It's a drama that begins about 2005 in Edinburgh, Scotland, with numerous scenes in Leicester, England. The 2013 book, "The King's Grave: The Search for Richard III" by Philippa Langley, provided the basis for the film. "The Lost King" details the efforts of Philippa Langley to correct the historical tradition about Richard III and to find his remains.
Philippa Langley (Sally Hawkins) is a middle-aged divorced woman with two active sons and a case of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. She shares custody with her ex-husband, John (Steve Coogan). Philippa has a marketing job she doesn't like. After seeing a performance of Shakespeare's "Richard III," Philippa becomes obsessed with Richard III, begins to research everything she can about him, and soon joins the Richard III Society that disputes the negative image of Richard. An apparition of Richard III (Harry Lloyd) encourages her in her pursuits.
Philippa does her own research and consults with scholars like John Ashdown-Hill (James Fleet) and Richard Buckley (Mark Addy), an archaeologist at the University of Leicester. She identifies a parking lot in Leicester that she thinks is the site of an ancient church where Richard III might have been buried. Her initially-skeptical ex-husband becomes supportive in the search.
The film follows her joisting with city and university authorities over the approval and funding of the dig, the process of finding the promising bones under a parking lot, and the efforts of city and university officials to ignore Philippa's role in the search and funding of the project.
"The Lost King" is entertaining and certainly highlights Langley's role. However, this means that the critical functions of others in the search get downplayed in the film. The use of a Richard III apparition and her rambunctious sons (Benjamin Scanlan and Adam Robb) add a lighter touch to the movie but detract from its weight. Hawkins and Coogan worked well together. The biting cynicism about universities claiming credit for things they once disdained has a ring of truth.
Philippa Langley (Sally Hawkins) is a middle-aged divorced woman with two active sons and a case of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. She shares custody with her ex-husband, John (Steve Coogan). Philippa has a marketing job she doesn't like. After seeing a performance of Shakespeare's "Richard III," Philippa becomes obsessed with Richard III, begins to research everything she can about him, and soon joins the Richard III Society that disputes the negative image of Richard. An apparition of Richard III (Harry Lloyd) encourages her in her pursuits.
Philippa does her own research and consults with scholars like John Ashdown-Hill (James Fleet) and Richard Buckley (Mark Addy), an archaeologist at the University of Leicester. She identifies a parking lot in Leicester that she thinks is the site of an ancient church where Richard III might have been buried. Her initially-skeptical ex-husband becomes supportive in the search.
The film follows her joisting with city and university authorities over the approval and funding of the dig, the process of finding the promising bones under a parking lot, and the efforts of city and university officials to ignore Philippa's role in the search and funding of the project.
"The Lost King" is entertaining and certainly highlights Langley's role. However, this means that the critical functions of others in the search get downplayed in the film. The use of a Richard III apparition and her rambunctious sons (Benjamin Scanlan and Adam Robb) add a lighter touch to the movie but detract from its weight. Hawkins and Coogan worked well together. The biting cynicism about universities claiming credit for things they once disdained has a ring of truth.