THE KITCHEN TOTO
A film review by Jeff Meyer
Copyright 1988 Jeff Meyer
THE KITCHEN TOTO (Great Britain, 1987) Director/Screenwriter: Harry Hook Cast: Bob Peck, Phyllis Logan Edwin Mahinda, Kristen Hughes
THE KITCHEN TOTO details the life of a young African boy living in Kenya in 1950. His father, the village minister, is killed for not supporting a group of tribesman who are intent on ridding themselves of the British colonial rule. His mother sends him to work as the "kitchen toto" -- the kitchen boy -- in the home of the local British military constable. He soon finds himself trapped between trying to live in the British way, which is relatively pleasant but where is he is wronged again and again by his employers, and the gangster-like terrorists who make up the Mau Mau revolutionaries. He struggles to live neutrally between the two factions, only to be drawn deeper into the Mau Mau sect.
The film opens with a scene of native children being treated to Christmas gifts by the British colonists. It is a cheery portrait: the kind, generous landowners entertaining their African wards and servants. Indeed, there are benevolent British characters here, people who believe that they are helping their "primitive" brethren to civilization. The distinction of the film is how it shows that even the best of intentions contribute to the desecration of a people -- or peoples. For the whites in this film are degraded by the same imperialism that humiliates their black countrymen: their foibles and ignorance is put on display, and they defend it out of fear of losing control over their subjects. The film shows how even the least slight, which would be nothing more than a social faux pas in a equal society, can develop into the most tragic circumstances.
It's unnecessary to underline the validity of the film's message -- I can't imagine there is anyone on the net stupid enough to champion Arpartheid-like regimes -- but I have to credit the film for its enormous skill in bringing the message across. There are no stereotypes, no easily-digested characters; it shows how an innocent is persecuted, tortured and eventually destroyed by bigotry and its repercussions. The cinematography is excellent, as the darkness of the jungle seems to touch every shot; the director has done a film without any wasted motions.
Every year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts gives out rewards to "message" films. I wish the majority of them were as effective as THE KITCHEN TOTO. It makes its point without pandering or stooping to entertain as it goes along. Instead, a story is told in a way that makes its point very clearly. There are some people is South Africa whom I think should see THE KITCHEN TOTO. Soon, and for their own sakes as well as others'.
LINER NOTES: This is the second small quality film I've seen this year to be released by Cannon/Golan-Globas. They do seem to import some good international works, to go along with HE-MAN and Chuck Norris' latest flag-waver.
Moriarty, aka Jeff Meyer
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