The Three Kings (1987)

The Three Kings Poster

The made-for-TV film stars Jack Warden, Lou Diamond Phillips and Stan Shaw as three patients in a Los Angeles-area mental institution. Dressed as the Three Wise Men for a Christmas pageant, the trio is suddenly struck with the delusion that they are really their Biblical counterparts on a quest to find the Baby Jesus. As TV cameras grind away, the three ersatz Kings surreptitiously ride out of the gates of the asylum—on camels—and into the mean streets of LA. As the story draws to its conclusion, the three escapees find themselves providing a Christmas miracle (but not in the form of rap) for a group of homeless people on the outskirts of the city.

Film Overview
"The Three Kings" is a British television motion picture released by Channel 4 in 1987. Directed by skilled filmmaker Tony Bicat and written by his collaborator British playwright Bernard Kops, the movie's plot includes elements of catastrophe, spirituality, household characteristics, and Jewish customs and folklore. It explores different themes such as familial bonds, self-discovery, faith, and death.

Plot Summary
The story follows three brothers, Samuel, Simeon, and Saul Solomon, who run a family junk company in the East End of London. The movie opens with their dad's deathbed scene where he whispers "Elijah" before dying. According to Jewish folklore, Elijah is a prophet who appears in different forms and is thought about a welcoming figure throughout Passover.

Haunted by the thought of this guardian prophet, the brothers engage in a heated disagreement. Samuel, the eldest and most rigid, analyzes the prophet's arrival as a signal for him to maintain his role as the spiritual link in the family. Contrarily, Saul-- the youngest, an artist, and a dreamer, takes on a job to construct a sculpture of Elijah from scraps and discarded products as a tribute.

Character Analysis
The characters in "The Three Kings" are discernibly different in habits and belief systems. Samuel is the stern, conventional brother responsible for keeping the family's Jewish practices and rituals. Simeon, the middle sibling, serves as a conciliator between Samuel and Saul. He seemly drifts between both worlds, not as major as Samuel and not as free-spirited as Saul.

Saul, on the other hand, represents the whimsical, free-thinking, and non-traditional perspective. His determination to shape Elijah, in spite of the ridicule of his older brother, showcases his rebellious nature versus institutional religion.

Spiritual Undertone and Themes
Throughout the film, religious undertones supply a background to the bro's specific and collective journeys. Their varying interpretations relating to the meaning behind their daddy's last word, Elijah, show their distinct outlooks towards faith, symbolizing the broader human search for significance and truth regarding existential questions and our spiritual existence.

Cinematic and Artistic Aspects
"The Three Kings" combines reasonable discussions with strong visuals to produce a distinct cinematic experience. Tony Bicat and Bernard Kops have used contrasting settings, such as the industrial scrapyard environment versus the magical existence of an unseen prophet, to reflect the dichotomy of physical presence and spiritual belief.

Conclusion
"The Three Kings" is a movie dealing with spiritual development, self-understanding, and the intricacies of familial relationships. By placing three drastically various characters in an unusual circumstance, the filmmakers motivate reflections on spiritual traditions. The efficiency of "The Three Kings" depends on its capability to advance a cohesive story that deals with both the individual and spiritual levels, while showcasing special family characteristics and provoking more comprehensive existential concerns.

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