Home > Drama >

Perfect Harmony

Perfect Harmony (1991)

March. 31,1991
|
7.3
| Drama Family TV Movie

During the 1950s, a private school in the south undergoes racial tension as it experiences desegregation. Can a love of music help ease the pain?

...

Watch Trailer

Cast

Reviews

Beanbioca
1991/03/31

As Good As It Gets

More
Rio Hayward
1991/04/01

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

More
Frances Chung
1991/04/02

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

More
Rosie Searle
1991/04/03

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

More
OllieSuave-007
1991/04/04

Nice TV movie I first saw in high school, about (summary thanks to an IMDb member), a new choirmaster who tries to reduce some of the prejudice and hostility of some of the students. Paul, a bully who feels he should be lead choir person, is the villain who torments a newcomer. However, fellow student Taylor Bradshaw is impressed by the music of newcomer Landy, the grandson of Zeke, the school caretaker. Zeke joins in some of the activities of the black community known as River Town. Sanders is also impressed by Landy's abilities and attempts to get him involved with the choir. It's a good movie that gives the message of friendship, acceptance and courage, and it also gives a message about prejudice and overcoming adversity. Overall, not a masterpiece due to somewhat plot, but it's a nice film for everyone nonetheless.Grade B-

More
edwagreen
1991/04/05

The song goes that I'd love to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony. Unfortunately, in the area of racism and segregation, perfect harmony has yet to be achieved.This film takes place in a South Carolina elite private school for boys in 1959, when segregation was the in-thing down south. The school supposedly prepares boys to take their place in the world-a world where they will continue to practice segregation.The best performance in the film is given by Darren McGavin, the headmaster, who epitomizes the old southern tradition of bigotry. His daughter conveys an absolutely phony southern accent and her attempt to emulate Scarlett O'Hara is outlandish at best.You would certainly think that the conflict between the new choirmaster and McGavin would come to the front due to the former's liberal ideas but this really doesn't happen. By the way, who was that brat of a young Klansman who attacks our white hero, Taylor, so viciously? We never find this out.The film also deals with the coming friendship of Taylor and a black child, an orphaned grandson of the handyman, played nicely by the usually reliable Moses Gunn. Miscast in the film is Cleavon Little, as the town preacher. His call for justice is made in a voice that sounds too familiar from "Blazing Saddles" in 1974.It has to be said that the boys exhibit beautiful choir singing.Paul, the promising student, is consumed by hatred. We see his typical rebelliousness due to being insecure, parents who never come to visit and his trend to sneaking a smoke in private areas.The film should be praised for its attempt to wipe out bigotry. Unfortunately, this problem is too big to be conveyed in 1:33 minutes.

More
jbennett-29
1991/04/06

How very pleased I was to come upon this film. I teach Elementary School music and this film really works well. I can show it during Black History Month to focus on the racial prejudice portrayed in the film. I can also use it to show the wonderful aspect of boys involvement in the music field. I find it quite difficult to find appropriate things to show my music students that are relevant, as this movie is. I also find that the storyline really makes my students think about how the whites treated blacks/colored of the time. They are quite offended that ANYONE would treat African American or any other people this way. What an insightful film. BRAVO to Disney and this wonderful story.

More
julianameen
1991/04/07

Perfect harmony is really a movie that u didn't really realize that u were going to watch it someday....When it was the first time i ever saw the movie i first thought "this movie is really cool" after that.. i heard them sing and that caught my attention real fast! As soon as i saw that i also thought how could they sing that high?? that was really amazing to me b/c i never actually seen a movie with singing that i was actually interested in and it had a very catchy story as well. Taylor (justin whalin) and Landy where really great friends and they didn't care at all that they were two different colors.Paul seemed like he really hated landy and didn't get to know him from the inside first b4 actually being bad to him. un like Taylor, Taylor saw inside of landy and not the outside. He really treated him like a family member or even like a brother.Perfect harmony was my favorite movie. And i give that movie a 10. I watched that movie about 14 times in three days b/c i loved it so much. I recommend this movie to everyone that is into that kind of music like classic like and is interested in movies that happened in the olden days like around 1959. So other then that i give Perfect Harmony a 10!

More