HiT The Madness of King George

Alan Bennett’s play and film is a triumph on so many levels – it’s sensitivity towards mental health, the rehabilitation of the character of a king from unfair historical judgement, it’s very funny, with great music. Or is that just me? And is it accurate?

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Scores on the Doors

The Critics REALLY LOVED IT, and audiences enjoyed it too. Alex von Tunzelmann wrote:

“A triumph. Shockingly, Nigel Hawthorne lost the Oscar to Tom Hanks for Forrest Gump. Since that makes even less sense than mistaking an oak tree for the King of Prussia, perhaps it was a final act of revenge by what the film calls those “ramshackle colonists in America” on their last and unlamented king.”

Madness Scores

Geronimo – what you thought and HiT Verdict

Not the most popular film we’ve reviewed, selflessly, on your behalf. Well done us. Quite a lot of you don’t like Westerns…

 

Geronimo verdict

 

6 thoughts on “HiT The Madness of King George

    1. Thanks David. I enjoyed the clip – I’ve not seen the series. This does a lovely job of emphasising the protocol doesn’t it? Not sure I was that convinced by the GIII (that’s Tom Hollander acting isn’t it?) but maybe because I have Nigel Hawthorne forever in my mind. The atmosphere they build up is rather good though!

  1. my comment is really on the first comment – and a recommendation that you spend the time to watch HBO’s John Adams….it was marvelous…. so even though the focus is on history across the pond, I’m confident you would enjoy. Hope you are feeling well.

    1. Hi Leigh – yes I had a quick look at some scenes of John Adams – the excruiating ones about him meeting the king in the throne room, Very funny!

  2. I have loved this movie absolutely ever since the first time I saw it. As an American, I loved how it got even me rooting for George III.
    Something that didn’t get addressed in the movie: There must have been a long period of time when foreign dignitaries didn’t see the King (in the way that John Adams did in the HBO series, or at larger events, etc.) What were foreign governments saying at this time?
    You mention that it was Parliament really calling the shots at this time, and of course that was true. In the American *story* of the American Revolution, the colonists’ saw their conflict as being with Parliament and they sought redress from the King; it was only when the King rejected their pleas for relief. I’m sure the men in charge were smart enough to know that it wasn’t this simple, but because they had no formal representation in Parliament they always addressed their petitions to the King.
    From The Men Who Lost America (https://www.amazon.com/Men-Who-Lost-America-Eighteenth-Century/dp/0300209401 – awesome book) I got the impression that George III was the last king to wield real power in the UK, in part because his actions in the American Revolution were so detrimental.
    I never assumed that the movie was historically accurate. The story was so good that I assumed that they played with history for the sake of it. With everything you said about the problems in the history I don’t see how you could give it an 8 for accuracy. I give it a 9 for cinematic quality and maybe a 6 for historical accuracy.

    1. Very interesting to get the other perspective! I love the film too, as I hope was obvious. Scoring is a bit of a lottery – maybe you are right!

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