The Madness of King George

"His Majesty was all powerful and all knowing. But he wasn't quite all there."

1994 1h 47m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 277

ComedyDramaHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Aging King George III of England is exhibiting signs of madness, a problem little understood in 1788. As the monarch alternates between bouts of confusion and near-violent outbursts of temper, his hapless doctors attempt the ineffectual cures of the day. Meanwhile, Queen Charlotte and Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger attempt to prevent the king's political enemies, led by the Prince of Wales, from usurping the throne.

“His Majesty was all powerful and all knowing. But he wasn't quite all there.”

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Cast

Nigel Hawthorne
George III
Helen Mirren
Queen Charlotte
Ian Holm
Willis
Anthony Calf
Fitzroy
Amanda Donohoe
Lady Pembroke
Rupert Graves
Greville
Geoffrey Palmer
Warren
Julian Wadham
Pitt

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Nicholas Hytner
Writers: Alan Bennett, Paul Garner, Jane Clark
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

32 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Nicholas Hytner, shot by Andrew Dunn. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by George Fenton. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Tariq Anwar shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Nigel Hawthorne and Helen Mirren and Ian Holm carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "His Majesty was all powerful and all knowing. But he wasn't quite all there.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0110428 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Nicholas Hytner directs. Andrew Dunn behind the camera. George Fenton scores. Tariq Anwar cuts. Produced in United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

132 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.
3Directed by Nicholas Hytner, shot by Andrew Dunn. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by George Fenton. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Tariq Anwar shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Nigel Hawthorne and Helen Mirren and Ian Holm carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "His Majesty was all powerful and all knowing. But he wasn't quite all there.".
8IMDB entry: tt0110428 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 13 themes, including "husband wife relationship", "biography", "based on true story", "based on play or musical".
10Released under 20 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Andrew Dunn
Original score: George Fenton
Editing: Tariq Anwar
Production design: Ken Adam
Costume design: Mark Thompson
Makeup / hair: Lisa Westcott
Sound: Dominic Lester
Runtime: 107 min · 1h 47m
Status: Released
Box office: $15,238,994
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: The Madness of King George (1994)

Awards

National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
Academy Award for Best Production Design

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Nicholas Hytner

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

jw2022-09-27
★ 8/10
As monarchs go, King George is of the better kind. He's gruff and has annoying quirks, but he cares for people and country. He's neither a cruel tyrant, nor a wasteful peacock - which the prince is. Trouble is, King George is not well any more. In his head. What we can diagnose to be likely porphyria today, was simply madness back then. The Madness of King George has its aspects of tragedy, family drama, intrigue, comedy; but always present are the reflections about politics, power, monarchy and what it is, can be, should be (and whether at all). It presents itself as a period piece, but written as a theatre play in 1994, it is at the same time a contemporary deliberation, with some jibes and jokes about things which seem to never change... in the UK, at least. Viewers in The Colonies might enjoy it as well. I sure did, not least because of the great Nigel Hawthorne, who won the Best Leading Actor BAFTA for this, and plays Mr. King in a very touching way. The not-only-supporting cast is both well known, and gives excellent performances throughout. Very much recommended, if the genre doesn't put you off.
CinemaSerf2023-08-26
★ 7/10
A little like Keith Michell in "Henry VIII and his Six Wives"; this was a role Nigel Hawthorne had perfected earlier (he won an Olivier award for the stage play) and so he took to the cinematic version like a duck to water. This telling of his "madness" is superb - ably reflecting the unpredictable and vacillating behaviour of the King in a plausible and engaging manner. Rupert Everett, Helen Mirren and Ian Holm lead a very capable supporting cast and the incorporation of Handel's wonderful, rousing, Georgian themes adds to this sumptuous, if at times a little overly theatrical, production.