Quite a funny and appropriately odd movie with many of the disturbing "cures" and "theories" surrounding mental illness before the 20th century implemented or discussed.
Some of the subplots are a bit flawed, and don't have much purpose.
Production Design is there in full force of course, and has the high budget cinematography to fit it. The acting is incredible throughout, and Ian Holm's stareoff technique is wholly convincing.
The film held my attention all the way through, which is always a huge accomplishment for a period royalty piece.
They say you should never judge a book by it's cover. In this day and age, the same can be said of movies. Well, I really don't give a damn what they say. I judge both books and movies by their covers; like this movie, for instance. I saw an earlier cover for this film which depicted a king of England running down a cavernous hallway wearing nothing but a billowing nightgown and in the presence of a number of Royal House guards. I judged from the cover alone that this movie was well-made and damn funny. Lo and behold . . . . I was right.
"what what?" i was too busy making girly hairstyles out of my long hair while watching this.. thats how much it drew me to the screen. i suppose i should give it two stars for helen mirren and mr hawthorne, and then have at a cup of tea and a spot of biscuit. no i'm just trying to sound pompous now after listening to that sorta thing for a couple of hours. i also feel a bit mad. go king george!!!
i got kinda bored with this...but it was still kind of sad the way they treated him in the asylums....some parts were funny and some were just plain stupid. his son, the prince of whales, was an ass
Extremely powerful historical drama about the ordeal undergone by King George III when he was suffering from porphyria, a disease so painful it can be mistaken for insanity. Nigel Hawthorne's performance as the ailing monarch is absolutely astonishing and deeply harrowing.
I was hoping for this movie to be a bit more than this. Although it was mildly interesting all the way through, it was never fascinating, and the climactic turn of the story felt like it wasn't even included. An oddly anticlimactic latter half. However, it still was an interesting movie and I'd probably recommend it. Great performances all around.
Excellent costume drama in a genre which can often fall foul of being too lavish and insufficiently audacious. Excellently casted and hugely powerful performances with dignity and restraint allow you to suspend disbelief and fall deeply into the court of King George. Subterfuge and cunning aplently keep the plot banging on at a merry pace.
Riveting performances by Hawthorne and Mirren as tragic royal spouses. During the final reconciliation scene, when she calls him by the tender private nickname of "Mister King", I forgot I was watching a story about the ruler of an Empire and saw instead the stubborn love and hope that dwells at the heart of every ordinary, extraordinary marriage.
A chance to consider the American revolution from King George's point of view. Poor King George, suffering from madness and bad medicine. Brilliantly acted with many scenes that stay in the mind.
Adapted from a play, the historical authenticity of the this film seems questionable. If the audience is to believe everything they see in this film about King George and his madness, it is simply incredible the way the King of England acted and the resulting consequences. Played by Nigel Hawthorn in his Academy Award nomminated role, the pinnicale of his career, the character and performance are extraordinary. The mood is so murky you don't know wether it is a comedy or tragedy, to laugh or cry. Rupert Everett adds some needed humor and Helen Mirren supplys the forceful tragedy, but Hawthorn steals the show. Overall the film is worth watching for it's astounding story, a lesson in history or hollywood we'll never know.
MCT:August 28, 2008
MCT:July 6, 2008
MCT:January 3, 2008
MCT:November 13, 2007
MCT:October 30, 2007
MCT:October 19, 2007
MCT:August 16, 2006
