"Grace of Monaco" (Cannes May 2014, US release uncertain)


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THe announcement of the palace to day

Prince's Palace of Monaco

May 2 2014

Press release: "Grace of Monaco" movie
​

On the occasion of the upcoming screening of the film "Grace of Monaco" at the opening of the Cannes Festival on 14 May 2014 and its release in theaters, the Prince's Palace would like to reiterate that this feature film cannot under any circumstances be classified as a biopic.

The trailer appears to be a farce and confirms the totally fictional nature of this film. It reinforces the certainty, left after reading the script, that this production, a page of the Principality's history, is based on erroneous and dubious historical references. The director and producers refused to take into consideration the many observations made by the Palace because these called into question the entire script and the characters of the film.

The Princely Family does not in any way wish to be associated with this film which reflects no reality and regrets that Its history has been misappropriated for purely commercial purposes.
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Don't mess with Monaco ...
 
Strangely enough, the families harsh statements will draw a lot more people to see the movie than if the had announced they loved it
 
^^^So true; if they wanted to downplay the movie they would have been better served to have just ignored it; it would have just faded into oblivion. All this negative publicity, especially from the Monaco royalty, now just adds fuel to the fire. I won't pay to see the movie, but now I can't wait for it to come out on DVD to rent from the library!
 
Exactly!

I have just watched Kidman in the Railway Man". Not a dry eye in the room. She did a decent job. Any reservations I may have had about her in this role have now been removed.
 
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OTOH, this film is opening the Cannes Film Festival, the most glamourous and famous of film festivals (and one which enjoyed very close ties with Monaco).The studio (I don't know which one) clearly doesn't want to downplay it. And with or without the response from the Princely Family it would probably get the people talking. At least, this way the Princely Family is stating its views clearly and making no place for other speculations.
 
Charlotte_Aster said:
At least, this way the Princely Family is stating its views clearly and making no place for other speculations.
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In the contrary, by so vehemiantly stating their views they give fuel to speculations that there is more truth in it then the average movie-goer would think.
 
Lee-Z said:
In the contrary, by so vehemiantly stating their views they give fuel to speculations that there is more truth in it then the average movie-goer would think.
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I disagree. Any film can do enormous damage to the memory of a person by depicting totally untrue facts. For an example for many Queen Victoria is very much formed by the way Dame Judi Dench played her in the movie Mrs Brown. In reality, when reading excellent biographies and background information on Queen Victoria and John Brown, a total different image emerges, with no any relation to how she was portrayed in the movie.

How often have we not read a book and then seen a movie after that same book, to find out that in our own experience, after reading, we had a total different idea in our minds than when we saw the actual movie? The princely family is right. How their mother is portrayed in this movie will form an idea for many Americans and Europeans for whom Grace Kelly was a big unknown. The person they will see will form their idea of the late Princess, how untrue the depiction possibly can be.

The best example for me is the film Amadeus about the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It is a most entertaining movie and gives a great insight in the life, the times and the works of the composer. At the same time the film could not have been more wrong with historical facts. Also the portraying of Antonio Salieri, another great composer of that era and depicted as an evil genius behind Mozart's downfall. Largely pure fiction. But for the millions whom saw this Oscar-winning blockbuster, their image of Salieri has for ever been formed by how F. Murray Abraham depicted him.

Conclusion: the idea that the protests by the princely family seem to indicate that "something must be true" is not corrrect. A movie which is not accurate can result in a character-murder for ever and this on a person who is the beloved mother of three children, alive in our days. They are right to protest. Anyway, like the latest film about Diana, also this one will become a disaster in terms of tickets sale. Mark my words.
 
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For me (but ofcourse my personal opinion only) the protests were too much... I do see your point duc-et-pair,
but one simple "The Princely Family would like it known that the upcoming movie is purely fiction and not based on actual events" would have been sufficient...

For some reason i just don't think this movie will have an impact like Amadeus anyway...so better to just dismiss it and move on..
 
I agree with those post saying that they released too many protests. I can understand that the movie can be fictional and that a movie about thei mother can bother but fro the trailer I don't see it as disrespectul, on anyway only a statement saying that they don't want to be associated with it should have been enough...
 
even though the movie does not seem to have the approval of the palace, i still cannot wait to see it. i bet it will be an amazing production, and n kidman is a great choice to interpret grace.
 
I'm a big Grace Kelly fan but the trailers look awful and overly soppy. I'll wait for the reviews.
 
Baroness of Books said:
^^^So true; if they wanted to downplay the movie they would have been better served to have just ignored it; it would have just faded into oblivion. All this negative publicity, especially from the Monaco royalty, now just adds fuel to the fire. I won't pay to see the movie, but now I can't wait for it to come out on DVD to rent from the library!
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Assuming we get a dvd release in the first place:D
 
IMO staying silent is the best way to go. It seems to have worked for the British Royal family in the past. I remember when the film 'The Queen' was in production some in the media speculated the Palace would hate it etc etc but the Palace refused to comment on it. Then when the film was a success and put the Queen in a positive light (which as I understand hadn't been the main point of it when it was planned) there was no need to backtrack on previously made comments etc and the Queen and the monarchy benefited in the end.
Similarly with the recent film about Diana there was no comment from the Palace or William and Harry - to do so would have added fuel to the fire so when it came out and was panned it simply disappeared.
To me the RF of Monaco have scored a bit of an own goal by coming out against it so harshly - if its a good film people/the media will think badly of the RF for trying to stop it, if its bad people will go and see it anyway to see what all the fuss is about!
 
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I get the impression from the strength of this statement that the family feel very let down by the producer/director. If I remember correctly, there was some initial cooperation with the project(?) and certainly filming in Monaco was given the go ahead. Sadly, I do agree that the "unique selling point "of the film will be its denouncement by the Grimaldi family - I can just see the marketing dept rubbing their hands in glee.
 
the article basically says that the Grimaldi's (it quotes Stephanie) do not like the fact the film suggests it was Grace who did good things for Monaco and was in effect a power behind the , the article says it takes away from her father - "...but we must respect this wonderful man who was the prince, and the historical reality..."
 
"Grace of Monaco" (release date unknown)

previous: I think the cooperation I mentioned predates Stephanie's comments. In my memory it goes back to when the project was first mooted. so that suggests the original film treatment was very different to how it turned out. It will be very interested to see who is credited for the script writing and sources.
 
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Yep, I really want to see it now! If nothing else but to see what the fuss is all about!!!:D
 
Baroness of Books said:
...It might be too awful to go to DVD! :eek:
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The issues affecting the release of the film aren't really to do with any supposed "awfulness". It's more down to the fact that the US distributor, the Weinstein company, wasn't happy with the final [director's] cut and after its suggestions were ignored, made its own re-edited version. However, without the approval of the director it cannot distribute that version in the United States and such approval has not been forthcoming.

The worst case scenario is that neither version is distributed in the US but that isn't an obstacle to other companies distributing the director's original version of the film to any other market in the world. Those members living close enough may be able to nip over the border to Canada or Mexico if they want to see the film in a theatre.

What it boils down to is the power of the company contracted to distribute a film having a direct influence over the finished product. In earlier days this power resided with the producers and the studios; today the distributor, if powerful enough, is demanding that its view not just be heard, but acted upon.
 
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:previous:
Some details from angieuk's MailOnline link...
Hollywood fears a mega-flop

​
...until yesterday it looked as if Weinstein would pull out of his £3million deal to distribute the film in the U.S. unless he was allowed to screen his edit. Dahan, meanwhile, implies that he’s the victim.

Those who have seen both versions talk about a film which is hard to follow, and a focus on mid-century French politics that is really not very commercial. Kidman, it seems, is ‘all right’ in the film, but reports suggest that despite impressive focus on the clothes, the jewels and the interiors, she doesn’t make the actress Grace Kelly, and her life in Monaco, believable.

...In the film, Rainier...is portrayed as overbearing, cruel and absent. There is also a subplot in the film involving Rainier’s sister, Princess Antoinette, in which she conspires with French President Charles De Gaulle to plot a coup to seize control of Monaco - which is, as far as anyone knows, a complete fabrication.

The other problem is that the movie that director Dahan turned in was just not acceptable to the film’s U.S. distributor Harvey Weinstein, either. It seems the spectre of last year’s Diana movie - about her affair with surgeon Hasnat Khan - which flopped badly, weighs heavily on his mind. Weinstein was not involved in Diana, and with Grace of Monaco he had hoped to get a fascinating portrait of period politics and romance - the sort of upscale Oscar-winning fare in which he specialises. Think of Stephen Frears’ film The Queen, which garnered Dame Helen Mirren an Oscar in 2006. Instead what he has reminds him more of Diana, the critically-savaged film that earned around £2million on a budget of nearly £20 million. No wonder he’s taken fright.

The relationship between Dahan and Weinstein started to sour last spring, when Dahan, best known for the Edith Piaf biopic La Vie En Rose, delivered the film to Harvey. Weinstein thought it was too melodramatic, and too dark, and sent Dahan notes on the film, as is usual. He also started cutting a version on his own for the U.S. market - which is not so usual, because he was seriously alarmed. But when Dahan saw it he was furious.

The re-edited Grace film was privately previewed in New York in September and I’m told that it still scored poorly. Viewers felt the structure was a mess and that it was hard to follow. Then there was a re-edit of Weinstein’s cut, involving extra shooting, but the result is still said to be lacklustre. An insider commented: ‘It’s not brilliant, it’s passable. It’s not an award winner.’ While Weinstein has tried to cut the film into a light fairy tale, the director’s version is more about pain and sadness, even though they are both from the same script.

A deal was worked out so Weinstein could release his version in the U.S. while the director’s cut would come to French cinemas. However in January that fell apart when Weinstein put off an agreed March release date, saying the picture was ‘not ready’. Soon after it was announced that Grace Of Monaco - the French version, approved by Dahan - was going to open the Cannes film festival. Weinstein was furious and began trying to renegotiate his rights fee with the film’s financier. He wanted to pay £2million rather than £3million, citing broken promises on the part of the French filmmakers, and added costs incurred by the new cut. Now, according to Nicole Kidman there has been an 11th-hour compromise.*

But has there ever been a more ill-omened opening to a film festival? Or a greater embarrassment for a leading lady?

* the article contained no further details regarding the "11th hour compromise".
 
Indeed, i smell a bomb big time ....
 
Thank you for your investigative work Warren. Yes, the Diana movie was beyond poor, a very legitimate cause to be concerned to be sure. Doesn't sound promising at all.

My expectations are low. Perhaps not a bad thing in this case.

Mm...
 
As i read it in this article the depiction of Rainier and Antoinette is at the heart of the movie, so imo the Grimaldi family will never approve no matter which cut is used for screening...
 
Lee-Z said:
As i read it in this article the depiction of Rainier and Antoinette is at the heart of the movie, so imo the Grimaldi family will never approve no matter which cut is used for screening...
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The hidden concept is clear: a brave, stunningly beautiful American pious Catholic lady finding herself trapped into the web of filthy European monsters. King Kong and that screaming white lady, rewritten to fit at the Côte d'Azur.

:whistling:
 
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