Just came from an advanced screening of Hyde Park on Hudson. What a fabulous little film. The film most likely won’t do big box office numbers… and it wasn’t as moving as The King’s Speech, but that’s no reason to disregard it. Hyde Park on Hudson is highly amusing!
Blindly going into this screening, I really had no idea what to expect. You see, when it comes to historical information about our Presidents and the Monarch system, the Houston Independent School District (HISD) failed many of us. HISD focused too much time and energy on the holocaust, six million Jews, and “Hitler = bad” to really fit anything else into the curriculum; well aside from the civil war. Hyde Park on Hudson provides an intimate glimpse into the life of one of the more popular US Presidents and even a behind the curtain portrayal of the King and Queen of England making these high profile subjects relatable and, well, human.
It’s a love story from a different time. And Bill Murray has come a long way from the Ghostbusters / Scrooged days (which are still beloved roles) to portray Franklin D. Roosevelt with such grace and dignity; he’s rather fantastic! The pace, while it may feel slow at moments, was perfect for the subject at hand. At the film’s end I found myself wanting to dig further into the history of both FDR and King George / Queen Elizabeth.
Hyde Park on Hudson opens nationally this Friday, December 7th. You might just learn a thing or two.