King Bool and the Bulvanian Blur

Is it worth your time?

If you have a soft spot for the kind of frantic, slightly confused storytelling that feels like it was written on a napkin during a lunch break, sure. You’ll like this if you enjoy watching old-school character actors try to sell dialogue that sounds like it was translated from a different dimension. If you need your movies to make sense or have a consistent tone, stay far away.

King Bool. The name alone sounds like a rejected villain from a puppet show, but here he is, stomping around Bulvania like he owns the place. And I guess he does, or at least he thinks he does.

The whole plot is basically just people running into rooms, shouting about a throne, and then running out again. It reminds me of the pacing in The Lucky Horseshoe, where things happen just because the script ran out of other ideas. Except here, the energy is way more jittery.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Rule 'Em and Weep (1932) through its definitive frames.

Oddly specific observations

• There is a scene in the second act where a character stands near a door for way too long. He’s just waiting. Not acting, just waiting. It’s hypnotic.
• The mustaches in this movie deserve their own billing. They are remarkably thick.
• The set design looks like it was borrowed from three different movies, none of which were supposed to be in Europe.

I found myself wondering if anyone actually checked the continuity while they were filming. There’s a moment with a hat that just sort of vanishes. It’s not a big deal, but it distracted me for a good five minutes. Why did he take it off? Where did it go? Did he leave it in The Pit? I’ll never know.

It’s not as focused as something like Tarzan the Mighty, which at least knows what kind of movie it wants to be. Rule 'Em and Weep feels like it’s having a nervous breakdown between takes. Sometimes the actors are shouting, sometimes they are whispering, and sometimes they seem to be looking for the craft services table just off-camera.

I don't know, man. It’s weird. It’s barely a movie, but I didn't hate it. Sometimes you just need to watch a guy named King Bool try to reclaim a kingdom that looks like a high school play set. Honestly, that's enough for a Tuesday night. 🤷‍♂️