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The Madness Of King George
1994
This drama, set in 1788 and based on the stage play by Alan Bennett, follows the events surrounding King George III as his mental condition deteriorates... Read more
| Starring | Nigel Hawthorne, Helen Mirren, Ian Holm, Amanda Donohoe |
|---|---|
| Director | Nicholas Hytner |
| Genres | Drama |
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Critics' reviews (3)
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Nigel Hawthorne gives an inspired, funny and deeply moving performance in the title role of this celebrated, Oscar-winning film of Alan Bennett's play The Madness of George III. The king is married to Charlotte (Helen Mirren), dallying with Lady Pembroke (Amanda Donohoe), and is not only father of 15 children (Rupert Everett plays the foppish Prince of Wales) but also of a nation and an empire. Problem is, Farmer George — a nickname the king delights in — is showing signs of madness, or at least that's the official diagnosis. Surgeon Ian Holm is brought in to put the king into a straitjacket (providing some of the film's most disturbing scenes), while the royal quacks examine the royal stool for traces of insanity. Behind the sardonic jokes and colloquialisms that are Bennett's trademark is a serious study of 18th-century politics and the monarchy, with a final scene that hints at the House of Windsor as much as that of Hanover. Immaculately directed by Nicholas Hytner, this is an unmissable treat and the finest vision of a bygone age since Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon. It won the Oscar for best art direction and Bennett's screenplay was one of three other nominations.
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Entertaining drama of the eccentricities of royalty, speculating that the King's problem may have been caused by the illness porphyria, and which also obliquely questions the point of the monarchy. Directed with a sense of pace and an excellent eye for th
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The late 1780s: George III (Hawthorne), already disturbed by the loss of the American colonies, finds his ebullience... read more on Time Out
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Most helpful members' reviews (3)
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10 out of 10 people found this review helpful
Easy watching...
Here's a good film that makes you feel like the money you paid for it was worth spending.
Thoroughly entertaining from start to finish, with ... more -
Most recent members' reviews (2)
View all -
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
Brilliant!
A bravura performance by the star and magnificent suppporting performances by the cream of British actors. I was engrossed throughout. It should be part of the... more
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2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
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10 out of 10 people found this review helpful
Easy watching...
Here's a good film that makes you feel like the money you paid for it was worth spending.
Thoroughly entertaining from start to finish, with ... more -
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
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1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
Probably better on stage
Not all stage plays make a good transition to film - my guess is that this one was better in the original medium
It is witty, inteligent, funny, well... more -
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
Worth waiting for.
I have waited years to see this film and was not dissapointed. Very well portayed etc. Helen Mirren was fantastic .
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1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
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1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
Historically amusing
This is one of the historical films that will suit the student of history looking for some flesh on the bones of how mad was the King and also the less serious... more
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1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
'The Madness Of King George'
A bit slow to start, but gets better. It's worth a watch, but I wouldnt get too excited at the prospect. A strong British cast with some good performances... more
Critics' reviews (3)
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Nigel Hawthorne gives an inspired, funny and deeply moving performance in the title role of this celebrated, Oscar-winning film of Alan Bennett's play The Madness of George III. The king is married to Charlotte (Helen Mirren), dallying with Lady Pembroke (Amanda Donohoe), and is not only father of 15 children (Rupert Everett plays the foppish Prince of Wales) but also of a nation and an empire. Problem is, Farmer George — a nickname the king delights in — is showing signs of madness, or at least that's the official diagnosis. Surgeon Ian Holm is brought in to put the king into a straitjacket (providing some of the film's most disturbing scenes), while the royal quacks examine the royal stool for traces of insanity. Behind the sardonic jokes and colloquialisms that are Bennett's trademark is a serious study of 18th-century politics and the monarchy, with a final scene that hints at the House of Windsor as much as that of Hanover. Immaculately directed by Nicholas Hytner, this is an unmissable treat and the finest vision of a bygone age since Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon. It won the Oscar for best art direction and Bennett's screenplay was one of three other nominations.
-
Entertaining drama of the eccentricities of royalty, speculating that the King's problem may have been caused by the illness porphyria, and which also obliquely questions the point of the monarchy. Directed with a sense of pace and an excellent eye for th
-
The late 1780s: George III (Hawthorne), already disturbed by the loss of the American colonies, finds his ebullience... read more on Time Out
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This drama, set in 1788 and based on the stage play by Alan Bennett, follows the events surrounding King George III as his mental condition deteriorates...... -
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