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The Madness of King George

 
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The Madness of King George

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  • AMG Rating: starstarstarstar
  • Genre: Historical Film
  • Movie Type: Period Film, Comedy of Manners
  • Themes: Crowned Heads, Mental Illness, Finding the Cure
  • Director: Nicholas Hytner
  • Main Cast: Nigel Hawthorne, Helen Mirren, Ian Holm, Rupert Everett, Rupert Graves
  • Release Year: 1994
  • Country: US/UK
  • Run Time: 107 minutes
  • MPAA Rating: PG13

Plot

Based on Alan Bennett's acclaimed play The Madness of George III, The Madness of King George takes a dark-humored look at the mental decline of King George III of England. The film's story begins nearly three decades into George's reign, in 1788, as the unstable king (Nigel Hawthorne, reprising his stage role) begins to show signs of increasing dementia, from violent fits of foul language to bouts of forgetfulness. This weakness seems like the perfect chance to overthrow the unpopular George, whom many blamed for the loss of the American colonies, in favor of the Prince of Wales (Rupert Everett), but the king's prime minister William Pitt (Julian Wadham) and his wife Queen Charlotte (Helen Mirren) are determined to protect the throne. Doctors are brought in, but the archaic treatments of the time prove of little value. In desperation, they turn to Dr. Willis (Ian Holm), a harsh, unconventional specialist whose unusual methods recall modern psychiatry. Willis struggles to break through to the mad king, treating him with an anger and haughtiness George has never before experienced. Stressing the absurdity of the entire situation, Bennett's witty screenplay emphasizes dry humor over tragedy, even utilizing references to King Lear for comic effect. Hawthorne's fiery yet vulnerable performance received much critical praise, including Best Actor at the British Academy Awards and a nomination for the same at the Oscars. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide

Review

Adapted for the screen from Alan Bennett's hit London stage production by Bennett himself, The Madness of King George is an ebullient, witty, and surprisingly sympathetic portrait of the insanity of politics and the politics of insanity. Directed with grace and assurance by first-time director Nicholas Hytner, the film manages to strike a balance between scatological irreverence and subdued tenderness in its treatment of its titular subject. Portrayed as both a blundering autocrat and a genuinely disturbed man, George is brought to life by Nigel Hawthorne (who also played him on the stage) in a performance that carries the entire film. He is ably supported by a cast of seasoned performers, most notably Helen Mirren as his long-suffering but loving wife, and Ian Holm as the irascible Dr. Willis, the physician who attempts to treat the king through a variety of unorthodox methods. Hawthorne's scenes with both Mirren and Holm provide the film with its more memorable and lucid moments, and they layer his character with added dimensions. The affectionate interludes between the king and his wife communicate genuine poignancy, while the battle of wills between the king and Dr. Willis provides the film with its centerpiece. At the end of it all, Hawthorne emerges triumphant, his George III scarred but spirited, willing to fight the good fight until he can fight no more. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
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Wikipedia: The Madness of King George
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This article is about the 1994 film. For the play by Alan Bennett, see The Madness of George III (play) and for a 2004 political satire, see The Madness of King George (book).
The Madness of King George

Original film poster
Directed by Nicholas Hytner
Produced by Stephen Evans
David Parfitt
Written by Alan Bennett
Starring Nigel Hawthorne
Helen Mirren
Ian Holm
Amanda Donohoe
Rupert Graves
and Rupert Everett
Music by George Fenton
Georg Friedrich Händel
Cinematography Andrew Dunn
Editing by Tariq Anwar
Distributed by Samuel Goldwyn Company
Release date(s) December 28, 1994 (U.S.)
March 24, 1995 (UK)
November 2, 1995 (Australia)
Running time 107 minutes
Country United Kingdom
Language English

The Madness of King George is a 1994 film directed by Nicholas Hytner and adapted by Alan Bennett from his own play, The Madness of George III. It tells the true story of George III's deteriorating mental health, and his equally declining relationship with his son, the Prince of Wales, particularly focusing on the period around the Regency Crisis of 1788. Modern medicine has suggested that the King's symptoms were the result of porphyria.

Contents

Cast

Background and production

Bennett refused to sanction a film version unless Hawthorne was given First Refusal for the title role after having a highly acclaimed performance in the theatre.[citation needed]

Title change

In adapting the play to film, the title was changed from The Madness of George III to The Madness of King George. An urban myth has developed that the title change derives from the fear that American audiences would think the film was a sequel, due to the Roman numerals. However, Hytner has stated that the principal reason was to clarify that this was a film about a king, particularly in America as it is a country that has always been without royalty. [1] According to a biography and interview with Nigel Hawthorne this was apparently true.

Filming locations

The film was shot at Shepperton Studios and on location at:

Themes

The film deals with the relatively primitive medical practices of the time and the suppositions that physicians made in their efforts to understand the human body. The King's doctors attempt humoral cures such as blistering and purges. Meanwhile, another of the King's physicians, Dr. Pepys, blindly analyzes the King's stool and urine believing that body wastes may contain some clue to the Royal malady. Finally, Lady Pembrooke recommends Dr. Willis, an ex-minister who attempts to cure the insane through behavior modification. None of the three methods of treatment entirely cures the King; eventually his body heals on its own.

Besides the King's personal struggle with mental illness, the film also depicts the relative powerlessness of the British monarchy in a time when Parliament had become supreme. The scene where the King is told what to do by a doctor for the first time (in breach of established protocol) and is restrained in a seat shows the King finally accepting his diminished role despite his protestations that he is the "King of England" and can do as he pleases. After his recovery, he is seen at the end of the film explaining to the Prince of Wales that the role of the royal family is to be seen to be happy, to wave to the crowd, and to be a model to the people of how to behave and conduct oneself. Thus the film also documents the shift in the British government from a monarchy with limited political power to a constitutional monarchy based mainly in the rural aristrocracy.

Awards and nominations

Academy Awards

BAFTA Awards

  • The film was nominated for a total of 14 BAFTA Awards and won three: the Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film, the Best Actor (Nigel Hawthorne) and the Award for Best Make Up/Hair (Lisa Westcott).

Cannes Film Festival

References

  1. ^ Snopes.com title change
  2. ^ "Festival de Cannes: The Madness of King George". festival-cannes.com. http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/3373/year/1995.html. Retrieved 2009-09-05. 

External links

Awards
Preceded by
Shallow Grave		 Alexanda Korda Award for Best British Film
1995		 Succeeded by
Secrets & Lies
v • d • e
Films directed by Nicholas Hytner

The Madness of King George (1994) · The Crucible (1996) · The Object of My Affection (1998) · Center Stage (2000) · The History Boys (2006)

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 

 

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