King Rat | | Cast : | George Segal, Tom Courtenay | | Director : | Bryan Forbes | | Studio : | Columbia Tristar Hom | | Format : | Black & White, Closed-captioned, Widescreen | | Released Date : | October 27, 1965 | | DVD Released Date : | May 06, 2003 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), English (Subtitled), English (Original Language), Japanese (Subtitled) | | Audience Rating : | NR (Not Rated) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | August 09, 2005 | | Summary | The Best of the Prisoner of War Movies | Content
 | I have seen "Bridge Over The River Kwai", "Stalag 17" and "King Rat" all on VHS plus read the books before seeing each movie.
Of those three movies of which two are rather widely known, King Rat not only follows the book more closely than the other two but
are much better done. The directors choice in making this film in black and white rather than color was an excellant choice.
The segment of King bargaining for medical supplies to save his friend's arm and more than likely his life shows the extent that
people in that situation will sometimes goes to. The scene of being liberated, when his friend goes back to being an officer and King goes back to being a corporeal was very well executed. |
| Rating | | | Date | October 15, 2004 | | Summary | Read The Book | Content
| This movie could have been as great as some seem to think it is. The qualities are there. But James Clavell's masterful novel has been altered not in story, but in philosophy, just enough to taint the wonderfully individualistic elements of the original book's heroes.
There is no doubt in my mind that the changes - ones made to the King's character in particular - were done because Leftist Hollywood could not handle an ethical capitalist hero back in the day.
Mind you, they probably couldn't handle one today either.
This movie is only worth watching if one has read the book, and then you too can experience a film that is almost, but not quite great.
Clavell as usual, deserves better. |
| Rating | | | Date | July 29, 2004 | | Summary | A Story of Humanity and Survival - Don't Miss It! | Content
| Based on a novel by James Clavell, King Rat tells the story of life in a Japanese prisoner of war camp during World War II. This was Clavell's first international success and it draws on the author's personal experience as a prisoner of war. Beautifully rendered, the film presents the humanity and inhumanity of people placed in extaordinary circumstances, and the spirit of survival inherent in us all.
You simply don't want to miss all the insights into human nature the film gives us. The script is brilliant, the direction sure and deft, and the acting superb. I highly recommend this film for anyone who enjoys intelligent film making at its best. |
| Rating | | | Date | March 07, 2004 | | Summary | You are what you eat | Content
| Well, Corporal King did not actually eat rats - he sold that particular delicacy to the officers. Based on the excellent book by James Clavell, this is a great story of life in a Japanese-run prison camp in Singapore. George Segal plays corporal King, who is the big wheeler-dealer of the camp, buying and selling various items such as watches, ripping off anyone he can, but also handsomely paying off his cronies. He develops a friendship of sorts with one particular British prisoner, and later helps keep his arm from being amputated. Upon being liberated (led by none other than "Family Feud" host Richard Dawson), King realizes that he will be going back to being the low rung on the ladder (as a corporal), and shares none of the other prisoner's joy of freedom. There are quite a few great performances, particularly from George Segal (the man who once french-kissed his dog on the Johnny Carson show). Of course, as is usually the case, the book is much better, but this is still a darn good movie. |
| Rating | | | Date | June 28, 2003 | | Summary | Why is this movie so underrated? | Content
| I do not understand why this movie isn't better known and more respected. It is an excellent film, as are several of Bryan Forbes' British films, all of which I recommend. When I first saw this film, I was almost outraged that I'd never heard anything about it, and I see I'm in good company. Why is Stalag 17 considered a classic of American cinema while King Rat (a much better and more complex film, in my opinion) languishes in semi-obscurity? I've never seen any significant criticism on it, which is particularly unusual for a war film (and, in some sense, anti-war film.) At least they've finally put it on DVD, and the transfer here is excellent, even if there aren't really any extras. Interestingly, the company that produced this DVD seems to be pushing George Segal's presence as the selling point of King Rat, and the back of the box doesn't even mention James Fox's character(!) (Perhaps the macho POW film audience would be put off by the relationship between Segal's and Fox's characters? I don't know.) Segal's performance is indeed great, but it isn't the only reason to watch this film, which is excellent in every major respect: technically, dramatically, and thematically. (I'm usually nearly in tears by the end, too-- I don't know whether that's true for everyone, though.) One more thing: I have not read the novel, but you should bear in mind that they ARE separate works of art, even if the film is adapted, and therefore needn't be judged against each other. I think King Rat succeeds marvellously in its own right. |
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