Post by Rob W. Case on Jul 4, 2024 14:16:59 GMT -6
The year is 1788, and King George III (Nigel Hawthorne) has entered the 28th year of his reign. Ever since King George III lost the American colonies in the revolution of 1776, his mental health started to decline.
This affected his sanity/ memory, behavior, demeanor, and even affected him physiologically (thus turning his urine blue). As his decline becomes all the more obvious, despite his wife, Queen Charlotte (Helen Mirren) making excuses for him, his mental acuity and stability becomes a very serious matter in Parliament and to his family. This is where things get really interesting, and the drama relating to it all becomes ever the more intriguing.
King George’s oldest son, George IV, the Prince of Wales (Rupert Everett), is next in line to the throne, so he fosters a coalition of political interest groups to craft a bill declaring his father incapacitated, and thus ill-suited to run the country. In Parliament, if a King is declared unfit to rule, a Regent (one who governs in the King’s place) must be installed to run the country in the meantime. That said, Prince George mobilizes his coalition to draft a bill in Parliament declaring himself as Regent, while putting his father away to undergo harsh treatments at the hand of a very strict doctor by the name of Frances Willis (Ian Holm), and separating the Queen from having access to the King, as a measure to see the success of his ambitions followed through. And so, you have the struggles of an ill King trying to get well, the exploitation of a critical emergency situation to further the agenda of a power-hungry family member, and a number of self-serving political interests in who see opportunity to seize the moment and make it work to their advantage in parliament.
My Take:
The Madness of King George is a well-known story, particularly in Great Britain, and King George III’s cognitive situation became the second widest known thing known about the monarch, with the first one losing the American colonies to its inhabitants. That said, these failures on his part have amounted to an incredibly intriguing story that is fascinating if you are interested in the art sovereignty, government, rules and protocols, and where a monarch would be endangered to lose his position should his frailties deem him unfit to rule. This film was released in 1994 (making this year the 30th anniversary of it), while, ironically, America faces a situation where its head of state is having epic struggles with cognitive function, and a number of political interests in government trying to keep things the way they are, even if they have to dump the head of state to keep it that way. It is in that vein that I had an interest in seeing this movie, and seeing a reason to write about it for the season of Independence Day.
As for the film itself, the writer and director take a scalpel and go under the “skin” if you will of the pageantry, the perceived glitz, and glamour if you will, of palace life, and bring you the audience (from a more realistic and human perspective), the reality of how the system of royalty works in its very raw form. Another element that I liked about this movie was its casting. While predominantly British, some cast members have become well known even in American homes. Nigel Hawthorne, Helen Mirren, Rupert Everett, John Wood, Ian Holm, are just a few actors who have film credits and notoriety recognized far beyond that of just Great Britain. And most importantly, it is simply good story.
Out of 4 stars, I give this movie 3 and a half.
The Madness of King George is rated PG-13 and runs 1 hour and 47 minutes.
To view a trailer for the film, please click on the “Play” button below.
“The Madness of King George” is available on VHS, DVD, Blu-Ray, and on a host of multiple streaming services, all of which can be accessed HERE.
This affected his sanity/ memory, behavior, demeanor, and even affected him physiologically (thus turning his urine blue). As his decline becomes all the more obvious, despite his wife, Queen Charlotte (Helen Mirren) making excuses for him, his mental acuity and stability becomes a very serious matter in Parliament and to his family. This is where things get really interesting, and the drama relating to it all becomes ever the more intriguing.
King George’s oldest son, George IV, the Prince of Wales (Rupert Everett), is next in line to the throne, so he fosters a coalition of political interest groups to craft a bill declaring his father incapacitated, and thus ill-suited to run the country. In Parliament, if a King is declared unfit to rule, a Regent (one who governs in the King’s place) must be installed to run the country in the meantime. That said, Prince George mobilizes his coalition to draft a bill in Parliament declaring himself as Regent, while putting his father away to undergo harsh treatments at the hand of a very strict doctor by the name of Frances Willis (Ian Holm), and separating the Queen from having access to the King, as a measure to see the success of his ambitions followed through. And so, you have the struggles of an ill King trying to get well, the exploitation of a critical emergency situation to further the agenda of a power-hungry family member, and a number of self-serving political interests in who see opportunity to seize the moment and make it work to their advantage in parliament.
My Take:
The Madness of King George is a well-known story, particularly in Great Britain, and King George III’s cognitive situation became the second widest known thing known about the monarch, with the first one losing the American colonies to its inhabitants. That said, these failures on his part have amounted to an incredibly intriguing story that is fascinating if you are interested in the art sovereignty, government, rules and protocols, and where a monarch would be endangered to lose his position should his frailties deem him unfit to rule. This film was released in 1994 (making this year the 30th anniversary of it), while, ironically, America faces a situation where its head of state is having epic struggles with cognitive function, and a number of political interests in government trying to keep things the way they are, even if they have to dump the head of state to keep it that way. It is in that vein that I had an interest in seeing this movie, and seeing a reason to write about it for the season of Independence Day.
As for the film itself, the writer and director take a scalpel and go under the “skin” if you will of the pageantry, the perceived glitz, and glamour if you will, of palace life, and bring you the audience (from a more realistic and human perspective), the reality of how the system of royalty works in its very raw form. Another element that I liked about this movie was its casting. While predominantly British, some cast members have become well known even in American homes. Nigel Hawthorne, Helen Mirren, Rupert Everett, John Wood, Ian Holm, are just a few actors who have film credits and notoriety recognized far beyond that of just Great Britain. And most importantly, it is simply good story.
Out of 4 stars, I give this movie 3 and a half.
The Madness of King George is rated PG-13 and runs 1 hour and 47 minutes.
To view a trailer for the film, please click on the “Play” button below.
“The Madness of King George” is available on VHS, DVD, Blu-Ray, and on a host of multiple streaming services, all of which can be accessed HERE.