- Actors: Georges Perrier, Nicholas Elmi
- Director: Erika Frankel
- Details: Color, NTSC, Widescreen
- Language: English
- Subtitles: English, Spanish
- Region: Region 1
- Number of discs: 1
- Rated: Not Rated
- Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO
- Release Date: June 21, 2016
- Run Time: 77 minutes
King Georges offers plenty of amusement
in the character study of its subject, which is 67-year-old French chef George
Perrier and his Philadelphia restaurant Le Bec-Fin, in equal measure. What is
missing from the documentary is a clear narrative direction. Although
non-narrative cinema is not required to have an opinion about the subject,
despite an overabundance of propaganda-fueled films using the medium to make
political points or encourage social action, King Georges almost goes too far in the opposite direction. The
inexperience of first-time director Erika Frankel is apparent in her
noncommittal perspective, instead choosing to allow the narrative to drift
aimlessly from sequence to sequence. Nothing is boring, but I had no clear
understanding of what the point of the film was by the end.
In some ways King Georges would have worked as a
straightforward biographical documentary about Perrier, though his background
and history is quickly glossed over in favor of footage that Frankel captured
during the last years of Le Bec-Fin. At times the documentary is sidetracked by
the many physical problems of the aging restaurant, from flooding to equipment
failure. For much of the run-time, this is more a movie about the closing of a
legendary Philadelphia
eatery, but even these events are too anticlimactic for cinematic use. The
restaurant died a slow death, mostly because of Perrier’s dual stubbornness. He
refuses to close the doors even as their business dwindles, but is equally
unwilling to make the necessary changes to bring people back. Despite
announcing its closing, the doors of Le Bec-Fin remained open long after the
demand had waned.
As if the
narrative was not splintered enough, at a certain point King Georges becomes more about Perrier’s protégé than it is about
him. This may have been something of an afterthought, because it is unlikely
that Frankel knew that Nicholas Elmi would go on to his own fame when filming
this documentary in 2010. Footage of Elmi years later winning the popular
reality TV show, “Top Chef,” feels tacked on, shifting focus away from the
documentary’s assumed primary subject. This works against the film somewhat, if
only because of how stubborn Perrier can be, and how relatable Elmi is by
comparison. When the two of them disagree over the direction of Le Bec-Fin, it
is not difficult to decide which to agree with.
While none of
these shortcomings prevent King Georges
from being an enjoyable viewing experience, they all contradict the proposed
theme of the film. Perhaps this is more a mistake of marketing, as the plot
synopsis I had read online, as well as the DVD back cover, seems to suggest
this is a film about Perrier’s second wave in his twilight years. More than
that, this is a film about Perrier’s refusal to let go of the past and how this
clinging gradually forced the legend into retirement.
The DVD includes a theatrical trailer
as its sole special feature.
Entertainment Value:
7/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 6/10
Historical
Significance: 5/10
Special Features: 1/10
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