Alfred
Hitchcock very nearly lured Princess Grace out of retirement to star in Marnie. He wasn’t known as “the master
of suspense” for nothing. Unfortunately, her return to the silver screen was
scuttled by the French campaign to dominate the tiny principality of Monaco.
Once again, French saber-rattling ruined things for the rest of us.
Fortunately, the former Grace Kelly will stand tall in her Cartier diamonds,
facing down threats to her adopted home’s sovereignty, both foreign and
domestic, in Olivier Dahan’s now notorious Grace of Monaco (trailer
here),
which premieres on Lifetime this Memorial Day, after getting booed off the
Croisette at last year’s Cannes Film Festival.
Rumor
has it, Princess Grace’s marriage to Prince Rainier is on the rocks. Of course,
tensions with France have not helped much. With the Algerian War hemorrhaging
cash, De Gaulle issues the House of Grimaldi an ultimatum: start taxing all the
French business re-incorporating in Monaco and turn the proceeds over to France
or face a blockade and possibly even an invasion. Unfortunately, Princess Grace’s
American habits of speaking her mind and having her own career rock the boat at
an inopportune time.
Despite
the fissures in her marriage, Her Serene Highness is determined to serve the
interests of Monaco. With the help of Rainier’s American Chaplain, Father Francis
Tucker, Princess Grace will undergo a crash course in courtly etiquette and
assemble her own kitchen cabinet. Frankly, they can hardly do worse than
Rainier’s advisors, including the sleazy big-talker, Aristotle Onassis.
It
is easy to see why Grace of Monaco crashed
and burned at Cannes. In all fairness, the first two thirds play out like a
relatively competent TV movie, but the puffed-up self-importance of the third
act is almost offensive. This is the sort of film that acts like all the world’s
problems can be solved with a heartfelt, ramblingly incoherent speech.
Honestly, the supposedly Oscar-baiting climatic address basically boils down to:
“Oh Monaco, you’re just so swellaco.” Is that enough to shame De Gaulle into
behaving? Did Hitch like blondes?
Of
course, gingerish Nicole Kidman is not exactly a classic Hitchcock type, but
she is about the only name actress in Hollywood who can play classy
convincingly. She is not bad as the reserved but vulnerable Princess. Even
though he apparently put on some poundage for the role, Tim Roth is relatively
restrained as Rainier. Unfortunately, Roger Ashton-Griffiths and Sir Derek
Jacobi go all in for shtick as Hitchcock and decorum guru Count Fernando D’Aillieres.
For the first time probably ever, Parker Posey is also boring (or maybe she was
just bored) as the Princess’s officious staffer, Madge.
