Video Review by Marilyn Robitaille

Last Updated 12/18/01

Email: robitai@our-town.com

The Madness of King George

When "The Madness of King George" premiered in 1994, the publicity summed up King George's rule this way: "His Majesty was all powerful and all knowing. But he wasn't quite all there."  

The year is 1788, and King George III has been exhibiting strange and unusual behavior.  He rants and raves at the gentlemen in waiting, cuffing them and showering them with spittle. He unabashedly gropes a lady in waiting, and then bemoans the Queen's lack of beauty. He dances across the courtyard in his nightshirt, beckoning the court to join him. He jumps on the stage and schools the orchestra, disrupting a court performance.   All in all, he's thrown the regal world into chaos.

            The plot centers on events that are mostly historically accurate.  George III's symptoms have all the markings of the Eighteenth Century's conception of madness.  (A note at the end of the movie, however, suggests that his condition might have been porphyria, a hereditary pathological disorder that's physical, not mental.)  Political forces soon emerge because advocates of the King's oldest son, the Prince of Wales (Rupert Everett), hope to designate him Prince Regent to further their political cause.  Of course, the government in power exerts damage control, hoping to maintain the status quo.  It's not an easy job for Royalist William Pitt (Julian Wadham) who must deliver Parliamentary updates regarding the King's condition. The power struggle becomes the backdrop for the King's immediate and personal tragedy. Nigel Hawthorne's portrayal of King George III masterfully defines the character's complexities.  Hawthorne perfected the role in an earlier stage version of the movie, and his long-time involvement obviously contributed to the impeccable quality of his performance. He's center stage in almost every scene, playing King George with sensitivity and radiating energy.

The tragic circumstances of the King's plight often give way to comedy. The film is peppered with King George's barbed witticisms. In one directed to his son, he tells him, "Do not be fat, Sir! Fight it! Fight it!"  The relationship between King George and his attending physician Dr. Willis (Ian Holm) also moves from the comedic to unsettling poignancy.  Part of Willis's treatment plan depends on breaking the King's will. At the depth of King George' "madness," Willis subjects him to horrible situations, all in the name of medicine. These scenes aren't for the squeamish. The sumptuous sets and costumes underscore the historical dimension of the film, but it's real power lies in Nigel Hawthorne's acting. This is a good chance to spend some time in eighteenth-century England and to be reminded that we don't have the monopoly on political scandal.  

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements

Available in DVD and Video

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