Timothee Chalamet’s Superb Performance in Netflix’s The King
Donald Trump’s impeachment investigation and the Netflix movie The King, both have one thing in common: they deal with the daunting and corrupting nature of being in positions of power. Though I’d like to say that The King leans more on the consequences of being too trusting and Trump’s investigation, on the consequences of being too paranoid, I can’t. What makes The King, a remarkable and captivating film is Timothee Chalamet’s metamorphosis from the carefree and free spirited Prince of Wales to the distrustful and impulsive King Henry V caused by his succession to the throne.
Inspired by William Shakespeare’s Henriad, plays, Netflix’s The King, (2019) directed by David Michod (Animal Kingdom-2010) and produced and co-written by Joel Edgerton (Boy Erased-2018) unfolds with a battle between Scotland and England. Taking place during the early 15th Century, this resonates in the opening debate between by Henry Percy known as Harry Hotspur (Tom Glynn-Carney) and King Henry IV (Ben Mendelsohn) in Shakespearean sounding dialect.
As paranoid Henry IV comes to terms with the severity of his health, he calls upon his son, the rebellious party king Prince Hal of Wales (Timothee Chalamet). Because of the consequences surrounding the blithe Prince Hal, he eventually ascends the throne becoming King Henry V of England. Aided by the council of William (Sean Ham), his cousin Cambridge (Edward Ashley), and Lord Grey (Stephen Fewell), he rises reluctantly to the task of becoming the leader of a nation at its worst moment.
Chalamet’s caterpillar turned butterfly metamorphosis from Prince Hal to King Henry V is essentially what drives the film and it’s main messages about being king: power can transform and not necessarily for good and the cost of uniting a kingdom is one’s own sanity. Chalamet’s Prince Hal of Wales is a lanky pastel-skinned youth that enchants you from the beginning despite his disheveled brune locks. While his outer appearance barely changes in the film (he only loses the longish locks to sport an elegant bowl cut) internally Hal’s boyishness and naivety is lost much as Adam and Eve’s innocence in the Garden of Eden as he sits in his father’s place.
His face, a beautiful face that once shone with eagerness for the idea of diplomacy, visible in his dreamy pale green eyes, eventually wears a glower and solemn countenance, the face of a boy turned into a man whose aspirations have been taken away. At his worst, we see him shift from being reluctant of war to ordering the public beheading of those who he suspects have betrayed him, earning him the moniker: paranoid. Sound familiar Henry V?
Chalamet’s depiction of King Henry V is also superb because he plays Henry as a vulnerable character. As King Henry V quickly comes to the realization that as king, he is the loneliest man in the room, Chalamet does what he does best. He magnifies his character’s inner state. His downward and dejected stare right after the victory at the Battle of Agincourt, the longest battle scene of the movie, is so convincing (Henry you just won for crying out loud! Smile!) that it makes you want to jump onto the screen and hug him. Chalamet’s acting at its pinnacle, worth watching every second.
But let’s also give credit to the co-stars, director and script. The supporting cast like Falstaff (Edgerton) and William (Ham) also did an amazing job; the former as Hal’s only friend and war expert, the latter his councilmen. Edgerton and Chalamet’s onscreen chemistry was by far the best throughout the film, the pair convincing the audience that their bond was more akin to that of brotherhood, than camaraderie. And Ham and Chalamet worked well as schemers against the greater evil they supposedly had in common: the villainous France.
Cinematographer Adam Arkapaw’s lighting technique created a dark mood that captured both the tone and the feel of 15th Century England. The script and language(though not in traditional iambic pentameter or free verse) written by Michod and co-writer Joel Edgerton bolstered the creation of medieval England on screen .
David Michod, a relatively new director, known for his other films like the dystopian drama The Rover (2014), did a superb job exploiting the major themes of the film. Instead of treating the subject of war as the best solution to ending international conflicts and civil strife, he shows us the traumatic consequences it can have (Hal’s reaction after having killed men on the battlefield) and that the false pretense of peace often comes through the battles that wagered on the field.
And this is exactly what Michod’s wonderfully filmed masterwork reminds the audience of at the end of the day. That being crowned king isn’t an easy task . The real cost of being king can be found in the constant battles one must face and the toll they take on our psyche.
