By Robert Goldrich
Set in medieval times, this :30 shows us a blood-thirsty mob screaming for the public execution of their king. Chants of “Kill the king” echo throughout the village courtyard.
An axe-wielding executioner patiently waits for his victim as we see a chopping block in the foreground. In front of the block is an empty basket, ready to receive the king’s head.
The prisoner then appears, escorted by two guards. Indeed the king seems destined to meet his end through a most horrific means, decapitation.
But the mood–as well as the time period is broken–with the appearance of a modern day young man who’s dressed in jeans and a windbreaker. He’s eating a Snickers candy bar.
The mob, which consists mostly of peasants, is a bit bewildered at the sight of this guy, who asks a telling question: “Is this really about Eddie using all your tax money to build a hot tub or is everyone just feeling a little down because they’re hungry?”
Clearly, he’s struck a nerve. The mob calms down, nodding in agreement, realizing that they are indeed hungry. The executioner even looks longingly at the Snickers bar that the guy is holding.
The man from the present then seals the stay of execution–if not outright clemency–by pointing to a nearby display of Snickers bars to satisfy everyone’s appetite.
A voiceover concludes: “Snickers. Maybe you’re just hungry.”
This period piece, which makes an eloquent case for a Snickers snack to ease the day, was directed by Charley Stadler via Spy Films, Toronto, for BBDO Toronto. Production services were provided by Strawberry Films, Budapest.
The core BBDO creative team included chief creative officer Jack Neary, associate creative director/copywriter Patrick Scisson, associate creative director/art director Mark Mason, and producer Sam Benson.
Carlo Trulli executive produced for Spy Films. Line producer for Strawberry Films was Katalin Krammer. The DP was Fraser Taggart.
Editor was David Baxter of Panic & Bob, Toronto. Colorist was Billy Ferwerda at Notch, Toronto. Audio post mixer was Nathan Handy of The Eggplant, Toronto.
Sound designer was The Eggplant’s Rocco Gagliese. Music composers were Gagliese and Steve D’Angelo of The Eggplant.
Principal actor was Nicolas Rose.
“King” is airing nationally throughout Canada, in both English and French.
Review: Malcolm Washington Makes His Feature Directing Debut With “The Piano Lesson”
An heirloom piano takes on immense significance for one family in 1936 Pittsburgh in August Wilson's "The Piano Lesson." Generational ties also permeate the film adaptation, in which Malcolm Washington follows in his father Denzel Washington's footsteps in helping to bring the entirety of The Pittsburgh Cycle — a series of 10 plays — to the screen.
Malcolm Washington did not start from scratch in his accomplished feature filmmaking debut. He enlisted much of the cast from the recent Broadway revival with Samuel L. Jackson (Doaker Charles), his brother, John David Washington (Boy Willie), Ray Fisher (Lymon) and Michael Potts (Whining Boy). Berniece, played by Danielle Brooks in the play, is now beautifully portrayed by Danielle Deadwyler. With such rich material and a cast for whom it's second nature, it would be hard, one imagines, to go wrong. Jackson's own history with the play goes back to its original run in 1987 when he was Boy Willie.
It's not the simplest thing to make a play feel cinematic, but Malcolm Washington was up to the task. His film opens up the world of the Charles family beyond the living room. In fact, this adaptation, which Washington co-wrote with "Mudbound" screenwriter Virgil Williams, goes beyond Wilson's text and shows us the past and the origins of the intricately engraved piano that's central to all the fuss. It even opens on a big, action-filled set piece in 1911, during which the piano is stolen from a white family's home. Another fleshes out Doaker's monologue in which he explains to the uninitiated, Fisher's Lymon, and the audience, the tortured history of the thing. While it might have been nice to keep the camera on Jackson, such a great, grounding presence throughout, the good news is that he really makes... Read More