The Madness of King George
His Majesty was all powerful and all knowing. But he wasn't quite all there.
1994 | 107m | English
Popularity: 1 (history)
| Director: | Nicholas Hytner |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Alan Bennett |
| Staring: |
| Aging King George III of England is exhibiting signs of madness, a problem little understood in 1788. As the monarch alternates between bouts of confusion and near-violent outbursts of temper, his hapless doctors attempt the ineffectual cures of the day. Meanwhile, Queen Charlotte and Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger attempt to prevent the king's political enemies, led by the Prince of Wales, from usurping the throne. | |
| Release Date: | Dec 28, 1994 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Nicholas Hytner |
| Writer: | Alan Bennett |
| Genres: | Comedy, Drama, History |
| Keywords | husband wife relationship, biography, parliament, based on true story, based on play or musical, mental illness, mental health, 18th century, king of england, assassination attempt, aristocracy, british monarchy, self destructiveness |
| Production Companies | The Samuel Goldwyn Company, Film4 Productions, Close Call Films |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $15,238,994
Budget: $0 |
| Updates |
Updated: Feb 01, 2025 Entered: Apr 13, 2024 |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Mark Thompson | Costume Design |
| Celestia Fox | Casting |
| David Crozier | Production Sound Mixer |
| Rachel Neale | Location Manager |
| Jean Bourne | Script Supervisor |
| Liz Barron | Controller |
| Vivien Jordan | Production Coordinator |
| Finn McGrath | Second Assistant Director |
| Mary Soan | First Assistant Director |
| Stuart Renfrew | Third Assistant Director |
| John Fenner | Art Direction |
| Mark Raggett | Standby Art Director |
| Carolyn Scott | Set Decoration |
| Leith Boler | Property Buyer |
| Jane Clark | Storyboard Artist |
| Paul Garner | Storyboard Artist |
| Miles Barton | Researcher |
| Jane Henwood | Art Department Assistant |
| John Siddall | Draughtsman |
| Dennis Bosher | Draughtsman |
| Sabrina Lamonica | Art Department Assistant |
| Patricia Vanover | First Assistant Camera |
| Nick Penn | Second Assistant Camera |
| Mike House | Grip |
| Nigel Kirton | Steadicam Operator |
| David Toft | Video Assist Operator |
| Philip Hill | Camera Trainee |
| Christopher Lloyd | First Assistant Editor |
| Adrian Trent | Assistant Editor |
| Christopher Ackland | Supervising Sound Editor |
| Elaine 'Chucks' Thomas | Assistant Sound Editor |
| Jim Shields | Dialogue Editor |
| Pat Gilbert | Assistant Dialogue Editor |
| Stan Fiferman | Foley Editor |
| Graham Parrow | Assistant Foley Artist |
| Roy Baker | Foley Artist |
| Jean Sheffield | Foley Artist |
| Dominic Lester | Sound Re-Recording Mixer |
| Robin O'Donoghue | Sound Re-Recording Mixer |
| Clive Copland | Sound Engineer |
| Eliza Thompson | Music Supervisor |
| Nicholas Kraemer | Conductor |
| Maurice Jones | Property Master |
| Keith Grant | Music |
| Danny Skundric | Dressing Prop |
| Doug Purdy | Props |
| Malcolm Benstead | Standby Property Master |
| Jim Parker | Standby Property Master |
| Jamie Wilkinson | Property Master |
| Jim Beeby | Gaffer |
| Ronnie Rampton | Best Boy Electrician |
| Danny Young | Electrician |
| John Turner | Electrician |
| George White | Electrician |
| Paul Wood | Electrician |
| Irene Bohan | Assistant Costume Designer |
| Sue Honeyborne | Costume Supervisor |
| Anthony Brookman | Wardrobe Master |
| Anna Kot | Costume Mistress |
| Victoria Harwood | Costume Assistant |
| Steve Pokol | Costume Assistant |
| Stephen Miles | Costume Assistant |
| Frank Simon | Costume Assistant |
| Lisa Westcott | Hair Designer, Makeup Designer |
| Deborah Taylor | Assistant Makeup Artist |
| Helen Barrett | Makeup Artist |
| Keith Hamshere | Still Photographer |
| Nicholas Hytner | Director |
| George Fenton | Original Music Composer |
| Alan Bennett | Theatre Play, Screenplay |
| Tariq Anwar | Editor |
| Andrew Dunn | Director of Photography |
| Ken Adam | Production Design |
| Mark Cooper | Line Producer |
| Martin Childs | Supervising Art Director |
| John Casali | Sound Recordist |
| Alex Bailey | Still Photographer |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Stephen Evans | Producer |
| David Parfitt | Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | Best Director | Nicholas Hytner | Nominated |
| Academy Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Helen Mirren | Nominated |
| SAG Awards | Best Actor | Nigel Hawthorne | Nominated |
| BAFTA Awards | Best Actor | Nigel Hawthorne | Nominated |
| BAFTA Awards | Best Director | Nicholas Hytner | Nominated |
| BAFTA Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Nigel Hawthorne | Won |
| BAFTA Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Alan Rickman | Nominated |
| Venice Film Festival | Best Picture | N/A | Nominated |
| BAFTA Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Helen Mirren | Nominated |
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 16 | 23 | 11 |
| 2024 | 5 | 16 | 24 | 10 |
| 2024 | 6 | 15 | 25 | 8 |
| 2024 | 7 | 18 | 30 | 10 |
| 2024 | 8 | 18 | 29 | 9 |
| 2024 | 9 | 14 | 21 | 8 |
| 2024 | 10 | 14 | 28 | 9 |
| 2024 | 11 | 12 | 20 | 8 |
| 2024 | 12 | 12 | 19 | 6 |
| 2025 | 1 | 12 | 18 | 7 |
| 2025 | 2 | 10 | 17 | 3 |
| 2025 | 3 | 5 | 18 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
Trending Position
As monarchs go, King George is of the better kind. He's gruff and has annoying quirks, but he cares for people and country. He's neither a cruel tyrant, nor a wasteful peacock - which the prince is. Trouble is, King George is not well any more. In his head. What we can diagnose to be likely porph ... yria today, was simply madness back then. The Madness of King George has its aspects of tragedy, family drama, intrigue, comedy; but always present are the reflections about politics, power, monarchy and what it is, can be, should be (and whether at all). It presents itself as a period piece, but written as a theatre play in 1994, it is at the same time a contemporary deliberation, with some jibes and jokes about things which seem to never change... in the UK, at least. Viewers in The Colonies might enjoy it as well. I sure did, not least because of the great Nigel Hawthorne, who won the Best Leading Actor BAFTA for this, and plays Mr. King in a very touching way. The not-only-supporting cast is both well known, and gives excellent performances throughout. Very much recommended, if the genre doesn't put you off.
A little like Keith Michell in "Henry VIII and his Six Wives"; this was a role Nigel Hawthorne had perfected earlier (he won an Olivier award for the stage play) and so he took to the cinematic version like a duck to water. This telling of his "madness" is superb - ably reflecting the unpredictable ... and vacillating behaviour of the King in a plausible and engaging manner. Rupert Everett, Helen Mirren and Ian Holm lead a very capable supporting cast and the incorporation of Handel's wonderful, rousing, Georgian themes adds to this sumptuous, if at times a little overly theatrical, production.