The Madness of King George

The Madness of King George
Original theatrical release poster
Directed by	Nicholas Hytner
Screenplay by	Alan Bennett
Based on	The Madness of George III by Alan Bennett
Produced by	Stephen Evans David Parfitt
Starring	Nigel Hawthorne Helen Mirren Ian Holm Amanda Donohoe Rupert Graves Rupert Everett
Cinematography	Andrew Dunn
Music by	George Fenton George Frideric Handel
Production companies	Channel Four Films Close Call Films
Distributed by	Channel Four Films[1] The Samuel Goldwyn Company[1] (through Rank Film Distributors[2])
Release dates	28 December 1994 (1994-12-28) (United States) 24 March 1995 (1995-03-24) (United Kingdom)
Running time	110 minutes[2]
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Box office	$27.4 million[3]

The Madness of King George is a 1994 British biographical comedy drama film directed by Nicholas Hytner and adapted by Alan Bennett from his own 1991 play The Madness of George III. It tells the true story of George III of Great Britain's deteriorating mental health, and his equally declining relationship with his eldest son, the Prince of Wales, particularly focusing on the period around the Regency Crisis of 1788–89. Two text panels at the end of the film note that the colour of the King's urine suggests that he was suffering from porphyria, adding that the disease is "periodic, unpredictable and hereditary."

The Madness of King George won the BAFTA Awards in 1995 for Outstanding British Film and Best Actor in a Leading Role for Nigel Hawthorne, who was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor. The film won the Oscar for Best Art Direction and was also nominated for Oscars for Best Supporting Actress for Mirren and Best Adapted Screenplay. Helen Mirren also won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress and Hytner was nominated for the Palme d'Or.

In 1999, the British Film Institute voted The Madness of King George the 42nd greatest British film of all time.