The Lost Prince: Screenplay (Methuen Screenplay) [Paperback]

Stephen Poliakoff (Author)

Book Description

Series: Methuen Screenplay | Publication Date: January 16, 2003

The screenplay of Poliakoff's award-winning BBC drama about the forgotten son of King George V and Queen Mary

The Lost Prince follows the life and times of Prince John, the forgotten youngest son of King George V and Queen Mary, who was born in 1905. Although remembered as a charming boy, he was diagnosed as epileptic and suffering from learning difficulties similar to autism and shut away at the age of twelve at the in Wood Farm near Sandringham to prevent the family from public embarrassment. He died there when he was just thirteen. Dramatising the historical facts, Poliakoff portrays with extraordinary sensitivity, a child's experience of the Royal Family in the late Edwardian period and during the First World War. Set against a backdrop of unprecedented upheaval in Britain, The Lost Prince tells the very human story of a unique family and an extraordinary boy.

Published to tie in with the BBC's production, broadcast in two feature-length instalments in January 2003, The Lost Prince stars Michael Gambon, Miranda Richardson, Gina McKee, Tom Hollander, John Sessions, Billy Nighy and Bibi Andersson.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Stephen Poliakoff was appointed writer in residence at the National Theatre for 1976 and in the same year won the Evening Standard''s Most Promising Playwright award for "Hitting the Town" and "Sugar City". He won a BAFTA for best single play in 1980 for "Caught on a Train", the Evening Standard''s Best British Film Award for "Close My Eyes" in 1992 and the Critics Circle Best Play Award for "Blinded by the Sun" in 1996.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Methuen Drama (January 16, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0413773078
• ISBN-13: 978-0413773074
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,054,937 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Insights Into The Production, April 21, 2005

By 

John D. Cofield - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Lost Prince: Screenplay (Methuen Screenplay) (Paperback)

This screenplay of The Lost Prince lends an added dimension to a superb production. Stephen Poliakoff's dramatization of the life and times of young Prince John, the epileptic and possibly autistic youngest son of King George V and Queen Mary, is full of beautiful images. His screenplay helps viewers recognize the research and imagination that it took to bing such a creation to reality. Another interesting aspect of this screenplay is that it differs from the production as I saw it on "Masterpiece Theater" and then on DVD in some scenes, with extra dialogue in some scenes and with dialogue missing or shortened in others. Evidently this is an indication that a TV or movie production is an ongoing creation, with script changes being common right up to the final filming.

I particularly enjoyed the notes Poliakoff provides explaining why he chose to portray certain scenes and characters as he did, giving historical background on some characters like Lord Stamfordham and insights into some segments, like George V's meeting on the Irish Question in 1914, which are otherwise somewhat obscure.

There are a few errors of fact and interpretation which leap out at those who have already made a study of the people and events covered in this production. Queen Mary's mother was Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, not Mary of Adelaide. (But Poliakoff does an excellent job of portraying Mary Adelaide and her effect on her daughter.) I also found the portrayal of the Russian Imperial Family's visit to England, while visually very beautiful, somewhat jarring, particularly in its depiction of Empress Alexandra as a tense, dictatorial neurotic. Alexandra was a shy and reserved woman, but with family members, particularly those like George and Mary whom she had known for many years, she was relaxed and very down to earth. But these are mere quibbles only other royal aficionados will notice, and they do not detract from the overall quality of the production.