The story of former Hollywood star Grace Kelly's crisis of marriage and identity, during a political dispute between Monaco's Prince Rainier III and France's Charles De Gaulle, and a looming... Read allThe story of former Hollywood star Grace Kelly's crisis of marriage and identity, during a political dispute between Monaco's Prince Rainier III and France's Charles De Gaulle, and a looming French invasion of Monaco in the early 1960s.The story of former Hollywood star Grace Kelly's crisis of marriage and identity, during a political dispute between Monaco's Prince Rainier III and France's Charles De Gaulle, and a looming French invasion of Monaco in the early 1960s.
- Nominated for 2 Primetime Emmys
- 1 win & 5 nominations total
- Count Fernando D'Aillieres
- (as Sir Derek Jacobi)
- Hitchcock
- (as Roger Ashton Griffiths)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaIn January 2013, more than a year before the release of this movie, Grace Kelly's children Prince Albert, Princess Caroline, and Princess Stephanie of Monaco, issued a joint statement saying they had no association with the production. The family added that this movie contains major historical inaccuracies, and that Director Olivier Dahan ignored their requests for changes.
- GoofsOn the map Russia's Baltic seaport is named "St. Petersburg." From 1924 to 1991, the city's name was "Leningrad."
- Quotes
Francis Tucker: [in a letter] Long after I'm gone, long after the House of Grenaldie has fallen, the world is going to remember your name, your Highness. You are the fairytale, the serenity to which we all aspire. And peace will come when you embrace the roles you have been destined to play: devoted mother, loyal wife, compassionate leader. Up against a task larger than yourself, you will overcome your fears. Those that preceded you will be forgotten. Those that follow you will be inspired by your strength and endurance. For no matter where you are in years to come, they will continue to whisper your name, the Princess Grace.
- Alternate versionsAccording to the Trivia section: There are three different versions of this movie: One cut from Director Olivier Dahan that premiered at Cannes in 2014, another cut by Writer and Producer Arash Amel at the behest of the North American distributor The Weinstein Company, and a third cut that was shown on Lifetime in May 2015.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Film '72: Episode dated 5 March 2014 (2014)
- SoundtracksTime Flows Like Tears
by Fox
Performed by Fox
Drums: Vincent Taeger
Acoustic Guitar and Bass: Ludovic Bruni
Piano and Synths: Vincent Taurelle
Additional Guitars: Philippe Almosnino
Music Producer: Renaud Letang, assisted by Thomas Moulin
Critical reviews of the film have generally been negative, and in my view with good reason. For such a talented actress, Nicole Kidman has a surprisingly large number of mediocre or downright bad films in her CV ("Far and Away", "Moulin Rouge", "Practical Magic", "Bewitched", "The Stepford Wives", "Batman and Robin" and several others), and "Grace of Monaco" is another to add to the list. Playing a famous actress from the past, especially one who was famed for her beauty, always poses special problems, and although Nicole is herself strikingly attractive she does not bear a great physical resemblance to the woman she is portraying. It doesn't help that she is considerably taller than Princess Grace and also considerably older than the Princess would have been at this period. Her accent also seems wrong- the real Grace Kelly had a very distinctive accent, and some Americans even thought she was British.
Some actresses in a similar situation- I am thinking in particular of Michelle Williams in "My Week with Marilyn" and Helena Bonham-Carter in "Burton and Taylor"- have been able to convey the essential personality of their characters, despite a lack of resemblance, but Kidman's face has become so distinctive and familiar in its own right that it seems to be difficult to accept her as another real-life person. I was always too aware that I was not watching Princess Grace but rather Princess Nicole playing Princess Grace.
Apart from Frank Langella as Grace's domestic chaplain Father Francis Tucker, there are no memorable contributions from the supporting cast, and Tim Roth makes a singularly dull and uncharismatic Rainier. His wife may call him "Ray", but a ray of sunshine he ain't. He is supposed to be one of the Crowned Heads of Europe but more closely resembles a harassed provincial businessman desperately trying to fight off a hostile takeover bid from a larger and more successful rival. The unsympathetic portrayal of de Gaulle struck me as yet another American dig at the "Cheese Eating Surrender Monkeys", so I was surprised to learn that the film was actually made by a French director, Olivier Dahan.
One thing the script seems unsure of is whether the Monaco of the early sixties was a rich country or a poor one. At times it is implied that the Monegasques are so impoverished that they cannot even afford to fund the local hospital properly. At others, however, it is also implied that the Principality is absolutely awash with money, so much so that its government can dispense with a local income tax, and that de Gaulle's aggressive designs on his little neighbour are motivated by the desire to secure all this money for France.
I often think that a good test of "fact-based" (or supposedly fact- based) biopics is how well they would work as pure fiction. There is doubtless somewhere an alternative universe in which Grace Kelly never married Prince Rainier, continued her acting career, won a second Oscar for her role in Alfred Hitchcock's "Marnie", and today lives quietly in retirement with her husband James Dean. Let us suppose that in this universe some Hollywood screenwriter comes up with an idea for a film (let's call it "Tracey of Ruritania") about the ruler of a tiny European kingdom who manages to save the day with the assistance of his glamorous American ex-film star wife when his country is threatened with annexation by a powerful neighbour. Such a film might work if made as a comedy along the lines of "The Mouse that Roared", but any attempt to make it into a serious drama would probably result in a dull and predictable soap opera.
Well, you and I live in the real universe, not this alternative one, so we are unable to see that uproarious comedy "Tracey of Ruritania", and have to make do with "Disgrace of Monaco". Anyone going to watch the film with the idea that it will give them insights into the life of the real Grace Kelly is likely to be disappointed. All they will end up with is a dull and predictable soap opera which only differs from other soap operas in that its characters are supposedly based on real historical figures. 4/10
Some goofs. In a scene set in 1961 Alfred Hitchcock tells Grace (in a reference to Sean Connery and James Bond) that his leading man in "Marnie" will be a Scottish actor who has just finished making a spy movie. The first Bond movie, "Dr No", was not made until 1962. It is also implied that De Gaulle's eagerness to take over Monaco is fuelled by the need to fund the war in Algeria. In fact, by 1961 De Gaulle had already decided to grant Algeria independence, something achieved the following year.
- JamesHitchcock
- Jun 19, 2014
- Permalink
- How long is Grace of Monaco?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official site
- Languages
- Also known as
- Принцеса Монако
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $30,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross worldwide
- $27,515,247
- Runtime1 hour 43 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1