| | | His Majesty was all powerful and all knowing. But he wasn't quite all there.
Features: DVD, Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 1.85:1, Trailers
Written by Alan Bennett fro his stage play and featuring "a towering performance by Nigel Hawthorne, and a stunning screen directorial debut" by Tony Award winner Nicholas Hytner, this Academy Award-winning masterpiece of royal intrigue is "potent, engrossing and thrilling" (Los Angeles Times). Just five years after losing the "rebellious colonies", it appears that England's King George III (Hawthorne) is now losing his mind! Suddenly, the stately monarch is hallucinating, shouting obscenities, behaving lewdly towards the Queen's (Helen Mirren) comely lady-in-waiting, and generally becoming a candidate for the lunatic asylum. The palace doctors are baffled, but the Prince of Wales (Rupert Everett), tired of playing the waiting game, conspires to take advantage of the situation. Will the King's supporters be able to restore their monarch's wits before he's stripped of his throne?
"An extraordinary film!" Joel Siegel, Good Morning America
Editor's Note
King George III does some very odd things, but then who is to argue with the king? Well, his ambitious son, for one. He's not getting any younger, and all he does is sit around waiting for his father to die. So when the king starts behaving like a real madman, the Prince of Wales lobbies Parliament to assign him the power of prince regent. What ensues is a political struggle between the prime minister, a royalist, and the opposition party. In the meantime, the king is slowly being tortured by the strange practices of 18th-century medicine: He is bled regularly, and his feces are analyzed by all manner of doctors. To rectify this atrocity, the king's distressed entourage solicits the aid of a country doctor who's as unsuccessful as his predecessors but a little more humane. When it seems as if he will be forced to abdicate his throne, George III regains his sanity just in time to assure the Parliament that he's able to rule. Directed by Nicholas Hytner and featuring an Oscar-nominated tour-de-force performance from Nigel Hawthorne, THE MADNESS OF KING GEORGE is an unforgettable romp through a crucial period in English history.
Plot Summary
This is the true story of King George III, the British monarch credited with losing the American colonies--and who lost his sanity shortly thereafter. Academy Award Nominations: 4, including Best Actor--Nigel Hawthorne, Best Supporting Actress--Helen Mirren and Best (Adapted) Screenplay. Academy Award: Best Art Direction.
| Features | Spanish Subtitles | | Widescreen Version, Enhanced For 16X9 TVs | | English Dolby Digital Stereo | | French Subtitles | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Access | | Theatrical Trailer |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: MGM |
| Release Date: 4/4/2006 |
| Running Time: 110 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1995 | | Catalog ID: 1002043 | | UPC: 00027616862808 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English | | Available Subtitles: French, Spanish | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | 1.85:1 |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Oscar (1995) | | | Nigel Hawthorne, Nominee, Best Actress | | | Helen Mirren, Nominee, Best Supporting Actress | | | Alan Bennett, Nominee, Best Writing, Screenplay Based On Material From Another Medium |
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| | Professional Reviews | Premiere
"...[Hawthorne] has a blast....Mirren is marvelous....But the real treat is Everett..." 02/01/1995 p.25Rolling Stone
"...Comedy and tragedy cohere in this extraordinary film....The thrill of Hawthorne's astounding performance is not something you want to miss..." 01/26/1995 p.68 New York Times
"...There's much to admire in [Hytner's] splendid screen adaptation....A deft, mischievous, beautifully acted historical drama with exceptionally broad appeal..." 12/28/1994 p.C11 Entertainment Weekly
"...[Hawthorne] makes a dignified and affecting monarch....The humor [is] built into this sharp-witted human comedy..." -- Rating: B 01/20/1995 p.37 Sight and Sound
"...Brisk, confident direction....It manages the rare feat of being both cinematic and theatrical..." 04/01/1995 p.47 Los Angeles Times
"...Potent, engrossing and even thrilling to experience....THE MADNESS OF KING GEORGE keeps us amused, surprised and delighted..." 12/28/1994 p.F1 Chicago Sun-Times
"...Bennett's play, and the direction by Nicholas Hytner, are more lighthearted than analytical, and the performance by Nigel Hawthorne as the ailing king is barbed and yet lovable..." 01/27/1995 p.31 San Francisco Chronicle 8 of 10
Hawthorne has to go to some desperate psychic places for this performance. His madness is believable, from King Cole hilarity to spiting fury, and the humiliations of the King's illness... - Mick LaSalle
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