Malibu High freshmen hear from Oscar-winning director John G. Avildsen on the film he made about the theme of South African apartheid and the power of one young man to fight against it.
By Melonie Magruder / Special to The Malibu Times
As part of the freshmen seminar curriculum at Malibu High School, a program that encourages local youth to engage in community service, ninth graders were treated to a one-on-one last week with Oscar-winning director John G. Avildsen. The subject: Avildsen’s 1992 film “The Power of One,” which took on the then-sensitive theme of South African apartheid and the power of one young man to fight against it.
Doug Seelig, whose son, Gabe, is a freshman at Malibu High, produced several of Avildsen’s films and prevailed upon his old friend to speak to the youngsters.
“The school has used this film for a number of years, not just as an illustration of the ‘separate but equal’ nature of apartheid, but also to show that one person’s or one group’s action can institute significant change,” Seelig said as he set up a video camera to record Avildsen’s address to the students. “We are not immune to these issues today.”
Avildsen, a spry 73-year-old with expressive blue eyes, began his lecture by pulling out the Oscar he won for directing “Rocky” and setting it casually on a bench on stage. “If anyone wants to be photographed with my little friend later on, here you go,” he said.
The first question from the audience was, “How did you get into directing this film?” and Avildsen took off.
“Well, our writer Robert Kamen (also scenarist for Avildsen’s “Karate Kid” series, as well as the “Transporter” series, “Gladiator” and “Lethal Weapon 3”) really liked the book and it had been recommended to one of our producers by his daughter,” Avildsen replied. “So, essentially, we made this film because a father wanted to keep his daughter happy. It wasn’t very mainstream. People are not going to say, ‘Hey, honey, let’s go see that apartheid movie.’”
Shot during 60 days in Zimbabwe (since South Africa was still under U.N. sanctions at the time), “The Power of One” had an international cast, including industry heavyweights like Morgan Freeman, John Gielgud, Stephen Dorff and Daniel Craig. Upon its release, Seelig recalled that the film was polarizing, with many white South Africans objecting to the film’s depiction of their own history.
“On the other hand, some people were inspired to join the Peace Corps,” Avildsen said. “I wanted to show that it wasn’t just the power of one person, but that if all local tribes stopped bickering and came together, they can achieve great power. As Nelson Mandela showed, that can happen.”
Avildsen actually met Mandela, the Nobel Peace laureate who spent 27 years in prison for fighting apartheid and who was the first democratically elected president of South Africa, on a flight from London to Johannesburg.
“Mandela had been a boxer, so we talked about ‘Rocky’ and boxing,” Avildsen said. “The funny thing is, before I did ‘Rocky,’ I didn’t know a thing about boxing.”
Because of his limited knowledge of the sport, Avildsen said that he watched hours of boxing movies in preparation for “Rocky” and was astonished at how phony they all looked. His solution, in conjunction with star Sylvester Stallone, was to choreograph each move in the boxing sequences and rehearse them for weeks before shooting, a practice that he incorporated into preparation for “The Power of One,” as well.
“Never underestimate the importance of rehearsals,” Avildsen emphasized.
When asked if “The Power of One” was supposed to be a political statement or just a good story, Avildsen chuckled.
“I’ll quote [Samuel Goldwyn] and say, ‘If you want to send a message, call Western Union,” Avildsen said. “The story was emotional, but people don’t like to be preached to. You got to keep people awake in a dark theater. It’s always the human story that makes a movie work.”
After his lecture, Avildsen, who has directed seven actors to Oscar wins or nominations, expanded on the elements that make a good movie.
“It’s all in the casting,” he said in describing a habit he employs of asking the actors to improvise. “You find out if the actor can really do it. When I was reading Burgess Meredith for ‘Rocky,’ I asked him to read the scene where Rocky’s been asked to clear out his locker at the gym. Burgess read the scene, then added, ‘Have you thought about retiring?’ Stallone said no. Burgess said, ‘Maybe you should think about retiring, kid.’ We kept it in the film.”
Avildsen also said that good screenwriters are essential. He himself has used the same writers on several of his films, such as Kamen and Steve Shagan (“The Formula” and “Save the Tiger”).
“But, you know, a lot of it is luck,” Avildsen said. “I was set to direct a film on Malta, but the funding suddenly fell through and I was out of work. The next week, I was sent the script for ‘Rocky.’ I’m a big believer in the chaos theory.”
After emphasizing the “Brave New World” of accessible tools, Avildsen asked the students how many were interested in becoming filmmakers and nodded approvingly when a number of hands shot up.
“Cameras and editing equipment are cheaper and more user-friendly than ever before,” Avildsen said. “And you’ve got YouTube to distribute for you. So go out and make some movies!”