Without the King transitions nicely from standard operating crisis report to a portrait of a hopeful political awakening.
Comment
06/20/08
Without the King (2008)
94 %
Reviews Counted: 18 Fresh: 17 Rotten:1 Average Rating: 7.4/10
Runtime: 84 mins
Synopsis: Winner of the Special Jury Prize at the Hot Docs International Documentary Festival, this acclaimed film tells an astonishing story of Africa’s last absolute monarchy, the Kingdom of Swaziland. King Mswati III, a distant figure out of touch with his home and country, rules by decree and... [More]
Genre: Education/General Interest
Director: Michael Skolnik
Reviews
1 - 18 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Top Critic
Director Michael Skolnik’s generically crafted documentary on the precarious conditions of Swaziland, last functioning monarchy in Africa, is a curious mixture of banality and revelation.
06/19/08
Pashu straddles a particular and complicated divide in Without the King, Michael Skolnik's intriguing documentary about the last kingdom in Africa.
04/30/08
... the ultimate experience of Skolnik's film is seeing a country that seems about to disappear from the face of the earth.
04/27/08
It's a shame the film doesn't cast a wider net into deeper political waters.
04/26/08
Without the King is a fascinating documentary about a little-known African tyrant, King Mswati III of Swaziland, a country the size of New Jersey with a population of 1.1 million.
04/25/08
Without the King, Michael Skolnik’s subtly perceptive documentary, avoids a tone of first-world outrage; leaning more toward understanding than blame, the film examines a country forced to choose between tradition and survival.
04/25/08
Top Critic
Penetrating study of greed and feudal backwardness in Africa's last absolute monarchy.
04/25/08
Skolnik, who directs and scripted Without the King, brings vivid, highly critical life to this hapless country.
04/25/08
Director Michael Skolnik gained extraordinary access to both Swaziland’s royal family and its political underground, and delivers an unflinching portrait of a country where life expectancy is the shortest in the world.
04/24/08
A documentary about the last ruling King in Africa which shows that the offspring of absolute political power is injustice.
04/24/08
King fascinates on many levels as it ticks off intriguing sociological facts about this impoverished nation.
04/24/08
Top Critic
Bio-pic about the last reigning monarch on the continent governing just about the only sub-Saharan nation untouched by civil war or ethnic cleansing, despite the world's lowest life expectancy at 31.
04/22/08
We're supposed to buy the idea that the Swazis will be saved by Africa's answer to Paris Hilton? Yeah, right. Proof-positive that despotism and decadence comes in all colors.
04/22/08
Despite its lack of fair balance, the piece is absolutely compelling and makes a point that is far more universal than any one country.
03/30/08
1 - 18 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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