Review of Kim

Introduction

I hate reviewing reviewing this type of film - this genre is the hardest to review. Films such as Lawrence of Arabia and Spartacus are epics, a type of film that, whether could or bad, must be appreciated. And although this doesn`t fit into the exact same category as the other two, Kim has the same elements of a film that will go down as a `classic`...whether it is good or not.

Kim (Ravi Sheth) is a happy-go-lucky, but street-wise, fifteen year-old urchin in India in the 1890s. He lives by his wits but his kind heart has earned him the nickname of `Friend of All The World`. There are two main influences on Kim`s life: Mahbub Ali (Bryan Brown), the tough wily Afghan owner of a horse-train, and a saintly old train-loving Buddhist Lama (Peter O`Toole) whom he meets in Lahore. Following a chance meeting with the British Maverick Regiment and its chaplin, Kim learns that he is the son of a deserter...

It seems strange to cast an Irishman as a Buddhist, but the make-up is good enough to let his acting talents shine through instead of constantly bitching about why they cast the wrong guy. Sheth also performs well, and develops the young (and naïve) Kim.

Video

The transfer is OK, but the visuals aren`t defined as well as they could be, as the edges aren`t that sharp and the palette isn`t that good. This was made back in 1984, so a little leeway is expected, but to be honest, films from the 70`s have better prints than this.

Michael Reed`s cinematography is excellent, and he makes use of the backdrops so the proceedings seem to seamlessly connect to the surroundings. Not as good as say Lawrence of Arabia, but nevertheless it adds ambience.

Audio

A DD 2.0 track is on offer, and the main audio stream is good, if a little flat. There are no compression signs, and the sync is just right, but where is the 5.1 mix?

The film is based on the book by Rudyard Kipling, but the script is a little bland and predictable. Although it doesn`t bore, it does get a little tiresome, but fortunately the film is executed better than it`s written. Credit though to James Brabazon`s adaptation though, as adapting Kipling is no menial task, given the following the author has.

Features

The only extra on offer is biographies - static CV`s. Although the menu boasts `Making of Kim`, under closer inspection it is just 4-pages of production notes. A double whammy of quality. Yeah right...

The menus are static with music playing in the background, and offer the usual setup.

Kim is presented in a black Amaray case, and the chapter listings are printed on the inside cover, with the entire plot synopsis on the back cover!

Conclusion

The film is a good yarn to watch on a Sunday evening, but whether it will stand up to repeat viewings is debeatable. It boasts strong performances, yet a slightly lacklustre script, good cinematography, yet predictably...swings and roundabouts I suppose.

Disc wise, pretty poor - fairly bad presentation mixed with almost non-existent extras. Maybe if it had an RRP of £9.99 it would be more appropriate...

Overall, worth a rental, but only die-hard fans of Kipling or this genre would be advised to make a purchase.