The story of former Hollywood star Grace Kelly’s crisis of marriage and identity, during a political dispute between Monaco’s Prince Rainier III and France’s Charles De Gaulle, and a looming French invasion of Monaco in the early 1960s.
“Fairytales tell imaginary stories. Me, I’m a living person. I exist. If the story of my life as a real women were to be told one day, people would at last discover the real being that I am.”
1954 may have been the Year of Grace but in 1955 Grace Kelly won her Oscar and in 1956 she became a Princess, both on screen (as Princess Alexandra in the Swan) and in real life as Princess Grace of Monaco.
The life of a princess may seem like a fairy-tale, and Grace Kelly’s wedding to Prince Rainier of Monaco had her abandon Hollywood royalty for a real tiara. While many books have been written about Princess Grace, none have managed to give a true inside look behind the palace walls like the newly published book by Joan Dale, one of Princess Grace’s closest friends. In the book “My Days with Princess Grace of Monaco” we are treated to an immersion into the time right after Grace Kelly left behind her Hollywood life – and up to Princess Grace’s last holiday trip before her untimely death.
We may have to thank the producers of the movie Grace of Monaco for bringing this gem of a book to light as the co-author of the book, Grace Dale, who is also Princess Grace’s Goddaughter, states that it was only the forbidding nature of the script that prompted the publication of these personal anecdotes that have until now remained private. “Someone had to stand up and speak for those no longer here” responds Grace Dale as she insists the sharing of these very personal stories are in response to a gross mischaracterization of both Princess Grace and Prince Rainier.
In the USA, most people may not know about Grace of Monaco, a movie that should have had all the right ingredients to become an Oscar contender with Nicole Kidman playing the lead (Grace Kelly) and a cast of illustrious personalities like Tim Roth (Prince Rainier),Roger Ashton-Griffiths (Alfred Hitchcock), Paz Vega (Maria Callas), along with notable actors such as Derek Jacobi, Frank Langella, Milo Ventimiglia, Parker Posey, Robert Lindsay, etc. However, the results were quite disappointing, resulting in Nicole Kidman “winning” the 2015 BARFTA Award (British Academy for Rubbish Films and Terrible Acting), and Harvey Weinstein’s continuous reluctance to expose American audiences to this version of Grace Kelly.
Nicole Kidman vs Princess Grace
At this time, there is still no word of an official theatrical release date for Grace of Monaco in America, despite the rest of the world having seen it. Even Canada, who usually synchronizes its movie releases with its USA neighbor, took the unusual step to quietly change the title of the movie to “Princess Grace”, releasing it only in a handful of screens with a scheduled AMAZON.ca DVD release date of March 3rd. Ironically, the country that brought in the most revenues at the box office is Japan, where Grace Kelly is still one of the most iconic figures in popular culture, inspiring a variety of nationwide attractions in connection with the film.
Grace Kelly, the actress, may have had a brief Hollywood movie career – but her 11 movies and her co-starring with the most famous male movie stars of the time (Gary Cooper, Clark Gable, James Stewart, Bing Crosby, Stewart Granger, William Holden, Mickey Rooney, Cary Grant, Frank Sinatra) have established her as a legend. Even her Academy Award acceptance speech has become iconic, being replayed annually as it epitomizes true grace…
During and after the Oscars, actresses today are often compared to those who have won before them – many are particularly compared to Grace Kelly for her iconic style.
Who would have played Grace Kelly better in Grace of Monaco – Rosamund Pike or Nicole Kidman
Rosamund Pike – Nicole Kidman
Not Winning the Oscar
The words “it is an honor just being nominated” have been heard for decades – and every loss should come with a great story like Judy Garland loosing the Oscar to Grace Kelly at the 1955 Academy Awards (for 1954 movies).
