Death of a Princess
| Death of a Princess | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Genre | Docudrama |
| Written by | Antony Thomas |
| Directed by | Antony Thomas |
| Starring |
Sawsan Badr Paul Freeman Judy Parfitt |
| Theme music composer | Vangelis |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English, Arabic |
Death of a Princess is a British 1980 drama-documentary produced by ATV in cooperation with WGBH in the United States. The drama is based on the true story of Princess Misha'al, a young Saudi Arabian princess and her lover who had been publicly executed for adultery. The documentary's depiction of the customs of Saudi Arabia led many governments to oppose its broadcast, under threat of damaging trade ramifications.
The film was based on numerous interviews by journalist Antony Thomas, who, upon first hearing the story, grew passionately curious about its veracity, soon drawing upon contacts in the Arab world for their insights and opinions. Because of the candid and sometimes critical nature of the interviews, Thomas and ATV bosses decided not to make the film as a straight documentary but instead to dramatise it with actors.
Thomas himself was played by Paul Freeman under the name "Christopher Ryder". The identities of the interviewees were obscured, and the actors chosen to replace them were based only loosely on their subjects. The character of Elsa Gruber, played by Judy Parfitt, was based on Rosemarie Buschow, a German woman who had worked for the Saudi Royal Family as a nanny.
There was only one exception, an Arab family who played themselves. The fictitious nation in which the drama was set in was called "Arabia", which some viewers took to mean Saudi Arabia. The name of the Princess was never said.
Death of a Princess depicts Thomas' focus on "the Princess", as her story became his vehicle through which important parts of Islamic culture in Saudi Arabia was revealed, showing facets of Saudi Islamic traditions and customs, as well as gender roles and sexuality in society. Thomas later explained that he had only reconstructed scenes where he was confident that they did happen, although he included film of interviewees telling him information which he did not believe.
A critically acclaimed film, it caused a great deal of controversy when it was shown on ITV in the United Kingdom on 9 April 1980, provoking an angry response from the Saudi government. While resisting pressure not to show the film, ATV agreed to include an introductory comment that said:
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