Steven Soderberg’s “King of the Hill” at Dryden 4/19/2011
April 15, 2011“King of the Hill” is one of those hard-to-find gems. It’s not that old (1993) compared to a lot of films that are seen frequently at venues like the Dryden or those readily available on DVD or seen on TCM. But is has never been released on DVD in the US. I watched my LaserDisc copy of the film a few weeks ago and it was just as enjoyable then as when I saw it in a theater when it was first released. I won’t go into great detail about the film except to say that its story takes place during the depression and concerns a family that is driven apart as a result of the economy. Jesse Bradford plays the older son who is left to fend for himself in a hotel full of strange and interesting characters. In its way, this is as fine a film as Soderberg has ever made and I have no idea why it has not been made more available on video. Maybe it will gain more popularity after the Dryden showing. It has also been shown on TCM in the past. Check it out at the Dryden on the 19th.
