While many little girls daydream of growing up to be a princess, Princess Diana of Wales made that dream seem more feasible than ever. The People's Princess dazzled the world on her wedding day with a big puffy gown that seemed light as a cloud and a train that appeared to go on for miles. She warmed our hearts with her activism and outreach efforts, but this princess's tale had no happy ending. After a messy divorce from Prince Charles, Diana was mercilessly hunted by the paparazzi that made headlines out of every romance or heartbreak. In a weird way this too bonded us to her as we wished Diana well—even as our compulsion to know more, more, more added to her troubles, and arguably to her death.
It's been fifteen years since Diana's passing, and a new film from Oliver Hirschbiegel, director of the Academy Award-nominated German docudrama Downfall, will explore what her final years were like. The biopic Diana stars Naomi Watts, and focuses on her activism against land mines and her tumultuous romantic relationship with Dr. Hasnat Khan. We got a glimpse of Watts in costume back in July, and now Kino Gallery has a collection of images from the set. Check out a selection of these shots below:
While two of the shots are Diana in glitz and glamor mode, the third appears to be her in the company of Khan, played here by Naveen Andrews. What I find most interesting about these images—to be perfectly frank—is the lack of sex appeal. Typically, biopics feature insanely good-looking performers portraying ordinary-looking people, offering often-dramatic movie makeover upgrades. But here, not so much.
Of course, the real Diana was beautiful and a style icon, but she was not movie star level gorgeous. By these images it seems Hirschbiegel is purposely toning down his oft-sultry leading lady, perhaps to make a more grounded narrative. The same goes for Andrews, who is typically styled with tousled long locks and wardrobe that shows off his typically buff bod. Going off these images, it appears Diana might just reject the sensationalism and sentimentality that has shaped the Princess's image in favor of figuring out who she was behind the headlines. In short, this could prove compelling.
Diana is expected to hit theaters in 2013.
