Review of Diana (2013) by Mirko B — 09 Oct 2013

It was only a question of time when this would happen: an A-list biopic about Diana, Princess of Wales. There's hardly an another modern celebrity which would make a biopic as tricky a territory like Diana.

And for several reasons: she's the biggest star that European royalty ever produced; apart from herself and Dodi Fayed, all the main characters in the story are still alive; there are countless conspiracy theories not just about her death, but also about her relationships both with Khan and Fayed.

This means that the only tools Hirschbiegel could rely on were production design and the cast. Naomi Watts portrays the princess with a very accurate rendition of Diana's trademark eyeliner-framed gaze, head tilts, haircuts and style.

But it's not enough, if for nothing else then for the absence of that radiance the real Diana had, which turned her into the Queen of hearts. Naveen Andrews doesn't really impress as Hasnat Khan.

The two actors never manage to create chemistry between them, so the whole affair seems as fake as the rumors that still haunt the late princess. Understandably, the director doesn't dwelve much into suggestions on Diana's death and completely leaves out the Windsors from the story, save for a brief scene with the two princes.

This robbed the film of any depth or interesting twists. In the end, instead of a UK version of "The Royal Tannenbaums", all the viewer is left with is a some sort of a high-class equivalent of Bridget Jones.

We don't see Camilla Parker-Bowles, but Diana's acupuncturist; her private secretary rather then Charles. The very people who turned her life into a tabloid telenovela are not even mentioned. Huge mistake.

The Fayed family will probably be pissed for Hirschbiegel's turning Dodi into nothing more then Diana's disposable toy. Most importantly, the relationship with Khan, who's supposed to have had been the love of her life, doesn't seem to be that important at all, because it was delivered in Hirschbiegel's film so dryly.

Their date in a fast-food joint, that could have had provided for a great scene, got killed by cold lightning and the tacky wig Watts was wearing. Not all in the film was bad though- we see interesting bits of everyday life in a royal palace: the people who work at the gates, in the kitchens, the private secretaries and assistants.

The director puts an emphasis on the princess' humanitarian work, something that probably didn't get more screen time to avoid turning the movie into a mock-documentary. In the end, it was a losing battle for Hirschbiegel.

The Diana fans will be disappointed because you can't replace the princess with an actress less charismatic(even the new Duchess of Cambridge seems rather bland in comparison to her mum-in-law). Those who find her to be an another over-rated celebrity will be annoyed but more of the same old story.

Though the film's make-up, hair and costume designers deserve their accolades, we still have to wait for a film that will do the same for Diana that "The Queen" did for Elisabeth II.