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The Madness of King George (1995)
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Nigel Hawthorne gives an inspired, funny and deeply moving performance in the title role of this celebrated, Oscar-winning film of Alan Bennett's play The Madness of George III. The king is married to Charlotte (Helen Mirren), dallying with Lady Pembroke (Amanda Donohoe), and is not only father of 15 children (Rupert Everett plays the foppish Prince of Wales) but also of a nation and an empire. Problem is, Farmer George — a nickname the king delights in — is showing signs of madness, or at least that's the official diagnosis. Surgeon Ian Holm is brought in to put the king into a straitjacket (providing some of the film's most disturbing scenes), while the royal quacks examine the royal stool for traces of insanity. Behind the sardonic jokes and colloquialisms that are Bennett's trademark is a serious study of 18th-century politics and the monarchy, with a final scene that hints at the House of Windsor as much as that of Hanover. Immaculately directed by Nicholas Hytner, this is an unmissable treat and the finest vision of a bygone age since Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon. It won the Oscar for best art direction and Bennett's screenplay was one of three other nominations. AT
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| Contains swearing. |
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Running time
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105mins
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Country of origin
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UK
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Genre
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Biographical Historical Drama
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Original language
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English
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Screenplay
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Alan Bennett, from his play
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| awards information |
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Award |
Category |
Name |
Nominee/Winner |
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| Academy 1994 |
Actor in a Leading Role |
Nigel Hawthorne |
Nominee |
| Academy 1994 |
Actress in a Supporting Role |
Helen Mirren |
Nominee |
| Academy 1994 |
Writing (Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published) |
Alan Bennett |
Nominee |
| BAFTA 1995 |
Best Film |
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Nominee |
| BAFTA 1995 |
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role |
Nigel Hawthorne |
Winner |
| BAFTA 1995 |
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role |
Ian Holm |
Nominee |
| BAFTA 1995 |
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role |
Helen Mirren |
Nominee |
| BAFTA 1995 |
Best Screenplay (Adapted) |
Alan Bennett |
Nominee |
| BAFTA 1995 |
The Alexander Korda Award for the Outstanding British Film of the Year |
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Winner |
| BAFTA 1995 |
The David Lean Award for the Best Achievement in Direction |
Nicholas Hytner |
Nominee |
| Cannes International Film Festival 1995 |
Actress |
Helen Mirren |
Winner |
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Film certification logos reproduced by kind permission of BBFC |
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