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Bookmark this pageThe King Is Alive (2000)
Director: Kristian Levring
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
Levring's Dogme film takes a familiar situation - a bunch of strangers (in this case, coach passengers) is stranded in the middle of nowhere (here, the African desert) with scant chance of rescue before at least some of their number succumb to hostile nature and/or in-fighting - and adds resonance by having them stave off boredom and fear by putting on a play: King Lear. Nothing enormously original, then, as fevers and tensions rise and hopes sink - Levring wisely doesn't push the Lear parallels too far - but it's all very watchable, thanks to excellent performances all round, Jens Schlosser's camerawork (equally good on close-up faces and parched landscapes) and taut pacing.Author: GA
Cast & crew
Director: Kristian Levring
Producer: Patricia Kruijer, Vibeke Windeløv
Cast: Miles Anderson, Romane Bohringer, David Bradley, David Calder, Bruce Davison, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Janet McTeer, Lia Williams full cast
Duration: 109 mins
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