The Lost King: British drama about the true story of Philippa Langley, an amateur historian who, against all odds, found the lost remains of King Richard III in 2012.
Plot and background
The everyday life of Philippa Langley (Sally Hawkins) is dominated by her agency job and raising her two sons. She lives separately from her husband John (Steve Coogan), but they continue to maintain a friendly relationship. Although she suffers from chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), she gives her all in her agency job – but is passed over for promotion again after several years of work, using her illness as an excuse.
The trigger for an unexpected fascination in her life is a visit to a play. With her son, she attends William Shakespeare’s “The Tragedy of Richard III”, in which the King Richard III (Harry Lloyd), often decried as a monster, is regarded by her with pity. She wants to find out more about the king and comes across the Richard III Society, whose mission is to bring new recognition to the discredited king.
Moreover, his remains have disappeared. Was he really just thrown into a river? Or could he possibly have been given a true lost resting place? In her search for his grave, Philippa not only has to contend with authorities, universities and donors, the king appears to her repeatedly, in the guise of a theatre actor – and she doubts her sanity. Once she comes into contact with Dr John Ashdown-Hill (James Fleet) and archaeologist Richard Buckley (Mark Addy), the solution seems close at hand – and yet she must overcome further hurdles to bring the world closer to the truth about Richard III.
“The Lost King” – cast, background, theatrical release
It was news that not only went around the world, but changed the writing of history at the same time. On 25 August 2012, the bones of King Richard III were found in a car park in Leicester, having previously been thought to be missing for over 500 years. Amateur historian Philippa Langley initiated the excavation and is still fighting to revise the negative image about the king.
“The Lost King” presents an interesting retelling of her search for the grave and the official hurdles that go along with it. In our kino.de review we tell you for whom it is worth going to the cinema. Sally Hawkins (“Paddington”) takes the lead role, Steve Coogan (“Philomena”) embodies her still-husband, while stars like Mark Addy and Harry Lloyd (both “Game of Thrones”) lead the rest of the cast.
The biopic was directed by Stephen Frears and marks the next collaboration with him and Coogan, following the surprise success “Philomena”. “The Lost King” celebrated its world premiere at the 2022 Toronto Film Festival, with a German theatrical release on 5 October 2023.
