The Madness of King George

The Madness of King George Review

The Madness of King George tells the story of how King George III of England suffered from what appeared to be dementia; and the film explores the political effects, backstabbing and all, that occurred when he was unable to rule. The casting was very well done and the actors give outstanding performances that are convincing every step of the way. They could have cut a minute or two out of the film here and there to make the plot just a bit tighter but this is a minor quibble. The choreography and the cinematography were brilliantly done; the script was well written and the costumes and sets reflect great forethought.

When the action begins, we quickly meet King George III of England (Nigel Hawthorne) and Queen Charlotte (Helen Mirren). They are quite happy together; they have brought fifteen children into the world as well. We also meet the somewhat lazy, power-hungry and very greedy Prince of Wales (Rupert Everett) who can't wait to be King. Unfortunately for King George, he does begin to show signs of dementia with unusual, unpredictable behavior even in public, including rubbing his behind against a lady's behind and shoving a musician aside during a concert to play the harpsichord himself! The people in the King's inner circle are at first shocked and then increasingly convinced that he is truly not well--and unfit to rule the country if he is having so much trouble controlling and caring for himself as well.

The political jockeying for power is intense. The Prince of Wales can think of nothing more then becoming Regent, "King in all but name," even though he would be shoving his own father into what could be a most reclusive existence, something that horrifies Queen Charlotte. The Queen herself is not permitted to see the King; and in Parliament we see two rivals for power (and the job of Prime Minister), Mr. Pitt (Julian Wadham) and Mr. Fox (Jim Carter) quickly square off and it's isn't very pretty. Lady Pembroke (Amanda Donohoe) does what she can to try to get the Queen to see the King; and the poor King is under the "care" of what would be considered today the most sadistic Dr. Willis (Ian Holm).

Does King George ever get better or does his own son, the Prince of Wales become Regent? How does Dr. Willis try to cure the King? No spoilers here--watch and find out!

The DVD doesn't come with any bonus features; I wish it had but of course the movie itself is the attraction.

I highly recommend this film on DVD for fans of the actors in the movie; they give stunning performances. People interested in British royalty may also want to get this for their collections especially because King George really did suffer from serious health problems.

The Madness of King George Overview

Written by Alan Bennett from his stage play and featuring a towering performance by Nigel Hawthorne, and a stunning screen directorial debut (Variety) by Tony Award winner* Nicholas Hytner, this Academy AwardÂ(r)-winning** masterpiece of royal intrigue ispotent, engrossing and thrilling (Los Angeles Times). Just five years after losing the 'rebellious colonies, it appears that England's King George III (Hawthorne) is now losing his mind! Suddenly, the stately monarch is hallucinating, shouting obscenities, behaving lewdly towards the Queen's (Helen Mirren) comelylady-in-waiting and generally becoming a candidate for the lunatic asylum. The palace doctors are baffled, but the Prince of Wales (Rupert Everett), tired of playing the waiting game, conspires to take advantage of the situation. Will the King's supporters be able to restore their monarch's wits before he's stripped of his throne? *1994: Director (Musical), Carousel **1994: Art Direction

The Madness of King George Specifications

Nicholas Hytner had an international stage phenomenon with Alan Bennett's play The Madness of King George, starring Nigel Hawthorne as King George III, the British monarch who lost the American colonies. But in this film adaptation, Hytner unfortunately yields to the old temptation to "open up" the piece with lots of arbitrary exteriors, rushed set pieces, choppy editing, and so on, robbing Hawthorne's acclaimed stage performance of coherency and power on the big screen. Viewers are forced to fill in emotional gaps for themselves (and try to imagine what Bennett's work must have looked and felt like originally), and the whole enterprise has a pseudo-cinematic, self-congratulatory air. --Tom Keogh

Available at Amazon Check Price Now!

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Sep 21, 2010 05:29:06