The Empty King created a mythical figure and a whole world from grotesque, archetypal images. The drama was originally conceived as a student tirade against a teacher at Jarry's school, the Lyceum of Rennes. This teacher, Hébert, was the target of public ridicule. In 1888, at the age of 15, Jarry wrote a puppet play about the exploits of the Woolly Tartar and staged it to the amusement of his friends. The figure of Übü is a crude, cruel caricature of the foolish, selfish bourgeoisie as seen through the unrelenting gaze of a schoolboy; but this Rabelaisian figure, in all his falstaffian greed and cowardice, is more than a mere social satire. It is a terrifying picture of man's animal nature, his evil and cruelty. The Katona József Theatre in Budapest premiered Jarry's play in 1984, and it ran continuously for more than 10 years.
| Tagline | |
| Release Date: | Mar 24, 1989 |
| Genres: | Drama, TV Movie |
| Production Company: | Budapest Film |
| Production Countries: | Hungary |
| Casts: | László Sinkó, Juli Básti, Dénes Ujlaki, Tamás Végvári, Éva Olsavszky, László Szacsvay, Frigyes Hollósi, József Horváth, József Horváth, Zoltán Papp, Endre Kátay |
| Status: | Released |
| Budget: | $0 |
| Revenue: | 0 |
