The Madness of King George
US-UK (1994): Drama/Biography/Historical
Nicholas Hytner had an international stage phenomenon directing Alan Bennett's play, starring Nigel Hawthorne as King George III, the British monarch who lost the American colonies. But in this film adaptation, Hytner unfortunately yields to the old temptation to "open up" the piece with lots of arbitrary exteriors, rushed set pieces, choppy editing, and so on, robbing Hawthorne's acclaimed stage performance of coherency and power on the big screen. Viewers are forced to fill in emotional gaps for themselves (and try to imagine what Bennett's work must have looked and felt like originally), and the whole enterprise has a pseudo-cinematic, self-congratulatory air. (Amazon.com)
4 nominations, 1 Award
· Best Achievement in Art Direction 1994: Ken Adam - Art Direction, Carolyn Scott - Set Decoration
· Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role 1994: Nigel Hawthorne
· Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role 1994: Helen Mirren
· Achievement in Writing - Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published 1994: Alan Bennett