Grace of Monaco

Seen at Northallerton Forum

Bea says: Princess Grace died when I was about 12 or so – not long after another glamorous young woman had married a prince and I was rather enamoured with the idea of princesses at the time.  My mother was probably about 12, or even younger, when Grace got married so she had always been interested in her life.  As a child and teenager, there were always old movies on at our home, so I have seen some of Grace’s films too.  This film was poorly reviewed, but that never puts Cecil and me off, so we popped over to a nearby town to see it recently.

It tells the story of a brief period of Grace’s life when - after 3 children and the romance of marrying a prince has well and truly turned into a gilded cage – she is offered the lead role in Marnie.  There are major political issues in Monaco at the time; she doesn’t really feel part of Monaco anyway, and (like many mothers of small children I suspect) feels distant from her husband, and very hemmed in by court life in the location and era.  Tradition dictates that it is out of the question that she take the film; but she thinks about it while Monaco lurches into crisis – and then she plays a key role in resolving that crisis, and her decision is made.

It is a rather sobering story though – in some ways the person of Grace disappears as the princess evolves; and of course she dies young; just like that other princess I was so enchanted with back in 1982.  Like all films about living, or relatively recently departed royals, it had that rather staid feel of things and events left unsaid and unexplored (The Queen, Diana) as protocol and security stop fuller portrayals. 

Nicole Kidman is an accomplished actress who is sound in the role (and can at least raise her eyebrows now although her face is still a bit too frozen for my liking – I so wish these Hollywood actresses would leave their faces alone, although I understand why they don’t) but I did think that someone more suited to the role might have been January Jones; perhaps that’s because I am used to seeing her in 1950s period costume. 

I also appreciated a bit of a history lesson in the politics of Monaco of the 1950s and 60s which I knew nothing about.  As a film, perhaps one for fans of the era (I am), but interesting nonetheless.

**1/2

Cecil says: When a film gets almost universally bad reviews and I still go and see it, but find it’s not that bad after all, the conspiracy theorist in me begins to wonder why the avalanche of negativity began?

Even if people were bothered about historical inaccuracies, there are enough biopics out there which have had a generous dose of dramatic licence. And who are the people out there in a position to know it is historically inaccurate? Presumably those with a bit of a vested interest in keeping Monaco, the principality and its privileged position intact…

Personally I was fascinated by the context: France in the 1950s/60s, with de Gaulle back in power trying to make his nationalistic mark and the Algerian War in full swing.

I really enjoyed this film, though I didn’t warm to many of the key characters portrayed: the Prince himself, Onassis, even Grace. As Bea says, Kidman does a pretty good job, though I agree that January Jones had more of a resemblance from her portrayal of Betty Draper in Mad Men.

The film also made me regret there aren’t more old black and white movies shown on British TV these days. The UK really needs an equivalent to the US Turner Movie Classics, though whether we’d get to see any more old Grace Kelly movies that way, I’m not sure. Some people say the Crown Prince wouldn’t allow it…But surely they’re the conspiracy theorists too?

***