Golf in the Kingdom

It's always risky to make a book into a movie, and usually the flick doesn't live up to the tome, primarily because great literature explores the internal whereas film concerns itself with the exterior. Riskier still when the book is category-killing classic such as Golf In The Kingdom.

This film, however, gets it--beyond faithful to the feel, the spirit, and the mystery of the novel. Impeccable direction, inspired acting, and brilliant cinematography. A must see for any aficionado of Murphy's eternal gift to golf literature, not to mention any golfer who has ever played or dreamed of playing on America's only true-to-Scottish links course. I shan't spoil it by naming the location. You'll you'll just have to stay through the credits.

To the Producer/Distributor: please, PLEASE get the DVD out soon, because I want to see it again and again, and I'm running out of airfare.

"Michael you have to remember your in the land where all these rules were invented. It's the only way you can play in the kingdom." Michael Murphy (Gamble) is a philosophy student that is searching for himself. His one real love is golf and before he decided to give it up forever he stops by Scotland to play in the famous "Links of Burningbush." I have said this before but I am a sucker for sports movies. Any kind and golf is no different. I really enjoyed "Greatest Game Ever Played" & "Bobby Jones". The recent "Seven Days In Utopia" was also fantastic so my expectations were high for this one. While the movie itself is not bad and the scenery is pretty I was very disappointed. This movie is more of watching the young boy Michael meeting a golf pro named Shivas Irons (O'Hara) who proceeds to teach him about the game. The movie then becomes watching Michael get an hour private lesson about golf. I understand the book is great, but I wasn't that entertained by this movie. It's not bad, I was just hoping for something different. Overall, not bad, but more of movie about the rules and philosophy of golf then the sport itself. I give it a B-.

Missed opportunity to make an interesting adaptation of a moderately interesting book. The first third of the book about the round of golf Murphy plays with Irons is the only good part of the book. In the book, Irons instruction on the mental side of the game and it's parallels to reality are worth pondering. That part of the story is given only perfunctory attention here. The rest of the book is devoted to Murphy's vague ruminations on his confused notions of the confluence of science and philosophy. The movie only superficially resembles the book. For starters, Bandon Dunes, Oregon is not Scotland. So when Irons character in the movie talks of learning the lessons of the game "where it was invented" the grounding of the film runs aground. Playing the game in Scotland is an authentic pilgrimage for golfers. The harshness of the North Sea weather conditions can affect anyone playing the game in Scotland on a links course next to the sea in ways that make the game incredibly difficult beyond the mere hitting of the ball. Hence, the line by Shivas Irons in the book, which is something of a mantra to Scottish golfers, if there's no wind and no rain there's no golf, is lost by staging the film in good weather in America. In other words, playing a round of the game on a sunny windless day teaches none of the real lessons of the game or yourself. What Irons lessons are really about are that golf reveals your inner self to you by showing you how you handle tough conditions while hitting a ball with a stick and trying to drop it into a hole in the ground. That way to self revelation is given short shrift in the movie. Put another way, the story is about what you learn about yourself while playing golf, not about the game of golf per se. Technically, an opportunity to use the mystical aspects of the southern Oregon coast is missed by masking daylight with effects to look like sunset. The true mystic qualities of the southern Oregon coast are best seen at dawn, or in heavy overcast and/or fog without effects masking reality. The movie actually turns Irons insights upside down by the use of phony effects lighting. The staging in the movie missed the qualities of the southern Oregon coast that really resemble Scotland. Classic Scottish links courses have no trees anywhere near the course. The setting, and its depiction, used here did not conjure up the mystic qualities of a Scottish links course (or the southern Oregon coast), which could have transformed this film. That could have been done by filming at dawn and in unmasked, imperfect weather conditions. Still, I gave it a five rating because it has Malcolm McDowell, Frances Fisher, Julian Sands, Joanna Whalley and David O'Hara, all of whom are worth watching whatever they do. The Shivas Irons part of the book deserves a filming that scores an eagle. Here, the script, the staging and unnatural lighting add up to a three putt bogey of a missed opportunity.

After reading a good book, you want the movie to evoke the same emotions as the book. However, as with most books-made-into-movies, Golf in the Kingdom did not live up to the task completely. Regardless, I gave the movie a solid 7 because it did capture the main theme of the book....life imitates golf where the golfer navigates the golf course much the same as we attempt to navigate life by measuring every step, gaining perspective and swinging away!

David O'Hara was great as Shivas Irons, mystical, introspective and possessive of that great Scottish accent. Mason Gamble was less impressive in his role as Michael Murphy most probably because he was directed to act this way. He was jumpy, almost nervous in his role as Murphy who in the book was much more confident and polished. For supposedly being a seasoned golfer he did several things in the beginning of the movie that I felt were unreal such as talking in someone's back-swing and boasting about his abilities to the starter. It made the movie feel a bit cheesy right out of the gate. It did get better however as the movie moved on. I could have envisioned a character more equal to Davis Love III in this role.

References to the traditions of golf and the local lore are what drew me into the movie as did the book. The scenery, lighting, and quality acting of the rest of the cast are reasons why I gave it a high rating. I love the game and most movies about golf's impact on life aka The Greatest Game Ever Played (Shia LaBeouf) and The Legend of Bagger Vance (Will Smith, Matt Damon). It's worth the watch much like Harvey Penick's Little Red Book is worth the read.