Diana: Her True Story (1993) (TV)

Director:

Kevin Connor

Writers (WGA):

Andrew Morton (book)
Stephen Zito (teleplay)

Release Date:

4 April 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Plot Keywords:

Princess Diana | Royal Romance | Princess | Queen Elizabeth II | Scandal

Cast

Serena Scott Thomas	...	Princess Diana, Princess of Wales
David Threlfall	...	Prince Charles, Prince of Wales
Elizabeth Garvie	...	Camilla Parker-Bowles
Donald Douglas	...	Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Jemma Redgrave	...	Carolyn Bartholomew
Jeremy Child	...	Alfred Drake-Kinney
William Franklyn
Jean Anderson
Anne Stallybrass	...	Queen Elizabeth II
Belle Connor	...	Diana Spencer (aged 6)
Tracy Hardwick	...	Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York
Aletta Lawson	...	Princess Anne
Cornelia Hayes O'Herlihy	...	Jane Spencer
Helen Masters	...	Sarah Spencer
Gabrielle Blunt	...	The Queen Mother

Runtime:

180 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Filming Locations:

Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

Martin Poll Productions

Goofs:

Factual errors: Charles and Diana go to see Messa di Requiem by Giuseppi Verdi. The final 5 seconds of a piece are played before applause breaks out. It was not Verdi's Requiem.

Mainly hilarious, but sometimes moving.

Oh dear, oh dear, the very first Diana cash-in when she was still alive, I would really like to know if she ever saw this and what she thought. Many of the lines are almost beyond belief. Charles as played by David Threlfall is so beyond caricature, it is like watching a walking talking dummy from Madame Tussauds. The Queen: You must alter the substance of your relationship. Charles: There IS no substance to our relationship! And when Diana has either cut her wrist, or thrown herself downstairs, or run in tears from a reception, The Queen to Charles: What did you do THIS time! Although the costuming and sets are pretty good, small details like completely fictitious newspapers are irritating and I think unnecessary, it is recent history after all. Serena Scott Thomas plays Diana as a very wilful character more so than in Morton's book but affecting I think, and believable. We will never remember Diana through films like this of course, but this is an oddly moving though hilarious account of 12 tumultuous years, and although less said about the support cast especially those playing the royals the better, it is the best of the sorry crop of 'biofilms' on Diana. (Not a high recommendation.)