Diana & Me

Last updated

Diana & Me
Directed by David Parker
Written byMatt Ford
Based ona screenplay by Elizabeth Coleman
Starring Toni Collette
Release date
  • 1997 (1997)
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish
Box office$205,783 (Australia) [1]

Diana & Me is a 1997 Australian romantic comedy film directed by David Parker and starring Toni Collette, Dominic West and John Simm. [2]

Contents

Plot

An Australian named Diana Spencer travels to London to try to get a glimpse of her namesake, Diana, Princess of Wales. Just as she is about to shake hands with the princess, she is pushed out of the way by a photographer. While she is furious with him at first, they slowly strike up a relationship.

Production

The original script was by Elizabeth Coleman. According to David Parker, the original female lead was older and more like Shirley Valentine. Parker then worked on the script with Matt Ford for 18 months. [3] Shooting finished in December 1996 and post production was completed in Easter 1997 by release planned for August. These plans were thrown into confusion when Princess Diana was killed in a car accident. Parker and Ford spent six weeks reworking the film, adding some new sequences and narration. David Parker later said:

There was nowhere to go with that film. We did shoot a new little top and tail for it primarily to place the movie within the past so that it would at least work chronologically. But it appeared it wasn't enough. We either came out too early with it or such was the response to Princess Diana in life and death that we were completely on the wrong page, a film that could be released only after her death. [4]

Cast

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toni Collette</span> Australian actress and producer

Toni Collette is an Australian actress and producer. Known for her work in television and independent films, she has received various accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and five AACTA Awards, with nominations for an Academy Award and a Tony Award.

<i>Muriels Wedding</i> 1994 film by P. J. Hogan

Muriel's Wedding is a 1994 Australian comedy-drama film written and directed by P. J. Hogan. The film, which stars Toni Collette, Rachel Griffiths, Jeanie Drynan, Sophie Lee, and Bill Hunter, focuses on the socially awkward Muriel whose ambition is to have a glamorous wedding and improve her personal life by moving from her dead-end hometown, the fictional Porpoise Spit, to Sydney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Wenham</span> Australian actor

David Wenham is an Australian actor who has appeared in film, television and theatre. He is known for his roles as Faramir in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, Friar Carl in Van Helsing and Van Helsing: The London Assignment, Dilios in 300 and its sequel 300: Rise of an Empire, Al Parker in Top of the Lake, Lieutenant John Scarfield in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, and Hank Snow in Elvis. He is known in his native Australia for his role as Diver Dan in SeaChange and Price Galese in Les Norton.

<i>The Devils Own</i> 1997 action thriller film directed by Alan J. Pakula

The Devil's Own is a 1997 American thriller film directed by Alan J. Pakula, starring Harrison Ford and Brad Pitt, with Rubén Blades, Natascha McElhone, Julia Stiles, Margaret Colin, and Treat Williams in supporting roles. The plot revolves around a member of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (Pitt) who comes to the United States to obtain black market anti-aircraft missiles, but his plan is complicated by an Irish-American policeman (Ford), whom the IRA member has come to regard as family.

Jamie Blanks is an Australian film director and composer. He directed the cult slasher films Urban Legend (1998) and Valentine (2001). He later directed the horror films Storm Warning (2007) and Long Weekend (2008).

<i>Heatwave</i> (film) 1982 Australian film

Heatwave is a 1982 Australian film directed by Phillip Noyce based on the murder of Juanita Nielsen. It was the second of two films inspired by the story that came out at that time, the first being The Killing of Angel Street (1981).

<i>Lake Mungo</i> (film) 2008 Australian horror film

Lake Mungo is a 2008 Australian psychological horror film written and directed by Joel Anderson. Presented in the mockumentary format with elements of found footage and docufiction, it follows a family trying to come to terms with the loss of their daughter Alice after she drowns and the potentially supernatural events they experience after it.

<i>Jucy</i> (film) 2010 Australian film

Jucy is an Australian comedy feature film produced in 2010 about the womance between two best female friends. The film was written by Stephen Vagg, directed by Louise Alston and produced by Kelly Chapman. It is the second in a planned "quarter life crisis" trilogy from Vagg and Alston following the 2007 romantic comedy All My Friends Are Leaving Brisbane.

Shadow of the Boomerang is a 1960 Australian drama film directed by Dick Ross and written by Dick Ross and John Ford. It is a 'Christian Western' about a cattle station manager who learns to overcome his prejudice against aboriginals.

Sally Patience is an Australian actress and one of the country's most prominent voice-over artists. She was born in Melbourne and grew up in the city's south eastern suburbs. She attended the Victorian College of the Arts where she trained as a dancer. Sally Patience worked in the dance field for several years before moving into acting and ultimately voice-over work where she continues to work today.

<i>Diana</i> (2013 film) 2013 film by Oliver Hirschbiegel

Diana is a 2013 biographical drama film directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel, about the last two years of the life of Diana, Princess of Wales. The screenplay is based on Kate Snell's 2001 book, Diana: Her Last Love, and was written by Stephen Jeffreys. British actress Naomi Watts plays the title role of Diana.

<i>Mental</i> (2012 film) 2012 film by P. J. Hogan

Mental is a 2012 Australian comedy-drama film written and directed by P. J. Hogan. The film stars Toni Collette, Anthony LaPaglia, Liev Schreiber, and Rebecca Gibney. It follows a hitchhiker transforming a family's life when she becomes the nanny of five teenage girls whose mother has cracked from her husband's political ambitions and his infidelity.

True Love and Chaos is a 1997 Australian film directed by Stavros Efthymiou. It is a road movie.

Fresh Air is a 1999 Australian film.

Lilian's Story is a 1996 Australian film based on a 1985 novel by Australian author Kate Grenville, which was inspired by the life of Bea Miles, a famous Sydney nonconformist. The film stars Ruth Cracknell and Toni Collette as Lilian and her younger self, respectively, alongside Barry Otto. Cracknell had been a Shakespearean actress of the stage for many years.

Sensitive New Age Killer is a 2001 Australian film directed by Mark Savage. The film was co-written by director Mark Savage and DOP David Richardson.

<i>Miss You Already</i> 2015 film by Catherine Hardwicke

Miss You Already is a 2015 British romantic comedy-drama film directed by Catherine Hardwicke and written by Morwenna Banks, based on Banks' 2013 radio drama Goodbye. The film stars Toni Collette, Drew Barrymore, Dominic Cooper, Paddy Considine, Tyson Ritter, Frances de la Tour, and Jacqueline Bisset. It was screened in the Gala Presentations section of the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival.

Alice Bell is an Australian screenwriter and director. She has written for Australian TV dramas, including The Beautiful Lie, The Slap, Spirited, Rush and Puberty Blues. She has directed music videos for artists including Silverchair, Toni Collette and the Finish, Jimmy Barnes, Little Birdy, and Missy Higgins. In 2007, she won the ARIA Award for Best Video, with co-director Paul Goldman, for Silverchair's "Straight Lines".

<i>Spencer</i> (film) 2021 film by Pablo Larraín

Spencer is a 2021 historical psychological drama film directed by Pablo Larraín from a screenplay by Steven Knight. The film is about Princess Diana's existential crisis during the Christmas of 1991, as she considers divorcing Prince Charles and leaving the British royal family. Kristen Stewart and Jack Farthing star as Diana and Charles respectively, Freddie Spry and Jack Neilen as Prince Harry and Prince William, respectively. Also starring Timothy Spall, Sean Harris, and Sally Hawkins.

References