March 31, 2023
FILM: THE LOST KING
DIRECTED BY: STEPHEN FREARS
STARRING: SALLY HAWKINS, STEVE COOGAN, HARRY LLOYD
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
With so much news and scandal in recent years surrounding the present Royal Family, it is refreshing to see a story about one of its earlier ancestors: King Richard III. No, this isn’t specifically a biopic about his life but it does center on his death and burial. Based on a true story, The Lost King, focuses on Philippa Langley, a mother of two with chronic fatigue syndrome who becomes obsessed with finding the true remains of the infamous King after seeing a stage performance of Shakespeare’s play Richard III in 2012.
Philippa, who is given a producer credit here, begins to see visions of the King (or the actor who she saw playing him.) She talks to him about her search and becomes committed to researching all details surrounding the whereabouts of his remains. She joins a Richard III society and interviews other known experts on the king. One of those is a professor at Leicester University, which helps fund the project while also taking more credit and lessening Philippa’s involvement.
The story is quite interesting. Some of the details as to how Philippa actually pieced together the location of the lost remains sometimes feels a bit vague but the journey is compelling nonetheless. Sally Hawkins is typically wonderful as Philippa, demonstrating the many layers of her character. Hawkins often comes across as very sweet and innocent in her films (Happy Go-Lucky, Blue Jasmine, The Shape of Water, Maudie.) Her characters regularly face life’s various struggles (Ok, maybe The Shape of Water takes her a bit out of the ordinary) and slowly they grow to greater strength as the films proceed. However, there is a fierceness and determination also present in her characterization of Philippa here that she really pulls off to an even greater winning level. It’s a performance, like so many of her others, that is simply a pleasure to watch.
The film is filled with some sweeping shots of Britain which suggests its vastness and history. Both of these play major roles within the story, as Philippa attempts to narrow down where this body might have been buried. Going along with this is a very curious music score from Alexandre Desplat. He begins the film with a powerful, heavily orchestrated opening that clearly pays homage to Bernard Herrmann’s great works with Alfred Hitchcock. The opening credits suggest the fractured “PSYCHOsis” of Philippa or perhaps the Royal Family itself. Couple this with allusions to North by Northwest and an adventure to be had is suggested within the confines of this film. The score perhaps oversells the zest of the plotting but, along with the camera work, it does make for a dramatic set-up.
Ultimately, there is a lightness to the film and a bit of humor to the dialogue that keep it from being overwrought with melodrama. Instead the mood is one of investigation, adventure, and mystery. There are also a few interesting observations about those that hold historical stories versus actual truth. Shakespeare gave us a version of Richard III that suggests an evil villain and murderer. Through her research, Philippa believes that he may have in fact been a strong leader who became a victim of his successors. Since the location of his remains were lost to history, Shakespeare’s play became one of the believed legends. Do we often overlook historical realities if it doesn’t serve what we think is true? Maybe we should be much more aware of how our art portrays real-life figures as artistic creations rather than factual biographies. Likewise, perhaps we should be much more suspect of who holds historical records. What might be missing from those books and documents?
It is fitting then that the real Philippa contributed to this production. It becomes her story as she lived it. We can only wonder what the real Richard III would have had to say about his own life had he produced and written a play about his life as opposed to Shakespeare.
The Lost King is currently playing in theaters.
FILM: THE LOST KING
DIRECTED BY: STEPHEN FREARS
STARRING: SALLY HAWKINS, STEVE COOGAN, HARRY LLOYD
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
With so much news and scandal in recent years surrounding the present Royal Family, it is refreshing to see a story about one of its earlier ancestors: King Richard III. No, this isn’t specifically a biopic about his life but it does center on his death and burial. Based on a true story, The Lost King, focuses on Philippa Langley, a mother of two with chronic fatigue syndrome who becomes obsessed with finding the true remains of the infamous King after seeing a stage performance of Shakespeare’s play Richard III in 2012.
Philippa, who is given a producer credit here, begins to see visions of the King (or the actor who she saw playing him.) She talks to him about her search and becomes committed to researching all details surrounding the whereabouts of his remains. She joins a Richard III society and interviews other known experts on the king. One of those is a professor at Leicester University, which helps fund the project while also taking more credit and lessening Philippa’s involvement.
The story is quite interesting. Some of the details as to how Philippa actually pieced together the location of the lost remains sometimes feels a bit vague but the journey is compelling nonetheless. Sally Hawkins is typically wonderful as Philippa, demonstrating the many layers of her character. Hawkins often comes across as very sweet and innocent in her films (Happy Go-Lucky, Blue Jasmine, The Shape of Water, Maudie.) Her characters regularly face life’s various struggles (Ok, maybe The Shape of Water takes her a bit out of the ordinary) and slowly they grow to greater strength as the films proceed. However, there is a fierceness and determination also present in her characterization of Philippa here that she really pulls off to an even greater winning level. It’s a performance, like so many of her others, that is simply a pleasure to watch.
The film is filled with some sweeping shots of Britain which suggests its vastness and history. Both of these play major roles within the story, as Philippa attempts to narrow down where this body might have been buried. Going along with this is a very curious music score from Alexandre Desplat. He begins the film with a powerful, heavily orchestrated opening that clearly pays homage to Bernard Herrmann’s great works with Alfred Hitchcock. The opening credits suggest the fractured “PSYCHOsis” of Philippa or perhaps the Royal Family itself. Couple this with allusions to North by Northwest and an adventure to be had is suggested within the confines of this film. The score perhaps oversells the zest of the plotting but, along with the camera work, it does make for a dramatic set-up.
Ultimately, there is a lightness to the film and a bit of humor to the dialogue that keep it from being overwrought with melodrama. Instead the mood is one of investigation, adventure, and mystery. There are also a few interesting observations about those that hold historical stories versus actual truth. Shakespeare gave us a version of Richard III that suggests an evil villain and murderer. Through her research, Philippa believes that he may have in fact been a strong leader who became a victim of his successors. Since the location of his remains were lost to history, Shakespeare’s play became one of the believed legends. Do we often overlook historical realities if it doesn’t serve what we think is true? Maybe we should be much more aware of how our art portrays real-life figures as artistic creations rather than factual biographies. Likewise, perhaps we should be much more suspect of who holds historical records. What might be missing from those books and documents?
It is fitting then that the real Philippa contributed to this production. It becomes her story as she lived it. We can only wonder what the real Richard III would have had to say about his own life had he produced and written a play about his life as opposed to Shakespeare.
The Lost King is currently playing in theaters.