The Lost Prince (2003) (TV)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

Stephen Poliakoff

Writer:

Stephen Poliakoff (writer)

Release Date:

18 December 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Tagline:

The heartbreaking story of the prince that history forgot

Plot:

The true story of the British royal prince locked away because of having epilepsy.

Plot Keywords:

Prince | Queen | 1910s | Epilepsy | King

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 8 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

Daniel Williams	...	Prince John (younger)
Matthew James Thomas	...	Prince John (older) (as Matthew Thomas)
Brock Everitt-Elwick	...	Young Prince George
Rollo Weeks	...	Prince George
Gina McKee	...	Lalla
Tom Hollander	...	George V
Miranda Richardson	...	Queen Mary
Bill Nighy	...	Stamfordham
Bibi Andersson	...	Queen Alexandra
Ron Cook	...	Lloyd George
Frank Finlay	...	Asquith
David Westhead	...	Fred
John Sessions	...	Mr. Hansell
Michael Gambon	...	Edward VII
David Barrass	...	Kaiser Wilhelm

Runtime:

180 min (2 parts)

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Singapore:PG | UK:12 (part 2) | UK:PG (part 1)

Filming Locations:

Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England, UK

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Goofs:

Factual errors: At the funeral of Johnny, on screen it's clearly summer (rhododendrons in bloom), but in reality he died in January.

Quotes:

Prince John: [about the Tsar who is swimming in the sea] He looks like an emperor fish!

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 57th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (2005) (TV)

Touching and gentle drama that is all too real

BBC1's 'The Lost Prince' is one of the best television dramas that the channel has shown for a long time. The story of King George V's youngest son, Johnnie, the programme explores the boy's learning difficulties and his autism-related problems, as well as the horrors of war as seen through the eyes of the Royal family.

Those are the facts, but the drama is so much more than a re-telling of a royal story. Moments of poignancy, such as Johnnie's frank but heartbreaking honesty with his parents, are touching without becoming schmaltzy or obvious, and the harsh burden of the First World War on the British keeps the drama well within reality.

Good performances all around, particularly from Miranda Richardson as Queen Mary and Tom Hollander as King George, who invoke sympathy from their seemingly impassive facades. Bill Nighy is excellent as the King's adviser, Stamfordham, and the children - especially Rollo Weeks -are more than capable of carrying such a difficult and weighty subject.