On August 31, 1997, Princess Diana died in a car accident under the Alma bridge in Paris, while being chased by paparazzi. If the event at the time aroused immense emotion in Britain and around the world, the life and tragic fate of the Princess of Wales continue to fascinate the public.
The life of Lady Di is, therefore, the subject of numerous documentaries, but also of fictions that revisit her life and her relationship with Prince Charles. Here are some movies to watch to discover or rediscover Diana’s life.
• The princess
From the shy young woman who blushed in front of reporters to the flamboyant young woman who ended up upstaging Prince Charles, this riveting Ed Perkins documentary follows Princess Diana’s journey, only through archival footage and no voiceover. We see Charles and Diana’s relationship deteriorating in the eyes of the media, the prince behaving like a bachelor, as one reporter points out, like when he goes to a polo match, right after Prince Harry’s birth. The princess It also stands out with the complicated relationship that Diana had with the media. We see her, surrounded, chased, tracked by photographers, at every moment of her life.
“The documentary turns the camera on us, asking us difficult questions about our relationship with the monarchy, with celebrity and therefore, inevitably, with our complicity in this tragic story,” analyzes director Ed Perkins.
The princess, in theaters August 31 and September 4
• Diana: in her own words
Released in 2017, this documentary directed by David Tillman and Tom Jennings is narrated in part by the Princess of Wales herself, hence the title. We listen to unreleased audio recordings of Lady Di, secretly recorded in 1991 for the purpose of Andrew Morton’s biography of her. She talks about her “very unhappy” childhood and her complicated marriage to Prince Charles. A moving incursion into the privacy of the Princess of Wales.
Diane: in her own wordsavailable in Disney+
• Lady Di, investigation into a tragic destiny
This two-part RMC documentary examines the Diana myth, but also the circumstances of her death, surrounded by many theories. Enriched with numerous interviews with specialists, this very educational documentary explores the life of the princess, from her unhappy marriage to Prince Charles until her separation in 1992.
Lady Di, investigate a tragic destinyavailable at RMC BFM Play
• Diana – The inner woman
In this documentary released in 2017, documentary filmmaker Sonia Anderson portrays Diana, not as an unhappy princess, but instead focuses on the positive influence she had on the royal family, through numerous testimonies from people who knew the princess: Ken Wharfe, her bodyguard for several years, but also her personal trainer, her ballet teacher, or even some of her friends.
Princess Diana – The Inner Woman
• Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy
This HBO documentary released in 2017 on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of Diana’s death, is narrated by the princess’s children, Princes William and Harry, at a time when they were still speaking. Together, the two brothers leaf through the family photo album and evoke her mother’s youth and commitment through sometimes unpublished files. A document all the more moving as the two brothers are now cold and each live on one side of the Atlantic.
Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacyavailable on vimeo
• Diana, the musical
Intended for the most passionate admirers of the Princess of Wales, or fans of musicals, this play dates from 2021. Diana’s life here takes place on Broadway with more or less joy and not always very inspired lyrics. A curiosity.
Diana the musicalavailable on netflix
•Spencer
It is the most recent fictional film about Princess Diana. Kristen Stewart portrays a Lady Di as fragile as she can be. spencer recounts the last Christmas of the Princess of Wales. With this film, director Pablo Larraín decided not to make a biopic of Diana, but “a fable taken from a tragedy.” Through spencerDiana’s maiden name, Pablo Larraín wanted to “deepen into the process that underlies Diana’s choices, which oscillates between doubt and determination and ends up opting for freedom”, “a decision that has defined her legacy”.
spenceravailable on Amazon Prime
• The Queen
If Diana’s death remains a trauma for the royal family, it is not only because of the tragic circumstances of her disappearance. It is also because the queen’s clumsy management of this event, of which she had not taken the measure, made the crown waver. This is how Stephen Frears tells it in his 2006 film, The Queen, with Helen Mirren in the role of the queen. The film recounts this painful episode. It is Peter Morgan, future creator of the series The Crown, who signs the script.
• The crown
Diana comes to the Essential series The crown of the fourth season. It is the sweet Emma Corrin who plays the princess, perfectly reproducing the slightly awkward gait, head slightly tucked into her shoulders and resting against the princess’s side in her debut to the royal family. The series explores from within the unhappy marriage of Diana and Carlos, and the triangular relationship that is established with Camila. If it is a fiction, the series has still tarnished the image of Prince Charles, who does not appear there at his best.
The crownavailable on netflix
Source: BFM TV
