casts of megastars. There are only three cast members, one set, and a script. The script is so well written, and the acting so good, that this movie is outstanding despite of, or perhaps, because of, the limited resources. It is good old-fashioned story-telling, with nothing to distract.

In my high school college writing class we were "forced" to watch this movie...all we were told beforehand was there were three actors, one set and a black man's ass....that's it. Well upon watching the movie I felt bored for the first three or five minutes, but I soon realized this movie had so much philosophies and thoughts on social standards, etc, I couldn't help but love this movie. It's been well over a year since I've seen it, and don't remember much of the plot, except Matthew Broderick was the "master of the house" and there are two black servants, that he has always taken for granted. The whole movie is one big discussion on life, and there was one part that just made me (and several other classmates) cry. Truly a masterpiece! A must-see!

Athol Fugard's drama brought to life on TV. Zakes Mokae, who co-starred in the Yale Reparatory Theatre production of this play with Danny Glover, works alongside future star Matthew Broderick. The script itself is outstanding, uncovering the inherent racism in even the best of friends, and how it can momentarily tear apart a friendship. This adaptation is done very well; the movie was low-budget for a reason: only three parts were cast in the original script to begin with, and only one set was necessary!

I found this on YouTube recently, and it reminded me of the time many years ago when I saw this on television. I was a young man (25) at the time, and it just tore me up. I would like to think that I was already a non-racist, but I know that this movie grounded and solidified my opinions and feeling on the topic like nothing else ever has.

It sneaks up on you. Three people talking in room about ballroom dancing, geography, history, and kite flying. You don't see it coming, but it gradually becomes one of the most profound statements on how racism hurts everyone, including (and maybe especially) the racist himself.

Nothing before or since in my life has effected me in precisely the way this did, and does. The acting is superb, and the writing.... well, Atholl Fugard is a genius.

See this version. I assume the Ving Rhames film is also good, but it has a much larger cast and so I suspect they added a lot of new material to "open it up" as Hollywood likes to do. I'll see it, but you must see this version first. Also, Zakes Mokae won a Tony award for this portrayal of Sam, and it is so obvious as to why. His final soliloquy to Hally made me cry. Then, and now.