Podcast: The Madness of King George Tribute (30th Anniversary) 👑🇬🇧

This British biographical comedy drama launched in December 1994, thus we’re marking the occasion in triumphant and posh English fashion.

Nicholas Hytner’s The Madness of King George is one of our favourite films. We first saw it in late 2004, so this is also the 20th anniversary since our first viewing it. Hurray!

With an exceptional cast, witty script, and some brilliant production design, it makes for an intriguing look into the Regency Crisis of 1788-89. What what.

Illness and Wit in The Madness of King George

The film was adapted from Alan Bennett’s play. That began its West End run in 1991 and was titled The Madness of George III.

Apparently, the title was adjusted to The Madness of King George so as not to confuse Americans. Studio execs though the “III” bit would confuse everyone, making people not attend the film as they’d missed the two other ones. Such is the stupidity with which Hollywood execs constantly undermine their productions.

For some reason it launched in America first, it had its UK cinematic run in March 1995.

It was actually quite a big hit and earned some $27.4 million at the box office. It bagged a BAFTA for Outstanding British Film and was nominate for an Oscar.

That was for Nigel Hawthorne’s outstanding lead performance. We must note Sir Ian Holm was also on magnificent form here, too, with the pair of them sparring off each other rather well.

It’s scenes like this that are why we love the film so much.

As we wax lyrical about in the podcast supporting this written stuff, Nigel Hawthorne’s performance was just off the charts. He’d been in the stage play, too, but this was a role he was just born to play.

There have been subsequent adaptations of the stage play without him (he passed in 2001).

Anti-Monarchy Sentiments!? Well I Never!

The Madness of King George is unusual in its subtle anti-monarchy sentiments. It’s not screeching “off with their heads” or anything, but does imply that even in 1788 the system was anachronistic.

Politician Charles James Fox (keep in mind these were very real people from the era) has this line.

“God rot all Royals! Give us the wisdom of America.”

When the film first played in the US, that line drew huge cheers from American cinemagoers.

Even right at the start of the film, Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger (Julian Wadham) has to batt off requests from Mr. Fox to be rid of the King. The PM’s response?

“The King will do as he’s told, Mr. Fox.”

That shapes much of the film’s narrative, with politicians seeing the monarchy system as an annoyance they have to work around and/or manipulate for political gain. A careful balancing act that Mr. Pitt is forced to embrace when the King starts losing it.

If you know your history, you’ll know the resonance of this for Americans. King George III (1738-1820) played a big role in the American Revolution. His obstinate refusal to surrender English colonies led to the near enough eight year Revolutionary War.

Our apologies for that, America! What was the King thinking? Well, perhaps his loss of sanity contributed to that obstinacy.

Perhaps this is all why the film launched in the United States first.

On a different tangent for the UK, in 1995 there was also the live stage show Bottom Live: The Big Number 2 Tour. Written by Ade Edmondson and Rik Mayall, it remains stunningly anti-monarchy in its sentiments. One of the absolute last, blitzing attacks on the system we can remember.

Following on from this film (again, launching in March 1995 for the UK), it was a brief year of cultural constitutional considerations for England. But… we did nothing with the ideas.

As for now, 30 years on, the Bottom duo wouldn’t be able to do that stage show—much of the country has worked itself up into such a state misguided exceptionalism (a legacy of 14 years of hard-right conservative rule under the Tories). You just can’t criticise the monarchy system in public now.

The people who’d fly into hysterics about it are the types to complain about “cancel culture” and the “woke mob”, highlighting the nature of cherry picking your outrage to suit a particular brand of hypocrisy.

What, what.

The Madness of King George’s Lasting Legacy?

Despite our love for the film, we must admit we rarely see it discussed by film buffs. There seems to be love for it, though, as it has returned to stage a few times over the last decade.

Mark Gatiss took the lead role in the 2018 production. Sadly, it only ran at the Nottingham Playhouse so we didn’t get a chance to see it.

We left university at Nottingham in 2006… damn you, time! 12 years too early.

Hopefully, we’ll see it return at some point. If not? Oh, look at this!