THE PRINCESS DIARIES
US, 2001, 110 minutes, Colour.
Julie Andrews, Anne Hathaway, Hector Elizondo, Caroline Goodall, Heather Materazzo, Sandra Oh, Mandy Moore, Larry Miller.
Directed by Garry Marshall.
Royalty seems to exert an extraordinary fascination for people who might never meet a royal in their whole life. This seems to be particularly true for Americans who fought a war against the British monarch and achieved republican independence. Which means that Americans have welcomed The Princess Diaries with box office receipts of $100,000,000.
Of course, The Princess Diaries is a modern fairytale. The setting is San Francisco today. The heroine is a fifteen year old high school student living with her artist-mother in a converted fire brigade station. She is the ugly duckling at school. She is a latterday Cinderella. She is successful only at being awkward and, at times, invisible. Her soap-opera glamorous fellow-students spend a lot of time either laughing at her or ignoring her. Her name is Mia Thermopolis.
It does not take too long for the fairy godmother to arrive. She is Queen Clarisse of Genovia (which is allegedly a small principality on the French- Spanish border, somewhere in the vicinity of the real Andorra). And, sure enough, Mia is really a princess though this has been kept a secret from her. Her father has died and, as the only blood descendant, she has to ascend the throne.
At this moment, the Cinderella story turns into Pygmalion as the Queen oversees Mia's transformation into beautiful swan and dignified royal (well, not quite, she still has a long way to go in not spilling and breaking things). But, will she or won't she accept the crown? And what about the media who pry, take compromising photos and do tabloid exposes?
By this stage, the story is becoming more familiar to British audiences as they think of princes and dukes who have married 'commoners' who have had to learn protocols and who have learned what continuous invasion of privacy means.
Perhaps this makes what is essentially a piece of escapist froth seem more serious than it is. However, it does ask us to think about these issues and what ruling a country, no matter how small, means in terms of not thinking of oneself and doing good for others.
This is a film of traditional feminine sensibilities. It is not for macho types and fans of 'Boys' Own Adventures'. As the media kit declares, this is a film of feminine wish-fulfilment and empowerment!
There is also a great deal of fairytale affluence in the mansions, the elaborate gowns, the jewellery to reinforce the wish-fulfilment.
Anne Hathaway is attractive as both the gawky Mia and Princess Mia. Queen Clarisse comes in the form of Julie Andrews, always welcome on screen, who is in elderly Mary Poppins mode (rather than Maria Von Trapp) - or, as Julie Andrews herself noted, doing a Professor Higgins in improving Mia.
The director is Gary Marshall who has made quite a few variations on this feminine fairytale myth including Pretty Woman and The Runaway Bride. Working for Disney, this time, he has produced a holiday confection for aspiring princesses in the audience, and their mothers.
1. An entertaining fantasy? For what audience? Adults, adolescents? Boys, girls? Different responses?
2. The realism of the plot? A princess in America? Memories of the Monaco situation of the 50s with Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly? The small duchies of central Europe? Memories of Diana, Princess of Wales, and her children?
3. The San Francisco settings, homes, schools? The embassy of Genovia? The ordinary world? The affluent world?
4. The Cinderella story? The focus on Mia, the ugly duckling, her appearance, hair, glasses, awkwardness? Her being invisible and wanting to be invisible? People actually sitting on her and not noticing her? Her friendship with Lily? At school? Her energy in mountain climbing and other things she could achieve? Her absent father, her mother and her artwork? Her not knowing her background? Her looking at Josh and being envious of Lana?
5. Her being summoned by the queen? Her anger with her mother for not telling her the truth? Her awkwardness at the embassy, walking on the lawns, dropping things? The queen and her initial reaction? The death of her father, her being heir to the throne, the short time for training, the dinner and the prospective announcement? The impact of this kind of information, her having to keep it a secret?
6. The details of the training, her awkwardness, gradual successes? Paolo and his assistance, his melodramatic style, his transformation of Mia? Her self-image? Lily's immediate reaction and ridicule? Her wearing a cap to school, her having to take it off, the reaction of the students?
7. The media, their discovering the truth? The revelation that Paolo had betrayed them? The queen's reaction? The principal and her kowtowing to the queen, her imitating her manner? The queen and her handling of the situation?
8. Mia and her promise to Lily to come to the cable program? To Michael to hear the band? Her being invited by Josh to the beach party, the preparation, her mother's advice? Her dreams about the kiss? Her enjoying the party, her being set up by the girls, Lana singing? The media, the helicopter, Josh and the going into the cabin, her thinking she was rescued? Josh and his performance for the media, the kiss? The girls trying to shelter her but her being exposed? The material in the newspapers, the queen and her angry reaction to Mia?
9. Joseph, his friendship with the queen, his looking after Mia, driving her, always turning up at the right time, with the other kids? His reprimand to the queen about her severity? His rescuing Mia when she wanted to run away, bringing her to the ball? His dancing with Mia, his dancing with the queen? The relationship between the two?
10. The queen herself, Julie Andrews' style, appearing regal, clothes, manner? Manners? The discussions with Mia's mother? The truth, her admitting her possessiveness, her admitting that she was like Mia when she was younger? Marrying into royalty? Assuming the responsibilities? Her love for her son, protectiveness? Her gradually relenting - and going out with Mia for the day, enjoying an adolescent's fun at the pier, the competitions? Driving the car, backing into the cable car - and handling the situation by giving the driver and the policeman the Order of the Rose?
11. Mia and her decision not to become the queen, her apologies to Lily, apologies to Michael? Exasperation with Josh and the other kids at school? Her wanting to run away? Her preparation, the cat, bedraggled in the rain? Getting her gift from her father, the diary, visualising her father, his message of encouragement?
12. The ball, all the socialites, the rival count expecting to be the ruler, his wife? Lily and her coming, Michael and his coming? Being stranded in the rain, the rescue by Joseph? The queen making the announcement, Mia and her acceptance of the throne? The support of her grandmother, her mother? The dancing?
13. Lily and her preparations to be the queen, going to Genovia? The possibility of visits?
14. The fulfilment of the fairy tale, the fulfilment of the Cinderella story, the beauty of the ugly duckling? The relevance of this kind of story in the 21st century? Audience love of fairy tales?
