THE MADNESS OF KING GEORGE

Name: THE MADNESS OF KING GEORGE
Item: THE MADNESS OF KING GEORGE
Author: Review

"England’s Benevolent King Falls Ill"

Family Content: -2 Extreme caution for older teenagers and adults.

Entertainment Quality:

	None	Light	Moderate	Heavy
Language
Violence
Sex
Nudity

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What You Need To Know:

THE MADNESS OF KING GEORGE is the critically acclaimed 1994 movie based on the play THE MADNESS OF GEORGE III. This story follows the King of Great Britain and his mental health journey. During his life, he suffered from porphyria, a genetic disorder that affects the nervous system. The movie follows his decline in health, efforts to improve it, and his recovery. THE MADNESS OF KING GEORGE is a well-made movie, but it also has its flaws.

THE MADNESS OF KING GEORGE garnered nominations for four Academy Awards and won for Best Art Direction. It contains exquisite costumes and beautiful settings. As far as worldview goes, the movie contains a strong, redemptive Christian perspective, given that the King must leave, acknowledge his shortcomings, work to overcome them, and then return to his role as King. However, there is also a significant amount of romanticism, given that the plot involves the King's son taking power from his father. It features scenes of prayer, physical crosses, people reciting the Lord's Prayer, and songs that include the phrase "God save the King." However, due to some of the actions depicted in the movie and the derangement of its characters, it's evident that this movie isn't suitable for children. MOVIEGUIDE® recommends caution for older children and teens.

Content:

(CCC, Ro, B, LL, V, S, N, M):

Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements:

A strong redemptive Christian worldview, given how the king must go away, acknowledge his shortcomings, work to overcome them, and then return to his role as king. However, there is also a big deal of romanticism, given how there is a plot for the king’s son to take power from his father. They show scenes of praying, physical crosses, people saying the Lord’s prayer, songs that say, “God save the king,”;

Foul Language:

There were 25 total instances of foul language. There are a total of 11 instances of obscenities (5 “P” words, ,4 “D” words, 1 “H” and 1 “Wh” word).. There are then 14 instances of profanity, 12 “G” words, 1 “JC “ word. and 1 “J” word). There are also a variety of name-calling and rude/inappropriate phrases. They include “fat turd,” “fat lard,” “bum sucker” and “hump the bird out of the nest.”

Violence:

Cartoonish violence, mostly running around and chasing after each other, falling on the floor, etc. There was an instance where someone tried stabbing the king at the beginning of the movie, but they were using a rounded knife and caused no damage. There was another scene where the prince fell to the floor and the king lightly put his hand around his neck, lightly choking him. The violence other than that would include shoving during some of the chases;

Sex:

There is one instance of implied adultery. A female character puts her hand down a man’s pants and then puts his hand down her shirt before they both dip under the frame. There were multiple instances of couples kissing. Some of those instances include men throwing themselves onto women, but in some of those instances, the women avoid the interaction (Besides being jumped on). There was one instance where the king told a man to kiss him on the cheek and they did;

Nudity:

There is no explicit nudity, but one instance where a man is lying face down on a table, without clothes, and a blanket covers his butt. Here you can see the man’s back;

Alcohol Use:

One instance of drinking at the beginning of the film, where a red coat drinks from a flask;

Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse:

No smoking or drugs; and,

Miscellaneous Immorality:

At the beginning of the film somebody kicks a child’s toy and makes her cry. The king refuses to let a pregnant lady sit down after she requested. The king also ignored the request of his doctor, going as far as running away from him. There was also an instance where people kidnapped the king, strapping him in a chair and tying his mouth shut. They later shoved him into a cart. People would also try to collude to overthrow the king. Then there were multiple instances of urinating and defecation. The urinating included a time when he ran into a room, grabbed a pee-bowl and urinated in front of a couple people. They also take a look at the color of the King’s urine throughout the movie because the color helps doctors understand his health. For the instance of defecation, he pulls down his pants and squats against a wall, then proceeds to defecate in front of people

More Detail:

The movie starts with a meeting of parliament. The king is preparing for the meeting, getting dressed, and making his way over. Here, his mental decline becomes evident, as he no longer write his speeches anymore. Some attendees say that he’s just a face that doesn’t do anything. They even debate overthrowing him, citing the American Revolution as a precedent. On his way out, while acknowledging civilians, one attempts to stab him. Fortunately, it was with a rounded-tip knife and caused no harm.

After that encounter, we see his life around his family and servants, exposing how deranged King George is. He holds grudges against America, hating that they revolted. He also forced a pregnant lady to stand, even after she requested to sit. Eventually, he goes to bed and writhes in pain. He refuses to be checked by his doctor. From there, his actions become increasingly disturbing. He runs around the castle, forgets the names of his servants, runs outside, goes back inside, grabs a bucket from a woman, urinates, and then continues to run around. During this rampage, his servants take the urine bucket and see that his urine is blue.

During this time, some people wonder if King George is fit to be king. They ultimately land on the idea of impeachment, referred to as regency in the European Parliament. Meanwhile, King George’s mental health continues to decline. He accepts treatment, but this results in a deterioration of his health. So much so that the queen has to look away from him; he has a hard time seeing and hearing and walks around with a cane.

His supporters grew desperate and began searching for a new doctor to help him. They locate one who practices extreme techniques when it comes to treatment. He essentially kidnaps King George and goes to an undisclosed location. The doctor gives him direct orders and demands that King George follow them or face punishment, which includes binding him to a chair and tying his mouth shut.

During the 6 months that the king is away, parliament votes in favor of the regency. However, before they can replace the king, they must pass a bill to prove that the king’s health has improved. As the time for passing the bill draws near, one person visits the king. He reads and acts out Shakespeare, showcasing the king’s improved health. King George rushed back to parliament to demonstrate his significant improvement and resumes control of the country.

THE MADNESS OF KING GEORGE is a well-made movie, garnering nominations for four Academy Awards and winning for Best Art Direction. It contains exquisite costumes and beautiful settings. As far as worldview goes, the movie contains a strong, redemptive Christian perspective, given that the King must leave, acknowledge his shortcomings, work to overcome them, and then return to his role as King. However, there is also a significant amount of romanticism, given that the plot involves the King’s son taking power from his father. It features scenes of prayer, physical crosses, people reciting the Lord’s Prayer, and songs that include the phrase “God save the King.” However, due to some of the actions depicted in the movie and the derangement of its characters, it’s evident that this movie isn’t suitable for children. MOVIEGUIDE® recommends caution for older children and teens.

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Quality:

- Content: -2