Customer Reviews

The King Is Alive [VHS]

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"The King is Alive," is problematic in a very good way. It's a Dogme film, which means it was made under a set of rules that holds the film maker to natural light, ambient sound, actual locations, and possibly a few more restrictions. Working within that format the director, Kristian Levring, has made something quite remarkable. His location is the Namibian desert, and he has captured the splendor of the light, color, and landscape quite well. The intrusion of a soundtrack is blissfully missing, and the only music in the film leaks from a set of headphones for a disc player, lasts about 5 seconds, and works with great effect. Mr. Levring also made good casting choices, and the cast does a good job except for a few moments that are miserably improvised. The big problems are with the script. There's one plot hole that you could drive the broken down bus through, and a conclusion that's not conclusive - it's as if the production just ran out of film, or tape. Otherwise, it's entirely believable that a group of people disintegrating in a survival situation would choose to take their minds off their impossible situation by enacting a drama, especially because their situation is one of waiting rather than action; and it's conceivable that "King Lear" would be the drama, but it seems to me that if that's the set up then the play within the play should have some relevance to the play itself, and though Lear contains madness and betrayal, the connections are tenuous at best. Anytime you let Shakespeare into the picture you raise the audience's expectations for a work that will illuminate the master's vision, or vice versa. Unfortunately, neither occurs. The study of survivors in extrema is not enhanced by the use of "King Lear," and "King Lear" is not enhanced by the situation - or the film. Too bad, because it was an interesting concept. Given that, the film is worth seeing. It's certainly better than most of what Hollywood has to offer, and is a great example of how less can be more.

"A group of people stranded in the desert decide to stage King Lear" does not begin to summarize this powerful and challenging film, which shows how extremity reveals both flaws and strengths of our characters. One of the stranded characters, who has unresolved issues with his own daughter, attempts to convince the other characters to stage "Lear," or as much of it as he can remember and write down. This attempt proceeds haltingly against crisis incidents between the various characters and against fragmented revelations of character that have the allusive quality of Japanese haiku. Finally, the cast does not so much stage "Lear" as become "Lear."

The story's resolution resonates deeply with the "Lear" theme while avoiding allegory or simplistic, one-to-one correspondences. There are disturbing, even shocking moments, and characters do not go unscathed, but there are also small moments of redemption. At the conclusion, I was left with that sense of surprise and inevitability that marks the most excellent drama. The Dogme 95 emphasis on actor improvisation worked well for me in this depiction of a situation which, in real life, would require improvisation for survival. And even with the Dogme 95 technical restrictions (available light, natural sound), this film captures the beauty and immensity of the African desert and light. One is left with a heightened awareness that our own human dramas are played out against forces, both external and internal, that are only partially under our control.

Be prepared to concentrate, perhaps even view the movie more than once, to understand fully what's happening. This is **NOT** a "Hollywood rip-roarer" or love story. It **IS** one of the most thoughtful and thought-provoking films I have seen in a long time.

I first saw "The King Is Alive" at the Halfway2Hollywood Film Festival in Kansas City earlier this year, and this weekend I had the opportunity to see it again during its regular theater run. It is well worth watching at least twice, and I plan to buy the DVD when it's released simply so I can study the editing more closely.

It's an art house movie, definitely Eurpoean in flavor. If you're after big action adventure, go see a Hollywood knockoff because you won't like this film. But if you appreciate good character studies with unpredictable twists, you'll like it. This is a film that will do lousy at the box office, but people will still be watching 20 years from now.

I am a dogme 95 film aesthetic junkie. I'm not sure if this is quite as good as "Celebration" or "Julien the Donkey Boy" in their pure "viscerality" of effect, but it has other messages that the others don't. I find very little to criticize in this film from a plot or cinematic angle. I do agree with another reviewer that the "King Lear" analogy is a bit far-fetched, but
the fact that the play itself was used to maintain a sense of civilized and group behavior was excellent.Jennifer jason Leigh's role was a breakthrough of sorts. Finally she was given
a bit of a respite from her "weirdo" roles, and her deathbed pummeling of "The old Letch" character was exceptional. Also
the viscous honesty and the primal racsism and sexism wereamong various characters was almost scary. There are so many layers of meaning in this film that one could discuss it indefinitely. Suffice it to say if you are looking for mind numbing entertainment look elsewhere, but if you want a mind stretching cinematic experience the "King is Alive" certainly does the trick.

This film turns around the study of the several sociological human reactions under edge knife conditions. The play of Lehar in the middle of the desert is just one more device to explore the inner soul of every human being in that hopeless place.
An extraordinary performance of Jeniffer Jason Leigh.
In this argumental line there's a film of Buñuel titled El angel exterminador , that is very closed related to this one.

This film is deeply disturbing anguishly. A superb sociological of the human being through a catharsis process. The playing of Lear in the middle acts as an efficient device for exploring the multiple facets that the people adopts when is under an edge knife situation like this one.
Stunning performances and high realism.
A must in your collection.

This "experimental" movie about 11 people who get lost in the desert, managing to survive in a difficult and unusual situation, is a missed attempt at trying to examine the human condition. Shakespeare`s play "King Lear" is a central element here, as the filmmaker tries to use it as a starting point to study its characters ideas, dramas, reactions and motivations, however this doesn`t quite work as well as it should and ends up being a pretentious, long and lifeless movie. There`s a promising dramatic tension in the beginning and some actors try to achieve something, but it ultimately fails and goes nowhere. The directing is weak as it should since this is a "Dogma" movie, one that doesn`t use artificial resources to enhance the lightning, scenery, direction or wardrobe, but here it just seems poor, uninteresting and unfinished. The characters are dull and despicable (I understand that`s the idea but they didn`t grab my attention) and the plot moves at a snail`s pace, becoming empty and dry just like the desert landscape where the movie was made. The King is dead.

I'm a fan of survival films, especially desert survival films like "Flight of the Pheonix" and "Sands of the Kalahari." Other films could partially fit this description as well, such as "Lawrence of Arabia," "Raiders of the Lost Ark," "Sahara," "The English Patient" and even the recent "Mummy" flicks.

"The King is Alive" is such a film. A bunch of travelers get stuck in the desolate Namibian desert and conduct Shakespeare's play "King Lear" to pass the time and keep their sanity.

"The King is Alive" is a Dogme 95 film wherein the director is bound by various restrictions, such as actual locations, natural light, no soundtrack or special effects. This is not necessarily a bad thing; in fact, it could well lend a gritty realism to the picture.

Unfortunately "The King is Alive" is a colossal bore. The characters are all incredibly unlikable; the story is dreary, slow and boring. The reenactment of "King Lear" comes across unbelievable and pretentious. The film basically shows the WORST in humanity and hence comes across negative, hopeless and pessimistic. Despite the beautiful Namibian photography, this is a very UGLY film.

Want proof? One girl fatally poisons another woman for no important reason and an aging man literally urinates on a dying woman (!!). Need I say more?

Needless to say, if you're loooking for a hope-affirming film that will testify to the endurance, greatness and triumph of the human spirit, this is not it.

I'm not suggesting that all films have to be optimistic in nature, after all, I'm a fan of some fairly solemn films (e.g. "Apocalypse Now," "Runaway Train"), but this is ridiculous. I'd hate to meet the screenwriter because, whoever it is, he or she must be a very UGLY person.

I give one star for the gorgeous cinematography, half a star for Jennifer Jason Leigh, the only remotely likable person, and half a star for the gritty realism.

I saw the film twice and literally threw it away after the second viewing. Why not sell it or give it away? Because it's morally irresponsible to pass along garbage.

Oh, by the way, the end credits rip-off the credits sequence of "Apocalypse Now." Perhaps the director felt he had an equally great film on his hands. Not even close.

I think you'll agree that sometimes one can suddenly become very bored by sparkling and crashing Hollywood mass-products, and wish to see a movie that features nothing extra besides simply clothed actors staging human dramas and austere desert landscape. Then it's either take it or leave it: test your character, and it'll show how much Hollywood addict you are. If honestly, I didn't pass the test.

The movie (of the Dogme project that uses only resources available on the set and employing unprofessional actors I've never heard before) started promisingly: a bus is stuck in an African desert, only canned carrots and night dew to sustain 11 passengers for an indefinite period of time. Yeah, and to stay sane some person offers to recite and stage King Lear. Of course it would be interesting to observe how the human animals quickly shake off civilization "dust" and show who they really are, and how it'd interweave with Shakespeare's passions.

Unfortunately, besides stunning yellow/blue desert vistas and a couple of intense moments between the players in the beginning, the plot vanishes into the thin air. People wander around, slowly fall into desperation or stupor, some die. They recite poems as wound-up dolls, in and out of place.

If the movie was meant to show us effects of dehydrating upon people, it would be the right one to watch. But I've been expecting in vain more dramatic moments that would make me feel some emotions (positive or negative) for the trapped people: the actors do their best, but in the end they finish flatly and dispassionately. For the tempered aesthetes only, others - watch it if you want, then return to the usual Tinseltown stuff: at least there's something more to discuss, to critisize or admire.