The Royal Family has arguably never had so much focus upon them as right now. The death of the Duke of Edinburgh, civil court cases involving senior members, Prince Harr moving to America, as well as TV series like The Crown, and last year’s applauded Spencer with Kristen Stewart, make them a constant on our screens and news feeds, and now, in the year of the 25th anniversary of the death of Princess Diana, comes a new documentary from award-winning British filmmaker Ed Perkins with an altogether new take, a compelling, complete look at the royal life of one of our most beloved public figures.
Compiled completely with archive footage from newsreels from around the world, coupled with commentary from royal commentators and journalists, Perkins’ film avoids the use of talking heads and a narrator, instead relying on clever editing to tell the complete story of Diana as she was seen in the public eye. There are interviews from her first days linked with the establishment and future husband, all of the way through to her ceremonial funeral in London some sixteen years later.
Perkins’ film starts on the streets of Paris on that fateful evening in late August 1997, not relying on CCTV footage, but on amateur video in a car passing the Ritz, her last departure point before being involved in a collision that would end her life. From here, the filmmakers take us back to 1981, Diana seen as a 19-year-old nursery teachers’ assistant in London, rumours of an engagement rife amongst the newspapers, journalists starting to hound her on what would be the start of her celebrity.
Through news archive, we are swiftly taken through the years, from the official engagement, marriage, and birth of her two sons, to the unraveling of the marriage to Prince Charles, and ultimately her divorce. No stone is left unturned and Perkins’ remarkably involving and sometimes emotional film is absolutely the definitive documentary on its subject.
Lingering silences are used to effect during some sequences void of commentary, and although there is no guide on this journey, the narrative of Diana’s journey is easy to follow, the odd date check included in proceedings naturally to ensure the viewere knows reoughly where we are in time. Perkins, along with his two editors Jinx Godfrey and Daniel Lapira, have done a remarkable job of seemingly trawling through thousands upon thousands of news footage from the UK, and around the world, to assemble what is a truly exceptional piece of documentary filmmaking, one that manages to cover the brief highs of Diana’s life within the establishment, and the unbearable lows. It also manages to swivel its lens to the media, and the unendurable pressure put upon the princess during her very short life.
You may know this story, but this uncompromising piece of documentary filmmaking is worthy of its existence due to its unique approach to the material, and its presentation to the screen. It may suit the small screen more than a big screen approach, but due it it being a co-production of HBO and Sky, we expect this to become unmissible viewing when it is sure to air on television later in the year.
The Princess
Summary
The definitive Diana documentary that leaves no stone unturned. Unmissible viewing in a year which marks the 25th annivesary of her tragic passing.
