Customer Reviews

The Lost Prince: Screenplay (Methuen Screenplay)

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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.