The Prince and the Showgirl (1957)

An American showgirl becomes entangled in political intrigue when the Prince Regent of a foreign country attempts to seduce her.

Director:

Laurence Olivier

Writers:

Terence Rattigan (by), Terence Rattigan (screenplay)

Stars:

Marilyn Monroe, Laurence Olivier, Richard Wattis

Nominated for 5 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Wattis	...	Northbrook
David Horne	...	The Foreign Office
Jeremy Spenser	...	King Nicolas
Sybil Thorndike	...	The Queen Dowager
Laurence Olivier	...	The Regent
Harold Goodwin	...	Call Boy
Gladys Henson	...	Dresser
Marilyn Monroe	...	Elsie
Jean Kent	...	Maisie Springfield
Charles Victor	...	Theatre Manager
Daphne Anderson	...	Fanny
Vera Day	...	Betty
Gillian Owen	...	Maggie
Esmond Knight	...	Hoffman
Paul Hardwick	...	Major Domo

Storyline

June, 1911. Among the dignitaries from the Balkan State of Carpathia in London for the coronation of King George V and Queen Mary is the Regent, His Serene Highness the Grand Duke Charles. The London foreign office places great importance on Carpathia because of an unstable geopolitical situation with Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany set to overthrow its monarchy government if allowed. The Regent, a Prince originally from Hungary, and the most recent and now deceased Queen married for convenience. As such, the Regent has spent time with a series of lady friends while on his travels in his somewhat "free" state. In meeting one of those London women, music hall actress Maisie Springfield, and the company of her current production "The Coconut Girl", the Regent instead has his eyes set on one of the minor players in the show, American actress Elsie Marina. When seemingly simpleminded Elsie receives a party invitation from the Regent for that evening, Elsie is not so simpleminded to understand ...

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Plot Keywords:

prince regent | showgirl | london england | forbidden love | prince | 

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Taglines:

Some countries have a medal for Everything.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English German French

Release Date:

13 June 1957 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Sleeping Prince

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Marilyn Monroe Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Writer Terence Rattigan had initially expressed doubts about an actor of Sir Laurence Olivier's stature playing such a mundane character. His doubts were allayed when he saw Olivier play the part on stage.

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Goofs

The initial titles showing a pan across London, is clearly made from the south bank of the Thames. Whilst it correctly shows the monument to the Great Fire of London to the west of the Tower of London, it then shows Houses of Parliament way to the east of these. Parliament is actually way to the west of both in Westminster.

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Quotes

Charles, the Prince Regent: What has chiefly disturbed Sir Edward, is the fact that these stupid Americans have protested. Some nonsense about political freedom and democratic rights. You know what children Americans are in matters of this kind. Their diplomacy makes me think of the Minotaur legend reversed, you know. The bull chasing Theseus through the labyrinth.

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Connections

Referenced in The Legend of Marilyn Monroe (1965)

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Soundtracks

See the Conquering Hero
(uncredited)
Music by George Frideric Handel
Arranged by Cecil H. Jaeger

User Reviews

The Showgirl Reigns

I've seen enough of Laurence Olivier's work for the cinema to understand why, previous generations, considered him the greatest actor that ever lived. I was introduced to him in "The Boys From Brazil" so I didn't quite get it. Then in "Marathon Man" he was chilling. Only recently I've seen "Wuthering Heights" "Rebecca" "Hamlet" "Henry V" and "The Entertainer". He was unquestionably great. "The Prince and the Showgirl" presents an interesting picture of that famous "test of time" thing. The greatest actor that ever lived is, this time, not only acting with Marilyn Monroe but he's also directing her. Apparently they didn't get along. Olivier was, naturally, fed up with her lateness and her moods. He wasn't a model of diplomacy. He complained that her teeth looked yellow on the screen. That alone put her out of business for a couple of days. But now in 2005 we look at the film, forgetting all those amusing bit of nonsense and what do we see? The greatest living actor, acting, yes, acting up a storm. Doing justice to Rattingan's words and rhythms in the most respectful theatrical tradition. His performance, amusing as it is, seems completely embedded in 1957. Marilyn Monroe on the other hand travels with the times and her performance is as fresh and natural today as his is stuffy and calculated. She is glorious. Isn't funny, how time does what it does? I call it justice.