The Lost Prince (2003)

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

Director:

Stephen Poliakoff

Writer:

Stephen Poliakoff

Stars:

Daniel Williams, Matthew James Thomas, Brock Everitt-Elwick

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 8 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Daniel Williams	...	Prince John (younger)
Matthew James Thomas	...	Prince John (older) (as Matthew Thomas)
Brock Everitt-Elwick	...	Prince George (younger)
Rollo Weeks	...	Prince George (older)
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

Storyline

British empire monarch George V and his wife Queen Mary decide to hide their last-born son, Johnnie, from the public, being embarrassingly affected by epilepsy. While his protective elder brother is ruthlessly groomed for court life, Johnnie gets packed off to a country cottage on the royal estate Sandringham. With his full-time governess Lalla, a substitute-mother, he's abandoned to playfulness and virtual social neglect. The Great War and the Russian Revolution change life in Britain, also at court, even at Sandringham, where royal refugees are expected.

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Plot Keywords:

prince | queen | epilepsy | queen mary | son | 

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Taglines:

The heartbreaking story of the prince that history forgot

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

BBc [United Kingdom] PBS

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 December 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

El príncipe perdido

Filming Locations:

Black Park, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), TalkBack Productions, WGBH

Technical Specs

Runtime:

180 min 180 min (2 parts)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Goofs

When the Union Flag is at half mast at the death of Edward VII, it is upside down - the side attached to the pole should have the thick white band at the top.

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Quotes

Prince George: [Speaking about Prince John] He was the only one of us who was able to be himself.

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Connections

Featured in Prince John: The Windsors' Tragic Secret (2008)

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Soundtracks

"Moonlight Sonata (Piano Sonata in C Sharp minor Op.27, No. 2)"
(uncredited)
Composed by 'Ludwig Van Beethoven'
Arranged by Adrian Johnston
Performed by Matthew James Thomas

User Reviews

Poignant, lovely, but you better know your history

Excellent period film with a liberal dose of brief stunning vignettes that haunt the viewer for weeks afterward.

This film keeps stepping into and outside the action, drawing us intimately into Lalla's desperate care for Prince John and Queen May's inability to cope with the crumbling world around her -- then it steps back and views the world through John's eyes, turning us into spectators of something so large and complex (the destruction of centuries of royal culture and the social revolutions of the early 20th century) that we can only make sense of bits and pieces.

As noted elsewhere, the acting is marvelous, with Miranda Richardson simply outstanding.

The drawbacks are few but significant. The biggest one is the lack of hints for those not deeply versed in the personalities and events of the Great War. For instance, I'm not sure Stamfordham's name is ever actually mentioned in the film. How are we supposed to know who he is? There are a number of examples of this type of thing. I felt fortunate to know as much as I do about this period of history in England and Russia but was, at times, distracted from the film as I wracked my brain to piece together who the characters were talking about.

While the film assumes an extensive knowledge of this time period, it oddly did not portray Dowager Queen Alexandra's deafness, nor, to my memory, mention Alice Keppel or show King Edward as the dissolute party boy he was.

It is for these reasons I rated the film as I did; there were a few too many times when I was drawn out of the story. But there are images from the film that haunt me yet, and the whole sad plight of Prince John seems a metaphor for the distorted time period covered in the film.