''Diana'' is a 2013 biographical drama film directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel, about the last two years of the life of

Diana, Princess of Wales Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her ac ...

. The screenplay is based on Kate Snell's 2001 book, ''Diana: Her Last Love'', and was written by

Stephen Jeffreys John Stephen Gerrard Jeffreys (22 April 1950 – 17 September 2018) was a British playwright and playwriting teacher. He wrote original plays, films and play adaptations and also worked as translator. Jeffreys is best known for his play ''The Libe ...

. British actress Naomi Watts plays the title role of Diana. The world premiere of the film was held in London on 5 September 2013. It was released in the UK on 20 September 2013. The film received negative reviews from both British and American critics.

Plot

The film depicts the last two years of the princess's life, beginning with events when

Diana Diana most commonly refers to: * Diana (name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) * Diana (mythology), ancient Roman goddess of the hunt and wild animals; later associated with the Moon * Diana, Princess of Wales (1961–1997) ...

( Naomi Watts) divorces Charles, Prince of Wales. She meets and falls in love with Pakistani heart surgeon Hasnat Khan ( Naveen Andrews). The film depicts her tours of

Angola , national_anthem = "Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

in her campaign against the use of land mines. Trips to advance causes in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign ''Sovereign'' is a title which can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word is borrowed from Old French , which is ultimately derived from the L ...

, Pakistan, New York City,

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and He ...

, Italy, and ultimately, Paris are also shown, with recreations of what she wore in real life. Her relationship with Dr. Khan ends due to his desire for a private life and objections to her celebrity status. The film depicts Diana's affair with Anglo-Egyptian billionaire Dodi Fayed as a calculated attempt to make Dr. Khan jealous, but it ends with the car crash that killed Diana, Fayed, and their driver in the Pont de l'Alma Tunnel in Paris – however, there is no re-enactment of the crash scene.

Cast

* Naomi Watts as

* Naveen Andrews as Dr. Hasnat Khan * Cas Anvar as Dodi Fayed * Laurence Belcher as Prince William * Harry Holland as Prince Harry * Douglas Hodge as Paul Burrell * Geraldine James as Oonagh Toffolo * Charles Edwards as Patrick Jephson *

Mary Stockley Mary Stockley is a British stage, television and film actress. A former member of the National Youth Music Theatre, Stockley studied drama at university. She made her first television appearance in 2001 in the TV film '' Being Dom Joly'', in 2002, ...

as Assistant * Juliet Stevenson as Sonia

Production

The screenplay, which is based on Kate Snell's 2001 book, ''Diana: Her Last Love'', was written by

. Robert Bernstein and Douglas Rae produced the movie for Ecosse Films. Key scenes involving Diana and Dodi Fayed on his family yacht, ''Jonikal'', were filmed on the 45m luxury charter yacht ''Princess Iolanthe''. The opening and closing scenes at the Paris Ritz Imperial Suite were filmed at Fetcham Park House in Fetcham, Surrey.

Reception

The film has received overwhelmingly negative reviews. On review aggregator '' Rotten Tomatoes'', it has an 8% approval rating based on reviews from 97 critics and an average score of 3.5/10. The consensus states: "Naomi Watts tries hard in the title role, but ''Diana'' buries her efforts under a shoddy script and clumsy direction." On Metacritic, the film has a 35 (out of 100), based on 28 reviews. David Edwards from '' The Mirror'' said it was a "cheap and cheerless effort that looks like a Channel 5 mid-week matinee" and that " Wesley Snipes in a blonde wig would be more convincing", awarding the film one star out of five. Peter Bradshaw of '' The Guardian'' also awarded it one star out of five and called the film "car crash cinema". Joshua Rothkopf of '' Time Out New York'' called Watts's performance "extraordinary" and gave the film 3 stars out of 5, calling it "a restrained biopic that affords its subject the romantic privacy that life denied her."

Nigel Andrews Nigel Andrews FRSA (born 3 April 1947)ANDREWS, Nigel John
''Who's Who 2015'', A & C ...

of the '' Financial Times'' said that "once again Watts supplies the wattage" but that her performance is "frighteningly isolated... the compensating passion in a torpid drama." Jim Schembri of 3AW praised Watts' "impressive performance" but remarked that the film "could actually have done with another half-hour putting more meat onto the bones of these underdeveloped chapters of her story. " Dominic Corry of flicks.co.nz called the film "bad in the blandest way possible" and lamented that "Watts is let down by the Mills & Boon-level script". Fionnuala Halligan of ''

Screen Daily ''Screen International'' is a British film magazine covering the international film business. It is published by Media Business Insight, a British B2B media company. The magazine is primarily aimed at those involved in the global film business. ...

'' also criticised the writing, saying that Watts' "brave performance should not be under-estimated given the poverty of the dialogue and the pressure of the part." Naomi Watts received a Razzie Award nomination for Worst Actress for her work in both this film and '' Movie 43'', where she lost to Tyler Perry for his performance in drag in '' A Madea Christmas''.

Soundtrack

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Diana (Film) 2013 films 2013 biographical drama films 2013 independent films 2013 romantic drama films Belgian biographical drama films Belgian independent films Belgian romantic drama films British biographical drama films British independent films British romantic drama films English-language French films English-language Belgian films English-language Swedish films Film controversies Film controversies in the United Kingdom Films about Diana, Princess of Wales Films set in 1996 Films set in 1997 Films set in London Films shot in London Films about interracial romance Films directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel Fiction with unreliable narrators French biographical drama films French independent films French romantic drama films Swedish biographical drama films Swedish independent films Swedish romantic drama films Films scored by David Holmes (musician) Biographical films about English royalty 2010s English-language films 2010s British films 2010s French films 2010s Swedish films