Actors - The Madness of King George

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	Actors - The Madness of King George

The Madness of King George is a 1994 film which tells the story of King George III of the United Kingdom's deteriorating mental health, and the equally declining relationship between him and his son, the Prince of Wales. This film was originally released in theatres by The Samuel Goldwyn Company.

It stars Nigel Hawthorne as George III, Helen Mirren as Queen Charlotte, Ian Holm as Dr. Willis, Rupert Graves as Greville, Amanda Donohoe as Lady Pembroke, Rupert Everett as the Prince of Wales, Julian Rhind-Tutt as the Duke of York, Julian Wadham as George III's Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger, and Jim Carter as Whig MP Charles James Fox.

Modern medicine has suggested that the King's symptoms were the result of porphyria.

The movie was directed by Nicholas Hytner, and adapted by Alan Bennett from his play The Madness of George III. Bennett refused to sanction a film version unless Hawthorne was given first refusal for the title role after having a highly acclaimed performance in the theatre.

It won the Academy Award for Best Art Direction, and was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Nigel Hawthorne), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Helen Mirren) and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium.

Title change

An urban legend circulates to this day that the Roman numerals were removed from the title of the film because U.S. test audiences misinterpreted them to mean it was a sequel. suggests that this is not entirely true.

The film was based on the play The Madness of George III. In Britain, it can be assumed that most people would realise this refers to King George the Third, but this might not be so clear in other countries. The title change was suggested by Sir Nigel himself during a photoshoot at Arundel Castle for the film's poster. The concept was George III sitting on his throne with a sceptre in one hand and a piglet in the other. Sir Nigel was told this was to symbolise both his regality and his insanity. Upset by this over-literal approach, Sir Nigel suggested the change to The Madness of King George. This title was used all over the world, not just in America as has sometimes been claimed.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for The Madness of King George ]

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