Panned to Death: “Grace of Monaco” Movie renamed “Princess Grace” – but can it salvage Nicole Kidman’s career?
What do you do when a movie has been panned to death, like Grace of Monaco? …Rename it! That is what is apparently happening to the Nicole Kidman movie, which finally opened the Cannes Film Festival in May 2014 after several delays, and thereafter opened in theaters around the world – except in North America. Now it seems that it is being re-branded simply as “Princess Grace” – at least in Canada.
The well-publicized dispute between Harvey Weinstein (who acquired the USA rights) and French director Olivier Dahan caused a stalemate over creative differences. Weinstein, who is often referred to as “Harvey Scissorhands”, apparently made his own cut of the film, stating that the French version was too dark to be well-received by audiences. But Dahan refused to let the award-winning producer interfere with his artistic vision and would not allow the Weinstein version of the film to be released. Instead, he seems to have blindsided Mr. Weinstein by arranging the coup of having the director’s cut of the film open the Cannes Film Festival, seemingly believing that the world would applaud his vision. The movie famously received an assault of criticism that gave movie reviewers a long-awaited opportunity to use some of their most scathing comments and outrageous puns. Such vicious reviews would have made most people consider a new profession, but in typical French fashion, Dahan seems to have simply shrugged his shoulders saying that he will just move on and make his next movie.
However, it is quite another story for the movie’s distributors, who still have a lot of money at stake. Despite the movie Grace of Monaco having opened in one European country after another, even in Nicole Kidman’s home of Australia, then in Asian countries, the scheduled USA theatrical release has repeatedly been pushed back. It was expected to be released in October 2014, then December 2014… now it seems that March 2015 would be the earliest date that American audiences can expect to see the film – despite the fact that it is already playing on some international flights and the DVD went on sale abroad on October 13. 2014.
While the Grace of Monaco DVD is region restricted, its Blu Ray version can be acquired and played anywhere in the world, allowing ardent fans of Grace Kelly to see what all the fuss has been about. The entire Princely family of Monaco in unison condemned the film as inaccurate, and one of Princess Grace’s closest friends, Joan Dale. finally broke her silence to decry the mischaracterization of Grace, afraid that a new generation not familiar with Grace Kelly would be misled to believe that the film’s portrayal is real because the tone of the movie is that of a biopic (using devices such as vintage newsreel footage in the beginning, which suggests that the film is factual rather than fictional).
Joan and Martin Dale were the closest friends of Princess Grace and Prince Rainier during the crisis between France and Monaco that is loosely depicted in the Nicole Kidman film, “Grace of Monaco”. The movie is a complete fictionalization, but many of the actual events involved the Dales, including the uproar that prevented Joan from becoming Princess Grace’s Lady-in-Waiting. The book “My Days with Princess Grace of Monaco” serves as eyewitness testimony as to what really happened when President Charles De Gaulle threatened to take over Monaco, and why Grace Kelly could never return to Hollywood. A copy of the book was apparently sent to the Weinstein Company in early 2014 to support his efforts of re-editing the movie.
So in an attempt to wipe the slate clean from the Grace of Monaco reviews, you may be on the lookout for the new Princess Grace Movie ….same trailer – different title:
Sources:
www.MongrelMedia.com
www.BeyondGraceKelly.com
www.PrincessGraceofMonaco.com
