The film Grace of Monaco has been getting some less favourable attention of late because the American distributor, Harvey Weinstein, wants the director to re-edit the film for that market, something akin to Waterstones or Amazon wanting a novelist to makes changes to their novel before they sell it. Something you can read more about on Filmstalker.

Now there's controversy of another nature and it looks like it's aimed at the original version, or indeed both versions, as the Monaco Princely family announce that they do not want to be associated with the film and reiterate that it just isn't based on fact.

You might remember in January of 2013, then again you might not as it's a long way back, that the Princely family of Monaco announced their displeasure at the script. Here are some of their comments from the time:

"The Princely family wishes to emphasise that this film is by no means a biopic...It recounts one rewritten and needlessly 'glamorised' page in the history of the Principality of Monaco and its family."

The killer comment came later when they said that the film contains…

"...major historical untruths and a series of purely fictional scenes."

That was pretty damning indeed, and their view hasn't changed since.

Before the premiere of the film and the release throughout France, the website of the Princely family through The Hollywood Reporter said that the film was totally fictional, a farce, and that the production ignored what they had to say about the script. All in all it's pretty harsh and after reading it you are in no small doubt that this film isn't the actual story, according to the Princely family at least.

Here's the full statement which you can read on the website Palais Princier de Monaco.

"On the occasion of the upcoming screening of the film "Grace of Monaco" at the opening of the Cannes Festival on 14 May 2023 and its release in theaters, the Prince's Palace would like to reiterate that this feature film cannot under any circumstances be classified as a biopic.

The trailer appears to be a farce and confirms the totally fictional nature of this film. It reinforces the certainty, left after reading the script, that this production, a page of the Principality's history, is based on erroneous and dubious historical references. The director and producers refused to take into consideration the many observations made by the Palace because these called into question the entire script and the characters of the film.

The Princely Family does not in any way wish to be associated with this film which reflects no reality and regrets that Its history has been misappropriated for purely commercial purposes."

Wow, that's even harsher than the previous statement. That last line in the statement makes it pretty clear, and is perhaps the clearest statement I've heard when a party represented in a film wants to disassociate themselves from the way the film portrays them. If you were in any doubt before, you shouldn't be now. This film doesn't represent historical fact, as the Princely family of Monaco see it, and they aren't differentiating between any version. In fact, the version they are referring to is the original version, that from the director Oliver Dahan.

Don't get excited by that though Harvey Weinstein, I don't think adding a few scenes and re-editing is going to make the Princely family suddenly back the film. Still it's all publicity isn't it?