Usually, a movie that gets the opening night perch at the world’s most prestigious film festival would be one that any distributor would want to release. However, The Weinstein Company may keep Grace of Monaco, the anticipated biopic starring Nicole Kidman as Grace Kelly, out of U.S. theatres due to Harvey Weinstein’s disapproval of the director’s current cut.
The film, from La Vie en Rose helmer Olivier Dahan, has already been delayed by The Weinstein Company – twice. It was supposed to come out last November, in time for Oscar and other awards consideration, but Weinstein butted heads with Dahan over an early cut. Grace of Monaco was then pushed back to March of this year. Now, it does not have a release date in the U.S. at all. The French cut of the film set to be shown at Cannes is reported to be the same one that European audiences will get when it comes out in those markets during May and June.
Apparently, Weinstein wants certain aspects of this current version changed before American audiences get to see the film, which also stars Tim Roth, Parker Posey and Frank Langella. Harvey reportedly wants a new cut to focus more on Kelly’s Hollywood days and add a bit more historical context to the conflict in Monaco during the time Kelly was married to Prince Rainier III (who Roth plays in the film).
At this point, it seems unlikely that Dahan will want to do more shooting, especially considering the film has a finished version already prepared for release and the festival circuit. Perhaps the award-hungry executive is nervous that audiences may not want to see a film about Grace Kelly without some sort of Hollywood angle. However, with some clout behind and in front of the camera and such an esteemed opening at Cannes, it seems that Grace of Monaco‘s quality is not in question.
Remember that Weinstein is not the producer of the film, merely its distributor. It is unlikely that Dahan will alter the film to suit his needs, yet it seems just as unlikely that Weinstein would want to drop a film with such a major actor about such a beloved 20th century figure. Whatever happens, it will be interesting to see how this all plays out.
