The film is a horrible catalogue of what quack doctors did to try and cure King George III of his madness, particularly around the Regency period. A procession of doctors fuss around King George using purges, blistering, behaviour modification - the latter administered by a Dr. Willis. King George's son is meanwhile plotting behind his back to take over as King. His political machinations mean that the recovered King is rushed to parliament to prevent his son's usurping of the crown. Nigel Hawthorne plays the beleaguered King George III in grand fashion, bringing alive all of the medical torturing he endured during his madness which put the King into some horrific situations. He was nominated for an Oscar for his effort. Despite his 'madness', George III retains a tiny measure of sanity about the political situation with his treacherous son and also into his own predicament. Hawthorne is able to make George III a complex character and the film stands for medical ignorance and tomfoolery in the days when 'lunatics' were treated incredibly poorly.
My first film watched was Carrie aged 2 on my dad's knee. Educated at The University of St Andrews and Trinity College Dublin. Fan of Arthouse, Exploitation, Horror, Euro Trash, Giallo, New French Extremism. Weaned at the bosom of a Russ Meyer starlet. The bleaker, artier or sleazier the better!
