Based on Kate Snell's 2001 book Diana: Her Last Love, the film focuses on the final two years of Diana's life, particularly her secret relationship with heart surgeon Hasnat Khan.
Diana had its world premiere in London on 5 September 2013 and was released in the UK on 20 September 2013.[6][7][8] The film received overwhelmingly negative reviews from critics upon release, with sharp criticism for its direction, screenplay, and Watts' portrayal of the late Princess.[7] It performed relatively well at the box office, grossing $21.7 million worldwide against a budget of $15 million.
Diana’s relationship with Dr. Khan eventually ends due to his desire for a private life and discomfort with her celebrity status. The film portrays her subsequent affair with Anglo-Egyptian billionaire Dodi Fayed as a calculated effort to make Dr. Khan jealous. The story culminates in the fatal car crash that killed Diana, Fayed, and their driver in the Pont de l'Alma Tunnel in Paris—though the film does not re-enact the crash itself.
Key scenes involving Diana and Dodi Fayed on his family yacht, Jonikal, were filmed on the luxury charter yachtPrincess Iolanthe.[12] The opening and closing scenes at the Hôtel Ritz Paris' Imperial Suite were filmed at Fetcham Park House in Fetcham, Surrey.[13]
Reception
Diana received overwhelmingly negative reviews from critics upon release, with sharp criticism for its direction, screenplay, and Naomi Watts' portrayal of the late Princess.[7]
On review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes, it holds an 8% approval rating based on 97 reviews with an average score of 3.5/10. The critical consensus states: "Naomi Watts tries hard in the title role, but Diana buries her efforts under a shoddy script and clumsy direction."[14] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 35 out of 100 based on 28 reviews.[15]
David Edwards from The Mirror criticized the film as a "cheap and cheerless effort that looks like a Channel 5 mid-week matinee" and quipped that "Wesley Snipes in a blonde wig would be more convincing," awarding the film 1 star out of 5.[16]Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian also gave it 1 star out of 5, dubbing the film "car crash cinema."[17]
However, some reviewers praised Watts' performance despite the overall negative reception. Joshua Rothkopf of Time Out New York called Watts's performance "extraordinary" and rated the film 3 stars out of 5, describing it as "a restrained biopic that affords its subject the romantic privacy that life denied her."[18] Nigel Andrews of the Financial Times praised Watts’ performance, saying "once again Watts supplies the wattage" but noted that her role felt "frighteningly isolated... the compensating passion in a torpid drama."[19] Jim Schembri of 3AW also praised Watts’ "impressive performance" but felt the film "could have done with another half-hour putting more meat onto the bones of these underdeveloped chapters of her story."[20] Dominic Corry of flicks.co.nz criticized the film as "bad in the blandest way possible" and lamented that "Watts is let down by the Mills & Boon-level script."[21] Fionnuala Halligan of Screen International echoed this, saying that Watts’ "brave performance should not be underestimated given the poverty of the dialogue and the pressure of the part."[22]
