King George - a kingdom for more understanding

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Movie
German title King George - a kingdom for more understanding
Original title The Madness of King George
Country of production United Kingdom
original language English
Publishing year 1994
length 109 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director Nicholas Hytner
script Alan Bennett
production Stephen Evans ,
David Parfitt
music georg Friedrich Handel
camera Andrew Dunn
cut Tariq Anwar
occupation

King George is the debut feature film by British director Nicholas Hytner from 1994 . The comedy is based on the play What, Was, or the Illness of King George III ( The Madness of George III ) by Alan Bennett and was produced by the Samuel Goldwyn Company .

action

England in 1788: King George III. rules over Great Britain . The work-hungry ruler enjoys the affection of the people and is dubbed "Farmer George" because of his preference for country life . He was happily married to Queen Charlotte , who bore him fifteen children. Far from any etiquette, the two affectionately call themselves “Mr. and Mrs. King ” when they are among themselves. Still, George III. suffered a major failure in his administration - he lost the war of independence against the North American colonies, which then broke away from Great Britain and became independent.

Another constant nuisance is his son, the Prince of Wales . Son George , who is supposed to follow in his father's footsteps, is an idler as he is in the book. He has an extravagant and expensive lifestyle, reluctantly takes part in public appearances and was all too happy to indulge in culinary delights. Dubbed a “fat man” by his father , the Prince of Wales has not yet had a proper wife, let alone started a family. The relationship between father and son is strained despite the queen's attempts to appease.

The first disaster casts its shadow when King George III. is attacked by an insane woman after speaking in parliament . The king, who is not injured by the blunt fruit knife and only bears a destroyed doublet as a visible sign of the attack, does not take the incident seriously and, shortly after the thwarted crime, admonishes his guards not to attack the confused woman too hard. A short time later, the king in his bedchamber feels severe convulsions in the stomach area and collapses. Diagnosed as colic by his personal physician , George III. prescribed a laxative and is able to work again the next day.

But the king soon no longer seems to be the master of his understanding. From now on he gets up early in the morning at four o'clock and, wearing only his nightgown, goes for walks in the area, much to the dismay of his valets, who try to prevent him. He indulges in long prayers, his urine has a bluish tinge and with sexual greed he leaps over the maid of his queen, Lady Pembroke, among others in the presence of his wife and praises her physical virtues. While the court puzzled over the king's behavior, rumors about his father's state of mind also reached the Prince of Wales. After all these years of waiting, he sees his chance to ascend the throne and, together with his younger brother Frederick , Duke of York and Albany , begins to intrigue against his father. The Prince of Wales organizes a concert with the intention of exposing the King to the entire court. Indeed, George III suffers. another seizure, grabs the keys of the harpsichord himself and, after being reprimanded by his eldest son, attacks the Prince of Wales and can only be held back by the guards with difficulty.

When George III. wakes his children and wife at night and climbs the battlements of the castle with them to protect them from an alleged flood and repeatedly mentions his son Octavius , who died at the age of four, the king seems to have finally lost his mind. The Queen tries to understand her spouse's behavior and bring him to their senses, but the couple are suddenly visited by guards. The Prince of Wales finally sees his chance to have his father declared incapacitated and gives the order to separate his mother from his mad father. Queen Charlotte asks the son to revise his decision, but his mother does not soften him. King George III is locked in the royal palace and one tries, among other things, to pull the disease out of his body with cupping heads . After this therapy is unsuccessful, his loyal valet, Captain Greville, consults the unconventional Dr. Willis. The former clergyman examines the patient and sends him to his mental hospital. The deeply offended king is reluctant to enter into therapy, in which he is tied to a chair and gagged as soon as he suffers another seizure.

While Dr. Willis tries to get George III. To cure his illness, Prime Minister Pitt tries to maintain the king's credibility. The Prince of Wales comes to an arrangement with opposition leader Charles James Fox and lets parliament vote on the king's incapacity to act, but is narrowly defeated. In a second vote, the Prince of Wales has a majority of the MPs behind him, but the now healed King returns from his cure just in time. Soon afterwards, the royal family smiles and waves to the people in public appearances and holds up the facade of the model family.

History of origin

The film is based on the play The Madness of George III. by Alan Bennett. The play was first performed in the early 1990s by the British Royal National Theater . The British Nigel Hawthorne played the role of the insane king for two and a half years . He has received outstanding reviews for his play and has received the Olivier Award (1992), the London Critics' Circle Theater Award (1991) and the London Evening Standard Theater Award (1992). A little later the piece also went on a US tour. When filming for the film adaptation began in the summer of 1994, it was clear to Alan Bennett from the start that the main role could only be interpreted by Nigel Hawthorne. He allegedly even refused to give his consent to the filming of his play if Hawthorne did not get the role. In addition, other actors from the theater company were hired, including Julian Wadham as Prime Minister Pitt, Julian Rhind-Tutt as the brother of the power-hungry Prince of Wales, and Anthony Calf and Paul Corrigan as the king's valet. Other actors from the original cast had cameo appearances, such as Nick Sampson and Selina Cadell , who played the Prince of Wales and Queen Charlotte respectively on the US tour.

For the film adaptation, Bennett was able to win over Nicolas Hytner, who had also directed the stage presentation. He was supported by the established designer Ken Adam , who designed the film sets for Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon and seven James Bond films , among others . For the historical costumes, the designer Mark Thompson , who like Bennett, Hytner and Hawthorne, was also involved in the stage production The Madness of George III. had contributed.

Arundel Castle in West Sussex and Wilton House in Salisbury served as backdrops for Windsor Castle . The parliamentary scenes were shot at Eton College . For the final scene of King George , the film crew got permission to shoot in front of St Paul's Cathedral in London . The studio work took place at Shepperton Studios in Surrey .

reception

The historical comedy with dramatic elements was released on December 28, 1994 in US cinemas . Established theater director Nicolas Hytner's debut film received critical acclaim and grossed over 15 million US dollars in the US alone. Leading actor Nigel Hawthorne received high praise from the critics for his intense play, as did Helen Mirren as the royal consort.

Reviews

"Opulently equipped tragic comedy, which was already a great success on stage."

- DVD & Video Report

“Theater director Nicholas Hytner is making a furious feature film debut here, which at one stroke places him in the traditional British satirist gallery. Nigel Hawthorne, mainly known in this country as the clever Sir Humphrey from the TV series 'Yes, Minister', was rewarded with an Oscar nomination last year for his brilliant performance as King George. The pointed dialogues alone are worth looking at. "

- Video Week

“Director Nicholas Hytner, who also directed the stage version, can work on his glamorous screen debut with a clever script that compares the state of mind of the king with the state of the monarchy and humanizes the royal family, as well as working with excellent actors. The rousing performance of Hawthorne, who has already tried the role extensively at the Royal National Theater, is particularly impressive. The costumes and the equipment are the finest and round off the grandiose epic, which will also find its inclined viewers in Germany - even if you will hardly be able to feed on the Oscar nominations at the local cinema release in November. "

- Focus: film

Remarks

  • Today's knowledge suggests that King George III's psychoses . caused by a metabolic disorder ( porphyria ).
  • One component that received very little mention in the film adaptation is Pitt's alcohol addiction. The prime minister is said to have been a heavy drinker. This is only mentioned in passing in the film, when Pitt was with King George III. will present.
  • In reality, the Prince of Wales' secret marriage to Catholic Maria Fitzherbert lasted until 1794, five years after the film events. After the catastrophic marriage with Karoline von Braunschweig , both were again in a relationship for some time.
  • There is a popular story in Britain as to why the film version of the play The Madness of King George and not The Madness of George III. called. Allegedly one wanted to prevent the American audience from associating a sequel with the film title . Today we know, however, that this is not true, although director Nicolas Hytner replied that it would not be entirely untrue overall. In Great Britain one associates George III. immediately with the monarch of the same name, while this is not the case in the US.
  • While lead actor Nigel Hawthorne was 64 years old at the time of filming, George III was. at the time of the events portrayed in the film, he was significantly younger at fifty.

Awards

King George was nominated for four Academy Awards in 1995 , including Nigel Hawthorne in the title role and Helen Mirren as best supporting actress for her part as beloved wife Queen Charlotte. However, only the opulent equipment by set designer Ken Adam was awarded the Oscar. Actress Helen Mirren was also awarded the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival that year. The film also received fourteen British Academy Film Awards nominations and three awards, including the trophies for Best British Production of the Year and Nigel Hawthorne for Best Actor. Alan Bennett was honored by the Writers' Guild of Great Britain for the film adaptation of his play . The British Film Institute voted King George # 42 in 1999 for the best British films of all time .

Oscar 1995

Nominated in the categories

British Academy Film Awards 1996

Nominated in the categories

  • Best movie
  • Best director
  • Best Actress (Helen Mirren)
  • Best Supporting Actor (Ian Holm)
  • Best adapted script
  • Best film score
  • Best camera
  • Best costumes
  • Best cut
  • Best equipment
  • Best tone

Further

British Society of Cinematographers 1995

  • Best camera

International Cannes Film Festival 1995

  • Best Actress (Helen Mirren)
  • nominated for the Palme d'Or for best film

Empire Awards 1996

  • Best Actor (Nigel Hawthorne)

Evening Standard British Film Awards 1996

Goya 1996

  • nominated as best European film

London Critics' Circle Film Awards 1996

  • Best British Film of the Year
  • Best British Actor of the Year (Nigel Hawthorne)
  • Best British Screenwriter of the Year (Alan Bennett)
  • Best equipment
  • nominated for Best British Actress of the Year (Helen Mirren)

Writers Guild of America 1995

  • nominated for the best adapted screenplay

Writers' Guild of Great Britain 1995

  • Best script

literature

  • Alan Bennett : What, Was or the Illness of King George III (Original title: The Madness of George III ). German by John von Düffel and Peter von Düffel . Rowohlt Theater Verlag, Reinbek near Hamburg undated [stage manuscript.]
  • Alan Bennett: The Madness of King George. The Complete and Unabridged Screenplay. Random House Trade, New York 1995, ISBN 0-679-76871-8 (English edition)

Web links