'Master Harold'... and the Boys (1985) Online

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!

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.

I watched this movie once as a young boy, and it absolutely destroyed me.

I'm not sure how old I was, but I was just old enough to be home alone when my parents went out for the night. It may have been the first time I was left home alone, as a matter of fact.

Not sure how I ended up watching this movie - it seems an odd choice for a kid staying up past his bedtime because his parents were out to dinner.

In any event, it moved me in a way no movie had before. I was enraptured by the relationship between Master Harold and his servants, the beautiful fatherly care he was shown, and the deep love that existed between them. When Master Harold grows, and begins to see the separation between blacks and whites in apartheid South Africa - when he gets caught up in the evil and intolerance of that horrible time... I was devastated.

I had never cried like I cried at that movie, at the loss of innocence and the purity of the relationship that was so brutally tarnished. I felt like I had lost something myself. I mourned the love that was destroyed… and at the culmination of the film, the realization that a boundary had been crossed, that some words, and some actions can never be undone.

As a young white kid growing up in a sheltered, privileged life, I feared that I might grow to develop that kind of ignorance…in my naiveté I didn't see that I was already being raised to be a good, accepting person and that were I in a place where I could lose that basic humanity, the movie itself would not have had such an impact on me.

In any event, this movie was a formative part of my being, and the adult I have grown up to be. I have a visceral hatred for bigotry and intolerance, and I can say that – of course, along with my parents and their wise guidance – this movie was a significant part of the journey that resulted in this as a guiding principle of who I am as an adult, and how I raise my children.

I have not seen the film again since, and I would be curious to see if the impact would hold true so many years later. But based on my memory of the experience, I couldn't recommend this film more, for children, adults, or anyone who wants a meaningful and powerful look into innocence lost and the damage that can be wrought through ignorance and intolerance.

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'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!