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Born King
Starring: Abdullah Ali, Ed Skrein, Rawkan Binbella
Director: Agustí Villaronga
Genre: Historical drama, Biopic
Rating: PG
RUNTIME: 109 Mins
Saudi history is brought to light through the country’s first international co-production – Born a King – a period drama based on a remarkable real life story that breaks stereotypes about Saudi Arabia and raises awareness of the story of King Faisal, a key figure in the history of the Middle East.
The British-Spanish coming-of-age biopic is produced by Andrés Vicente Gómez, who won the foreign language film Oscar in 1994 for Spanish film Belle Epoque.
Henry Fitzherbert’s script is set in 1919 – post-WW1 following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. The 13-year-old Saudi Prince Faisal (Abdullah Ali), the younger son of the first King of Saudi Arabia, is dispatched from the deserts of Arabia to Great Britain on behalf of his warrior father King Abdul Aziz (Rawkan Binbella) on a high stakes diplomatic mission to secure the formation of his country.
The young Faisal becomes the first Saudi royal to visit England on a political trip that lasted five months. Mentored by Harry St. John Philby (Ed Skrein) in London, he negotiates with the very people in the British establishment who are attempting to ‘divide and rule’ within Arabia, including Lord Curzon and Winston Churchill. On his visit, he also makes a special friend – Princess Mary (Hermione Corfield).
Spanish director Agusti Villaronga, whose film Pa negre was selected by the Academy to represent Spain at the Oscars in 2011, tells a very pertinent story of cross-cultural friendships, respect and understanding that is completely unknown to us.
London’s post-WW1 backdrop, authentic locations of Riyadh and Diyarah and above all employing Saudi actors on the main characters including the newcomers, play a key role in this honest portrayal of Saud dynasty.
The 18-year-old fresh-faced Abdullah makes his cinematic debut in the lead role of the future Emir of the Nejd. He is believable with his maturity and childlike curiosity as a young boy coming of age, going to the city and facing the modern world. Abdullah is joined by fellow Saudi model-turned-actor Rawkan as his father. The film might inspire more artists in the region to fulfil their passion.
At this transitional stage in Saudi’s major cultural overhaul, the recent Saudi Film Council, which provides a fund for local filmmakers, lauds a revolutionary change by appointing the country’s first female director, much-acclaimed Haifaa Al-Mansour (Wadjda) to the board of directors of the General Culture Authority. After a long ban of cinemas, Born a King is currently showing in Saudi Arabia and across the Middle East.
Cinema as an ubiquitous art has always been a prominent and powerful part of human culture, education, leisure and a pleasure escape from our lives to venture somewhere else. The influence of films is sometimes greater than poetry, music, painting, newspapers and books combined. Cinema is good for you.
SubIdita’s verdict: 4/5
