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Grace of Monaco (film)

From Alfawiki
Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Grace of Monaco (film), available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 10 August 2025
Grace of Monaco
Company typeFilm
IndustryMotion picture
Founded2014
Key people
Olivier Dahan (director), Arash Amel (writer), Nicole Kidman (lead actress)
ProductsBiographical drama film

Grace of Monaco is a 2014 biographical drama helmed by director Olivier Dahan and penned by Arash Amel. The film features Nicole Kidman portraying Princess Grace of Monaco, supported by a cast including Frank Langella, Parker Posey, Derek Jacobi, Paz Vega, Milo Ventimiglia, and Tim Roth.

Originally planned for release in late November 2013, the premiere was delayed to March 14, 2014, before being indefinitely removed from the schedule. It eventually debuted out of competition at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. Although it received theatrical distribution in various countries throughout 2014, it did not have a U.S. cinema release and instead premiered on the Lifetime cable channel on May 25, 2015.

Plot

Grace of Monaco explores the personal and political challenges faced by former Hollywood actress Grace Kelly during the 1962 conflict between Monaco's ruler, Prince Rainier III, and French President Charles de Gaulle. The narrative also covers her contemplation of returning to Hollywood to star in director Alfred Hitchcock's film Marnie.

Set in 1962, years after Grace Kelly left Hollywood in 1956, Alfred Hitchcock offers her a lucrative million-dollar deal to star in Marnie. Intrigued by the opportunity, she consults with her husband, who initially consents.

At the same time, France exerts pressure on Monaco to surrender its sovereignty and become a French province. Prince Rainier resists these demands, leading France to threaten economic sanctions and covertly enlist his sister and her spouse to influence him. This political strain causes tension between the prince and princess, causing him to reconsider Grace’s potential Hollywood comeback.

Grace redirects her efforts towards supporting local hospitals and aiding the European Red Cross, arranging a charity ball in October aimed at fundraising and enhancing Monaco’s international reputation. She discovers that the prince’s sister is negotiating with France against Monaco’s interests, which she reports to Prince Rainier, resulting in her legal exile. Grace declines the Hollywood role, committing fully to her diplomatic responsibilities. The charity event succeeds in elevating Monaco’s global standing and contributes to maintaining its independence.

Cast

Development

The script, penned by Arash Amel, was featured on the 2011 Hollywood Black List, highlighting the most favored screenplays. Following a competitive bidding process, French producer Pierre-Ange Le Pogam acquired the rights.

Filming

Principal photography commenced in September 2012, with initial shoots taking place in Paris and Menton. The production subsequently relocated to Italy, capturing scenes in Grimaldi near Ventimiglia as well as at Villa Hanbury. The team obtained authorization to close Monaco’s central square for a 24-hour period in late October 2012, enabling filming around the Monte Carlo Casino. Additional sequences were filmed at Genoa’s Royal Palace, while interior shots were completed in Belgium, specifically in Brussels and Ghent.

Grimaldi family's response

In January 2013, Prince Albert II alongside Princesses Caroline and Stéphanie publicly criticized the screenplay, describing it as "unnecessarily glamorized and historically inaccurate," and expressed frustration that their requests for modifications were disregarded. They stressed that the film is a fictionalized portrayal rather than a factual biographical account.

Melvyn Stokes of University College London suggested that the royal family’s opposition may broadly apply to any cinematic depiction of Grace Kelly. Biographer Jeffrey Robinson mentioned that although Princess Caroline reviewed the script, director Olivier Dahan declined to implement suggested changes.

Stokes also pointed out historical distortions within the film, such as exaggerating Grace Kelly’s involvement in resolving Monaco’s tax issues, ultimately awarding the production a single star for historical fidelity.

Nicole Kidman characterized the movie as an exploration of Grace Kelly’s personal struggles and humanity instead of a comprehensive biopic.

The filmmakers maintained that the narrative focuses exclusively on a particular chapter in Grace Kelly’s life and was produced with Monaco’s cooperation.

Director Olivier Dahan responded by emphasizing his intention to create a humanized portrait rather than a strict biographical film, recognizing the royal family’s viewpoint but underscoring his artistic vision.

By May 2014, the royal family reiterated their stance that the film should not be classified as a biopic.

Final cut

Olivier Dahan openly expressed dissatisfaction with disputes over the final cut involving the film’s US distributor, Harvey Weinstein. In an interview with Libération, he described negotiations with Weinstein as severely constrained, portraying it as a dilemma between accepting harsh conditions or facing intense coercion. Presently, two distinct versions exist: one by Dahan and another by Weinstein, with Dahan labeling the situation disastrous.

In April 2014, just two weeks ahead of its Cannes debut, Variety reported that Weinstein was contemplating withdrawing the film from US release. Nevertheless, he later opted to proceed with distribution. Weinstein explained that the Cannes edit lacked a pivotal scene addressing the royal family’s “legitimate concerns” regarding their depiction.

Although Amel refrained from publicly siding in the final cut conflict, he chose not to attend the Cannes photo call or press conference for the director’s cut screening. He remarked that the version broadcast on Lifetime represented a third iteration of the film.

Cannes controversy

During the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, notable absences at both the press conference and official photo call included Weinstein and screenwriter Amel. Weinstein attributed his absence to charitable work in Syria, while Amel told The Hollywood Reporter that Weinstein preferred to avoid having his “major first Cannes moment” overshadowed by disputes concerning the film’s multiple edits.

Critical reception

The movie was met with predominantly negative reviews from critics. By 2020, it held a mere 9% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 74 critiques, with an average score of 3.26 out of 10. The general consensus described it as "visually stunning yet completely hollow, Grace of Monaco fails to do justice to either its subject or viewers." On Metacritic, it earned a score of 21 out of 100 from ten critics, signifying "generally unfavorable" opinions.

Reviewers commonly characterized the film as stiff and uninspired; Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian labeled it "so astonishingly wooden it might as well be a fire hazard," while Stephen Dalton from The Hollywood Reporter unfavorably compared it to the Shrek franchise, citing a lack of depth and humor. Fionnuala Halligan of Screen Daily described the film as "confusingly miscalculated," awkwardly falling short of the charm found in films like Roman Holiday.

Both the direction by Olivier Dahan and the screenplay by Amel were heavily criticized. Guy Lodge from HitFix pointed out inconsistent and ineffective direction, whereas Scott Foundas of Variety deemed the script "painfully lifeless and forced." Robbie Collin of The Daily Telegraph branded the film "utterly dreadful." Mark Kermode in The Guardian condemned the screenplay for seemingly endorsing tax evasion and corporate avoidance, a perspective contested by critic Brad Stevens in the British Film Institute’s Sight & Sound, who defended the film against what he described as dismissive attitudes toward ‘feminine’ filmmaking.

Nicole Kidman’s portrayal of Grace Kelly garnered mixed reactions. Geoffrey MacNab from The Independent commended her for conveying both elegance and emotional depth, noting her diverse wardrobe choices. Allan Hunter of the Daily Express emphasized Kidman’s commanding presence on screen. In contrast, Scott Foundas and Dave Calhoun criticized her performance as detached and unconvincing.

Tim Roth’s depiction of Rainier generally received negative feedback; Stephen Dalton remarked that Roth appeared unpersuasive, pointing out his frequent chain-smoking and consistently pained facial expressions throughout the film.

"Writer's Cut"

In January 2015, Harvey Weinstein addressed the controversy with the director by revealing that the U.S. release would feature a "Writer's Cut," aiming to restore the film according to Arash Amel’s original screenplay vision. Weinstein likened this effort to The King's Speech, explaining that Amel collaborated with a team to realign the movie with his script, producing a notably enhanced version.

Awards and nominations

Award Category Recipient Result
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Television Movie Grace of Monaco Template:Nom
Outstanding Hairstyling for a Limited Series or Movie Agathe Dupuis and Silvine Picard Template:Nom
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie Nicole Kidman Template:Nom

External links

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