The opening film at Festival de Cannes was greeted with mixed reactions from critics. Produced by YRF Entertainment and Stone Angels, GRACE OF MONACO is a biography film about the life of Grace Kelly, the Academy award winning actress who married to the Prince of Monaco.
On the brink of stardom, Grace Kelly leaves aside her successful career as a Hollywood actress to marry Prince Rainier of Monaco in 1956.
Grace Kelly, post her marriage with the Prince of Monaco, has been out of the US for a considerable time. She has given up her Hollywood career and she now has kids to care and manage other issues in this tiny kingdom.
There are troublesome times when she finds it difficult to cope up with this royal lifestyle and its traditions, this is where she is often guided by Tucker (Frank Langella) a priest seeking his advice in diplomatic issues and even to the extent of getting tips on royal etiquette.
Six years later, with her marriage hitting full crisis, famed director Alfred Hitchcock offers her the chance to return to Hollywood with a leading role in his next film Marnie. It is a tempting offer as she is even offered a million dollars for the film. It seemed to luring for yet. She had almost made up her mind to make her comeback in the Hollywood.
It is in the early 1960s that France treatens this neighbouring kingdom with sanctions, unless Monaco makes certain payments. For the prince of Monaco it seems very difficult to come out of this situation.
Yet it was the situation of trying times of her husband, issues within the royalty and the scare from the bullying neighbouring country which made her decide to lead her life for the people of Monaco.
The film is all about how the Hollywood actress manages her own identity in the testing times of Monaco which is entwined in a political crisis with France.
Nicole Kidman is is so stunningly believable as the Royal Princess (though not comparable as the ravishing Grace Kelly herself in her times) and Tim Roth as Prince Rainier doesn’t have much to do, except that he is shown as buried in his talks and diplomatic meetings. While others like Frank Langella, Parker Posey, Jeanne Balibar, Derek Jacobi and Paz Vega who plays Maria Callas are just okay.
With France threatening to annex Monaco and political turmoil erupting all around, Grace is at a crossroad: choose the life she thought she always wanted, or embrace the woman she has now become: Her Serene Highness, The Princess of Monaco.
An engaging film with wonderful cinematography, strikingly capturing the palaces, Monaco’s breathtaking outdoors and sea-side mansions and its royalty.
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Cast:
Nicole Kidman as Grace Kelly
Tim Roth as Prince Rainier
Frank Langella as Father Francis Tucker
Parker Posey as Madge Tivey-Faucon
Jeanne Balibar as Countess Baciocchi
Derek Jacobi as Count Fernando D’Ailieres
Paz Vega as Maria Callas
Credits:
Produced by: Uday Chopra, Pierre-Ange le Pogam and Arash Amel
Directed by: Olivier Dahan (“La Vie En Rose”)
Written by: Arash Amel
Cinematography – Eric Gautier
Editing by Olivier Gajan
Grace of Monaco – Film Review
