UNITED KINGDOM: Controversial drama 'The King' and Haneke's psychological thriller 'Cach' screen at the London Film Festival

Record ID: 644928

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM: Controversial drama 'The King' and Haneke's psychological thriller 'Cach' screen at the London Film Festival
  • Date: 5th November 2005
  • Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (OCTOBER 29, 2005) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR ODEON WEST END POSTER OF LONDON FILM FESTIVAL
  • Embargoed: 20th November 2005 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: United Kingdom
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Reuters ID: LVA5YZPE1CBG3NLJLJAFW6FAVYMN
  • Story Text: The Times BFI 49th London Film festival continued with screenings of two very different films on Saturday (October 29, 2005).
    The controversial drama "The King" was promoted by its director James Marsh and writer Milo Addica on the night. Some critics label the film as questioning Christianity, but this is not the case according to its makers. "We're not trying to criticise anybody, I think we're trying to raise questions and stuff and make people think and simply, you know, bring up the passes to the standard of, you know, who is accountable and do you take responsibility and when do you take responsibility so we're not trying to attack anybody," Addica explained. The film tells the story of 21-year-old dreamer Elvis Valderez (Gael Garcia Bernal) who gets an honourable discharge from the U.S. navy. He travels back to his hometown Corpus Christi, Texas, where he is trying to find his long-lost father - a man he has only heard about from his late Mexican mother. Elvis quickly finds out that his father David Sandow (William Hurt) is a pastor with a perfect family of his own. As Elvis represents the pastor's past sins, he is rejected by the man. However, Elvis has already fallen for Sandow's daughter Malerie (Pell James), so he decides to slowly infiltrate the family in a wicked way. Throughout the film, Elvis's motives are confusing, which neither label him as bad nor good.
    "By casting Gael, I think, allowed that to happen. I mean, you cast someone who is so charismatic and such a great actor, he can take the audience with you through this very dark journey that he ends up taking. So, that's I think the answer to the question it's Gael," said Marsh about the audience sympathising with Elvis. "He wasn't malicious, you know, and almost a victim of circumstances in society, you know. He was looking for a father, his father, and he was rejected by that man and so this was the only recourse. From the beginning of the film, he sets out almost immediately his destiny fate," Addica explained.
    Leading actor Bernal found himself sympathising the character he plays. "You don't throw a moral judgement on the characters, you know, it's just a story, fiction, so therefore, you know. And you cannot even get to understand what this character goes through, because it's so extraordinary what he goes through and I haven't been, never been, like remotely been close, you know, to this character's strategy. The only thing I can do is empathise with the character and empathise with the strategy, you know. And that is the way to make this character, to make him be justifiable by what he does. And, yeah, I mean if you throw yourself outside of the film you can see that this guy is a murderer, but at the same time, you understand the story, you understand the reasons why he did it," Bernal explained.
    The young Mexican superstar, shot to fame with his first major feature film 'Amores Perros' (2000), followed by 'Y tu mama tambien' (2001), 'Diarios de motocicleta ' (2004) and 'La mala educacion' (2004), stars in his first English language film. The star explained that doing this film had nothing to do with Hollywood, but with the themes that are addressed throughout the story. "Like you're saying, it's a film that combines and deals with all the themes that really interest me. Everything, such as the relation between Mexico and the United States, the border, everything like that. Anyway, it's a story that I love and that's why I've done it," he told Reuters.
    French flick Cach (Hidden) also enjoyed a special screening at the Leicester square event. The psychological thriller is directed by Austrian Michael Haneke and stars Algerian born Daniel Auteuil, who was convinced it was a great co-operation. "This film has been written for me and we had the desire of working together," Auteuil said about doing the movie with Haneke.
    Auteuil plays George a TV literary critic whose family start to receive mysterious packages. The videos suggest that his wife Anne (Juliette Binoche) and his son Pierrot are being closely watched, by someone who must know George for quite some time. His anxiety rises, but as no direct threats have been made, the police refuse to help. The London Film Festival closes on Thursday (3 November) with the gala screening of 'Good Night, and Good Luck'.
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