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Movies / On DVD / Without the King
Without the King

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Without the King (2008)

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Reviews Counted:18

Fresh:17

Rotten:1

Average Rating:7.4/10

Rated: Not Rated

Runtime: 84 mins

Genre: Education/General Interest

Theatrical Release:Apr 25, 2008 Limited

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.... 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 lives a life of luxury together with his 12 wives, while his subjects suffer from crushing poverty and the world’s highest HIV infection rate. With unprecedented access, we meet headstrong first wife Queen LaMbikiza, eldest child and teen rapper, Princess Sikhanyiso, King Mswati himself, as well as many Swazi citizens who are plotting his downfall. Filmmaker Michael Skolnik captures the birth of a nation's revolution, and the dawning awareness of a young Swazi princess as she realizes the contrast between her impoverished country and her lavish lifestyle. --© First Run Features [More]

Director: Michael Skolnik

Director: Michael Skolnik
Studio: Red Envelope Entertainment

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Release:

Jul 22, 2008

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Reviews for Without the King

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1 - 18 (sorted by date)
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Without the King transitions nicely from standard operating crisis report to a portrait of a hopeful political awakening.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
06/20/08
Robert Abele
Robert Abele
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Powerful and enlightening.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
06/20/08
Tim Cogshell
Tim Cogshell
Boxoffice Magazine

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.

Full Review Source: L.A. Weekly | comment Comment
06/19/08
Ernest Hardy
Ernest Hardy
L.A. Weekly

Pashu straddles a particular and complicated divide in Without the King, Michael Skolnik's intriguing documentary about the last kingdom in Africa.

Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
04/30/08
Cynthia Fuchs
Cynthia Fuchs
PopMatters

... the ultimate experience of Skolnik's film is seeing a country that seems about to disappear from the face of the earth.

Full Review Source: culturevulture.net | comment Comment
04/27/08
Harry Chotiner
Harry Chotiner
culturevulture.net

It's a shame the film doesn't cast a wider net into deeper political waters.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
04/26/08
Phil Hall
Phil Hall
Film Threat

[An] intelligent but incomplete-feeling documentary.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
04/25/08
Ken Fox
Ken Fox
TV Guide's Movie Guide

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.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
04/25/08
V.A. Musetto
V.A. Musetto
New York Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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.

comment Comment
04/25/08
Jeannette Catsoulis
Jeannette Catsoulis
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Penetrating study of greed and feudal backwardness in Africa's last absolute monarchy.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
04/25/08
Louis Proyect
Louis Proyect
rec.arts.movies.reviews

Skolnik, who directs and scripted Without the King, brings vivid, highly critical life to this hapless country.

Full Review Source: Compuserve | comment Comment
04/25/08
Harvey S. Karten
Harvey S. Karten
Compuserve

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.

Full Review Source: Time Out New York | comment Comment
04/24/08
Joshua Land
Joshua Land
Time Out New York

A documentary about the last ruling King in Africa which shows that the offspring of absolute political power is injustice.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
04/24/08
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

King fascinates on many levels as it ticks off intriguing sociological facts about this impoverished nation.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
04/24/08
Ronnie Scheib
Ronnie Scheib
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A cut above the average Quad-bound video agit-prop doc.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
04/23/08
Vadim Rizov
Vadim Rizov
Village Voice
Top Critic Icon 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.

Full Review Source: NewsBlaze | comment Comment
04/22/08
Kam Williams
Kam Williams
NewsBlaze

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.

Full Review Source: AALBC.com | comment Comment
04/22/08
Kam Williams
Kam Williams
AALBC.com

Despite its lack of fair balance, the piece is absolutely compelling and makes a point that is far more universal than any one country.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Report Card | comment Comment
03/30/08
Ross Anthony
Ross Anthony
Hollywood Report Card
 
 
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April 23, 2008: Proof-positive that despotism and decadence comes in all colors. Opens in new window
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