Without the King
posted June 20, 2008 8:25 AM
A documentary fit for royalty
The kingdom of Swaziland, which is near the southern tip of Africa, is the subject of documentarian Michael Skolnik’s powerful and enlightening film Without the King. His Majesty King Mswati III matriculated to the throne at the age of 18 upon the death of his father in 1986. It was a grand ceremony full of pomp and circumstance, as the young, robust king, in traditional garb, took the stage and made a tentative speech, principally about representing his nation in the world of nations with dignity and grace. This, as the film reflects, is for the most part exactly what King Mswati has done over the last 20 years: Represent his wretchedly impoverished (though not unresourced) kingdom on the world stage with all the trappings of a king, even if as a king whose people starve and drink filthy water from stagnant pools as the herd animals do. Box office prospects here are slight, social relevance, however, is blockbuster.
On occasion, it is difficult to distinguish one’s disdain for a film’s content from the film itself. Indeed, one can despise what one has seen in a film, particularly a documentary film, with such an intensity that it leads one to think—or worse, write—“I hate this movie.” When, in fact, what one means to write is, “I love this movie.” Which is a notion audiences that do see Without the King should keep in mind if they come away from this film with a sick feeling in their stomach and a newly minted distaste for even the notion of “absolute monarchies” and all their attendant ridiculousness.
As Without a King wrapped, unrest was brewing in Swaziland. Rebel movements were burgeoning and political unrest was building to change the governance from absolute monarchy to constitutional monarchy. Still, at this writing, Swaziland was one of the few African countries that has never faced a civil war.
One imagines that may change—soon.
Distributor: First Run
Cast: King Mswati III, Princess Sikhanyiso, Queen LaMbikiza, Mphandhlana Shongwe and Mphandhlana Shongwe
Director: Michael Skolnik
Producers: Paola Mendoza and Michael Skolnik
Genre: Documentary
Running time: 83 min.
Rating: Unrated
Release dates: April 25 NY, June 20 LA
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