The Princess. M, 104 minutes. Three stars.
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LIke many others, I can remember the news flashing up on TV that Princess Diana had been killed in a car crash. That was in 1997 but 25 years later, Diana is still very much in the public memory and has inspired documentaries, docudramas and even a musical. Contrary to the expectations and possibly the hopes of some, fascination with her continues unabated.
This new documentary directed by Ed Perkins (Tell Me Who I Am) is a compilation of footage from news broadcasts, interviews, home movies and other sources telling the story of Diana, starting from her engagement to Prince Charles and ending with the reactions to her death.
There's no narration and not a lot of context given, so this film seems aimed more at people who remember Diana and want a reminder and a chance to reflect on the way she was, and is, portrayed and regarded.
The engagement, with the cringe-inducing reminder that her virginity was attested to by family members, the wedding, the births of William and Harry, the cracks in the marital facade that grew and grew - all that and more is here, and reliving the chronological history with knowledge of what happened is often compelling.
Australia features prominently in footage of the tour Charles and Diana made in 1983, when she was received far more enthusiastically than he was.
There's a dramatic music score underlining the often turbulent events and while the tone of the film is mostly sympathetic to her, dissenting voices are included, such as that of Christopher Hitchens, interviewed shortly after her death.
Some note how she managed to manipulate the media even while the media exploited her: she might have been young when she married Charles and not ready for the onslaught of attention and intrusion but she soon learned the game and played it her way. A lot of what she did - being able to relate to people of all ages and backgrounds, for example, and campaigning against land mines - was using her position and influence for good.
The video and audio quality varies considerably - some of the old videotapes are particularly plagued by problems - and some of the material seems odd, like a bunch of friends playing Uno who happen to catch the news of the fatal car crash on TV.
While this isn't terribly deep or probing, it does provoke thought - about celebrity, about the monarchy, about the media. It will probably attract more people than were at the first Dendy screening.