The King (2007) (TV)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Matthew Saville

Writers:

Jaime Browne (written by)
Kris Mrksa (written by)

Release Date:

20 May 2007 (Australia)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Plot:

The King is the story of Graham Kennedy, Australia's first and greatest home grown TV superstar. It traces his rise and rise...

Plot Keywords:

John Wesley | Controversial

Awards:

5 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Stephen Curry	...	Graham Kennedy
Shaun Micallef	...	Colin Bednall
Garry McDonald	...	Nicky Whitta
Steve Bisley	...	Harry M. Miller
Stephen Hall	...	Bert Newton
Todd MacDonald	...	Richard Croft
Bernard Curry	...	John Wesley
Nick Farnell	...	Norm Spencer
Donal Forde	...	Geoff 'Corkie' Corke
Leo Taylor	...	Sir Frank Packer
Beau Brady	...	Tim
Monica Maughan	...	Nana Scott
Roz Hammond	...	Kathleen Whitta
Jane Allsop	...	Noeline Brown
Beth Buchanan	...	Val Wesley

Also Known As:

The King: The Story of Graham Kennedy (USA) (promotional title)

Runtime:

Australia:100 min

Country:

Australia

Language:

English | English

Color:

Color (Fujicolor) | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Company:

Crackerjack Productions

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: After Graham gets into his car and tells his driver he might have a quiet night in, the vehicle proceeds round a corner, briefly revealing a lighting tower and several crew members in the background.

Graham Was the King - But Not Quite Here.

A pretty well acted docu-drama but I thought it was rather jerky in places, and could have done with some additional filling. Probably, the show would have done better as a two part 4 hour mini-series, as it did not seem to fit well into such a short time frame (under 2 hours including ad breaks).

For those who do not know of the legacy of Graham Kennedy's incredible contribution to Australian television this made for TV movie will not mean a whole lot, simply because there was not enough of the on screen personality that was Graham to really let strangers know why he was so revered in Australia. They will walk away wondering what the fuss was all about.

Perhaps the "warts and all" approach (his homosexuality, backstabbing of others, and eventual reclusiveness)was over emphasised, which left less screen time for the TV personality that was GK. I don't honestly know, but I would have liked a bit more than what we got of the public persona, at the expense of the expose, in such a brief movie, or more of both - a longer show. It just all happened to quickly.

9/10 for the acting, the quality of the rendition of, particularly 1950's, Melbourne and the TV industry at the time. 5/10 for what I felt was choppy editing, and huge gaps in his career not being even alluded to. And 10/10 for the footage of the real Graham shown at the end. At least for a minute or so, the true abilities of the man shined out on the screen.

7/10 Norm