Page 30 - AT

A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Saturday 12 OctOber 2019

In 'The King,' Chalamet inherits the throne

By JAKE COYLE man into a king. field), donning a glittering,
Associated Press “The King” rapidly follows sequined hoodie. This is a
A Shakespeare adap- this political conversion, be- new kind of leading man,
tation without all that ginning with Hal’s drinking it’s clear enough, and he
Shakespeare stuff, Da- days with Falstaff (depicted again proves himself more
vid Michôd’s “The King” only a slow-motion mon- than capable of assuming
goes once more unto the tage) and, after the death that mantle in “The King.”
breach only to come up of his father King Henry IV Michôd also seems more in
short. (Ben Mendelsohn), leading command of the material
“The King,” written by Mi- up to the pivotal Battle of here than he has since his
chôd and Joel Edgerton, Agincourt. But Michôd and breakthrough, the brood-
condenses Shakespeare’s Edgerton have some twists ing crime saga “Animal
Henriad — “Henry IV, Parts on the tale and some dif- Kingdom.” Like that film,
This image released by Netflix shows Timothée Chalamet, cen- I & II” and “Henry V” — ferent things to say about “The King,” too, turns on
ter, in a scene from "The King." into a much more simpli- the formation of rulers and a dark axis of family. And
Associated Press
fied tale of the wayward the conquest of war. like Michôd’s previous film,
prince Hal (Timothée Cha- This Hal’s youthful dallianc- the Afghanistan War satire
lamet) turned monarch. It’s es aren’t just him delaying “War Machine,” with Brad
generally difficult enough his inevitable ascendance. Pitt as a thinly veiled version
to adapt a single play of Here he is firmly pacifistic, of Gen. Stanley McChrys-
Shakespeare’s, but taking uninterested in adopting tal, “The King” is ultimately
three in one swing — even the squabbles and rivalries about the dubious drive for
with the ammunition of a of his bitter, ailing father or war and the duplicitous na-
bowl-cutted Chalamet the macho-machinations ture of those who monger
and an extremely louche of his contemporaries. for it.
Robert Pattinson as the He’s disgusted by the re- Shakespeare, of course, did
French dauphin — borders lentless drumbeat of war. that, too, in a more com-
on folly. In an early scene, he tries plicated balance. “Henry
“The King,” too, has dis- to put a stop to a battle V” has its own nationalistic
pensed with Shakespeare’s by earnestly appealing to jingoism (“Upon St. Crispin’s
language and significantly their foe. In an attempt to Day”) but it was always
tweaked one of the play- stave off a bloody battle, countered, usually by Fal-
wright’s greatest creations, he challenges their leader staff. Edgerton, here more
Falstaff (played by Edg- to a winner-take-all duel. rotund than he’s been be-
erton), turning the unruly And, oh, how young Chal- fore, plays the knight prin-
paragon of self-indulgence amet looks in these scenes. cipally as a reluctant war-
(whom Harold Bloom has He seems too precious for rior. Falstaff makes his (off-
called “life itself”) into mud and appears to weigh stage) exit in “Henry V,” but
merely a melancholy mili- less than his sword. With a “The King” keeps him along
tary man. People can get full suit of armor on, he looks as Henry V’s trusted mili-
prickly when you make only scantly larger than a tary adviser. Michôd’s most
drastic changes to Shake- tin can. That might be in- clever revision is in how art-
speare. But if you’re going congruous to history or, at fully and skillfully he renders
to come at “The King,” you least, to the traditional view the film’s final battle at Ag-
better come correct. of Hal, but it makes “The incourt, only to undercut
The plays (the Henry-verse, King” more interesting. it with a more disquieting
if you will) stand as among It’s a movie best seen less concluding note.
the greatest portraits of as a historical epic and Shakespeare, robbed of
power ever penned. Mov- more as a metaphor for its poetry and its harmony,
ing from Hal’s slow-building a rising young movie star isn’t so much. But it will
ambition to his transforma- coming up in a culture he do. At least we have Pat-
tion into King Henry V, they aims to subvert. Chalamet tinson’s campy French
are about the cruel, cun- did as much at the movie’s prince, who appears like a
ning and perhaps neces- red-carpet premiere (an- demonic Parisian rock star
sary metamorphosis of a other red-colored battle- lounging backstage. q

Late opera star Jessye Norman's US

hometown honors her life

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Re- School of the Arts, which street honors another Au-
nowned opera star Jessye she opened in 2003 to pro- gusta music giant — James
Norman is being honored vide free fine arts educa- Brown — whose daughter
in her hometown with four tion to disadvantaged chil- Deanne Brown Thomas at-
days of celebrations and dren. tended a second day of
memorials. The ceremony on the new- public viewing Friday at an
Norman, who died Sept. ly renamed Jessye Norman Augusta church.
30 at 74 , had hoped to Boulevard honors one of Norman's funeral is sched-
live long enough to attend the few black opera singers uled Saturday and a ben-
the renaming of the street to gain worldwide stardom. efit concert for the school
outside the Jessye Norman A block away, another follows Sunday.q