The Madness of King George (1994)

A suprisingly endearing take on George...

Nigel Hawthorne does an amazing job of portraying the "mad" King George III. You will find his antics hilarious and yet pity him in the same instance, for how inaccurately his illness was treated for the times.

I found the film to be suprisingly factual - even with the more endearing take on George's character/perspective. Ian Holm and Rupert Everret are both excellent, yet easy to detest in their roles as ruthless doctor and Prince, respectively. But my favorites in the film were Helen Mirren and Nigel Hawthorne's as the King and Queen - the fact that he never took a lover (historically) shines through in their roles, and makes them more charming British monarchs to watch for a change!

Thoroughly enjoyed this film.... a sad story underneath, but a delight in its delivery. November 3, 2008

Watching this movie is time well spent

My wife and I really enjoyed this memorable movie. The acting is superb and the story original (as well as historic). This movie is they type of quality that only comes out once in a while. We watched this movie to the end and waited to read all of the credits. June 4, 2008

Majesty All Powerful and All Knowing. But He Wasn't Quite All There.

"Playwright Alan Bennett, who adapted his own stage work, takes as his inspiration a time when George III -- the George who lost the North American colonies -- appears to have also lost his mind. What happens, Bennett asks, when a man can no longer project the power required of a ruler? And in its absence, what fills the psychological space where power used to reside." Lisa Schwarzbaum

Nigel Hawthorne spares no facial grimace nor utterance as he portrays King George III who loses his mind but finally finds his grieving heart. A must see performance and one that had me cheering him on. Helen Mirren as the Queen or better known as Mrs King to her George III, plays an amazing Queen. Mother of 15 children, though we only meet five or six of them, is finely clad and dressed. Amanda Donohue plays her staid lady in waiting. And Rupert Everett as the elder son George, an arrogant and immature man with a wig that portrays his ridiculousness quite keenly. The entire cast is well done.

Peter Travers tells us that "Experts say the king suffered from porphyria, a metabolic imbalance whose symptoms resemble madness'. When the traditional medical care does not work, the Queen and her lady bring in a non-traditional physician, played by Ian Holm who produces a repetitive act of "tying the kangaroo down" so to speak and the King recovers. It is during a reading of King Lear that King George seems to put the pieces back together and he once again comes to his senses. Off to save the day.

The entire family returns to court and all dressed in blue and red, the family walks up the stairs, Queen Charlotte says: "Come on, smile and wave. That's what you get paid for. Smile and wave." A wonderful, parody. "Meanwhile, the arrestingly stylized imagery of the original Madness has not been lost, particularly when the royal family freezes into elaborate tableaux of hollow noblesse oblige. Any resemblance to Windsors, Kennedys, or any other royal personnel currently living is strictly not coincidental." Lisa Obliermann

This film bogged down in the first half but came to life and I thoroughly enjoyed this film. Hail To The King!

Highly Recommended. prisrob 05-04-08

Hunchback (1982)

Elizabeth I May 4, 2008

A mad, brilliant film

"You do me wrong to take me out o' the grave:
Thou art a soul in bliss; but I am bound
Upon a wheel of fire, that mine own tears
Do scald like moulten lead."
~ King Lear, Act 4, Scene 7

The words of Shakespeare's Lear, when murmured by Nigel Hawthorne in his haunting performance as George III, contain within them all the agony of the mad king. George III, separated from his family, bereft of power, stripped of all dignity, sits in a meadow and reads Shakespeare with his doctor. "The Madness of King George" is, in my opinion, one of the top ten, must-see films about royalty, along with "The Queen," "The Lion in Winter," "The Last Emperor," "Anne of the Thousand Days," and "Young Bess." Not that every single aspect of such films is totally historically accurate, but the essence of the lives of the persons in question is captured so vividly that the past is brought to life.

"The Madness of King George" is flawlessly cast. Nigel Hawthorne thoroughly becomes the dedicated, irascible, highly moral and temporarily deranged George III, fondly called "Farmer George" by his people. Helen Mirren is perfection as Queen Charlotte, the devoted wife and queen, mother of fifteen children. Her role as a helpmate, friend and advisor to her husband give her an incalculable influence which is suddenly taken away. It is hilarious when she scolds the Prince of Wales: "Smile and wave, you lazy hound, it's what you' re paid for!" Yet her heartbreak over her husband's illness, and her unflinching determination to be with him again, would elicit tears from a stone. The depiction of the two oldest princes, rascally and conniving, and of all the royal children for that matter, is straight out of a Copley or a Reynolds painting. Costumes, wigs, manners, gestures are as authentic as a film can provide. Humor and tragedy, politics and family feuding, are woven together amid the music of Handel. (I wish someone would make a film of such quality about Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette.)

"The Madness of King George" beautifully depicts marital fidelity and love, especially on the part of the queen, who will not abandon her husband no matter how bizarre his behavior grows. When the head of a family, who happens to be the head of a kingdom, loses his reason, the earth is shaken to its foundations. Also shown are the primitive and often inhumane ways of treating the mentally ill. The prejudice against Catholics, deeply ingrained in the British monarchy, is summed up especially in the final scene, as Mrs. Fitzherbert, the Prince's Catholic wife, waves from the crowd. She knows that she will never take her place with the royal family as they accept the homage of the crowd on the stairs of the cathedral. February 28, 2008

The Madness of King George

When I first heard of this film I remember hearing how funny people thought this film was, how they liked making fun of the King, and so on. But when seeing it, I realized how sad and depressing it was. I for one wouldn't put it as a comedy. True, a few moments where light and warmed your heart, but for the most part its sad and bittersweet. I found myself crying throughout the show.

The acting was brilliant and the script was moving and it truly shows how George III suffered.

Of course some things where historically inaccurate, such as the attempt on his life happened several years before; the map of America didn't look like that yet; and the quote the King said about sleep was actually said by Napoleon Bonaparte, and if you know their relationship, you'd know they never agreed on anything.

It is said that the King suffered from poryphia. I had a relative who suffered from it as well and it's not easy to deal with.

I really feel deep sympathy for the King, his disease was horrible and his son was no better.

I loved this show, though if you cry easily, bring tissues.
January 19, 2008

More reviews at Amazon.com ...