User Reviews

Years ago I read Josephine Tey's fine book The Daughter of Time and was blown away by what it had to say. Shakespeare's Richard III is a vivid and effective drama and just about all that most people have heard about this short-lived king, but historically it's almost as far as you can get from the truth. This 'monster' version of Richard was a hatchet job by Henry Tudor (Henry VII), who killed and deposed him and then made sure to blacken his memory. The reality is that Richard was a forward-thinking and pretty benevolent ruler in an unfortunately violent time. Historians have known this for quite a while, but what was not known was what happened to his remains.

So The Lost King is all about that latter mystery and the persistence of writer and amateur historian Philippa Langley leading to the discovery of Richard III's remains under a Leicester parking lot. The main drama consists of the many obstacles she dealt with, as well as the post-discovery attempts by The Authorities to sideline her and hog the credit. It's all very watchable and engaging. Sally Hawkins is predictably excellent as Philiipa, and Steve Coogan (who was also a co-producer and guiding force behind the production) and Mark Addy have nice supporting roles. In a somewhat surreal and unexpected touch, Harry Lloyd plays Richard's ghost, whom Philippa finds she can converse with. All in all, worth seeing!

And -- it's kind of hard to blame Shakespeare. His job was to create great theater, and it would have been more than dangerous for him to put anything on stage that was critical of Queen Elizabeth's grandfather (Henry VII himself).

All in all The Lost King was a very watchable film, With great performances from Sally Hawkin's and a very restrained Steve Coogan.

But I would recommend watching The king in the car Park documentary afterwards as this really has more hard facts regarding the excavation of King Richards body. Philippa Langley wasn't exactly ignored or used by Leicester university.

She was in fact very much the public face of the dig and research. In fact the documentary presented by Simon Farnaby who's presence is pretty much absent from the film puts Philippa front and centre, and it also shows that her personnel emotions were sometimes getting in the way of the actual work.

The one thing the Lost king does well is explain Phillipa's mental state as in the said documentary she seemed over emotional, but I had no Idea about her ME and depression. The film also has a great idea of showing Philippa's relationship with her imaginary King Richard and her obsession with finding him.

The Lost King is a good film, I just wish they hadn't exaggerated the academic villainy and given a little more credit where credit was due.. This isn't Hollywood this is the UK.

Not exactly 15 minutes of fame but I won a berth in the cathedral at Richard's reinterment. As a result I was very excited about this film and it really was a wonderful movie with Sally Hawkins and Steve Coogan portraying these recent events with sensitivity and class. I liked the use of Richard's ghost to enhance the storytelling and the use of poetic licence did not damage the integrity of what happened. Visually, the sets were accurate and all the main characters are represented. Although I would liked to have seen the addition of Michael Ibsen who provided the DNA proof. But as a film about a topical story, it was a lovely satisfying movie.

Sally Hawkins turns in an enthusiastic performance here as the determined Philippa Langley. Separated from her husband (Steve Coogan), she is sort of at the end of her tether when she takes her young son to see a stage version of Shakespeare's "Richard III". Taken with the tragedy of that story, she joins the local "Ricardians" and soon determines that this particular historical figure has had a bit of a bad press, and so she sets out to try and track down the hitherto unidentified location of his corpse. It's based on a true story, so we know what actually happened but the drama offered here is still quite engaging as she has to convince the powers that be to allow her to dig up their car park, then try to fend off their collective claims of success before the ultimate battle to get the man buried with some semblance of his real life status and is enjoyable to watch, especially once her adventure begins in earnest. Then together with archaeological lead Mark Addy and some spiritual assistance from Harry Lloyd's spectral version of this final Plantaget King - who, along with his horse - seems keen to help her from the grave, this film moves along entertainingly. It certainly doesn't need to be seen at the cinema, and It's a bit of a slow burn to begin with, but overall I quite enjoyed it.

This is Sally Hawkins' movie. Her performance plows past any weaknesses. The film (which is very entertaining overall; don't misunderstand me) is worth seeing on the basis of her work alone. Yes, on the poster's she is co-billed with Steve Coogan; but his role is relatively minor. He co-wrote the script, and no doubt helped get the film made. But it's her show.

The basic story: Philippa Langley works in a mid-level, deadend job, and thanks to some health issues, she struggles a little with enjoying day-to-day life. When she's passed over for a promotion mostly because she's not young, she has a minor life crisis. Her marriage has crumbled, her two sons are pretty decent to her, but still clueless and she's a bit at her wits end. In this state-of-mind, she attends a performance of RICHARD III, and is struck by his story and wonders if history has treated him fairly. (Was he really a murderous, villainous hunchback?) She's driven to discovered the truth about him, and dives into history books, a group of pro-Richard "kooks" and finally, into the desire to find the true location of Richard's remains. He's been unaccounted for (and not really sought) for over 500 years. Why would this amateur archeologist expect to have any luck finding the lost king?

As this is a true story, you can readily find out how her journey went. But what any news articles WON'T show you is how this journey became an obsession that ruled Philippa's life for so long. And how she had to fight not only a patriarchy, but a patriarchy full of particularly disagreeable academic snobs. It's a journey of her empowerment, which culminates in a few moments that make you want to just stand up and applaud.

Hawkins navigates us through all of this expertly. We have sympathy for her character even as we recognize that she's a "difficult" person. She's touchy and twitchy. She speaks up at "inappropriate" times. (Inappropriate in quotes, because it all depends on who it's inappropriate to.) She is an unlikely hero, and yet, she ends up a hero to herself and her family. (The world at large is another story.)

This movie is full of moments of very British humor. Everyone is perhaps a bit wittier than real life, but virtually every character has a little room to breathe. Coogan is good in a role that calls for him to be largely unlikeable, yet keep us at least marginally on his side. It's a quiet film that nonetheless moves forward with nice momentum.

The script includes the character of Richard III himself, who appears to Philippa as a largely quiet character, seemingly holding her to account for her actions. To me, this device was really not needed. Philippa's own explanations for what she's doing are strong enough reasons to follow her story avidly; we don't need a "cute" device like a phantom king.

But really, just sit back and let the quietly brilliant Hawkins carry you through the film. She's an engrossing guide.

Philippa Langley (Sally Hawkins) is a divorced middle-aged mother of two boys. Her boss sucks. Her ex-husband John Langley (Steve Coogan) has a girlfriend. Nobody treats her seriously. She becomes obsessed with Richard III and even has visions of the dead King. She is frustrated with the popular image of the King as an evil troll cemented by the Shakespeare play. She goes on a journey to find the Lost King and maybe of self-discovery.

Sally Hawkins is the Queen of the meek mousy woman with an inner fire. I can't think of another actress who is a better fit for this role. It's the classic underdog character and apparently it's a true story. The story is pretty simple and very standard. Sally makes this sing.

It's the story of how Philippa Langley, burdened with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, a dead marriage, and the general disdain of those around her found the burial site of King Richard III.

I had a great time with this movie. Given that Miss Hawkins starred and it was directed by Stephen Frears, that's a given. And yet, I was disappointed on several levels. Harry Lloyd, playing the ghost of Richard, is an unnecessary gloss meant to double the lack of regard for Miss Hawkins. The script lacked subtlety, with message not to ignore women right up front and dominating everything else; and Miss Hawkins has made such a specialty of playing unregarded women who triumph to the astonishment of all that I wish someone would cast her otherwise. Agreed, she's not conventionally pretty, but cameraman Zac Nicholson has no trouble making her look striking and elegant.

I'm also a bit confused why Alexandre Desplat modeled the opening theme on Bernard Hermann's for NORTH BY NORTHWEST. Did he think no one would notice?

Still, as always with a Frears movie, definitely worth watching.

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.

Most viewers will know the remarkable story of how the remains of King Richard III were found. It's a story which could have made satisfying movie, however, the producers of The Lost King have decided to play with the facts quite a bit to try to make it into a quirky 'ealingesque' comedy drama. It doesn't really work, especially fantasy sequences where the king appears, and it doesn't help that the main character is mis-cast and, and I thought a bit underplayed too. I still enjoyed the film, but it lacked real impact. The Lost King is worth a watch if you're at a loose end, but I suggest viewing the C4 (UK) documentary online for the real story.

Amateur historian Phillipa Langley becomes fascinated with the life and death of the much maligned Richard III, she seeks funding, and the hunt begins.

If you're a fan of British feel good comedies such as Fisherman's Friends and Kinky Boots, those films of triumph over adversity, this will definitely hold your interest.

It's a truly fascinating story, and one of the only times I've ever seen Richard III given a bit of positivity in a film, he is often much maligned, known for Shakespeare's play, and for killing his way to the throne.

When the news of this broke it was an unbelievable story, so much controversy, so many view points, I remember it breaking on The BBC, it was quite something.

There are a few snippets I learned about Richard III, and some of the things he brought about.

Sally Hawkins is tremendous, she captivates from start to finish, despite a marvellous line up, including Steve Coogan, Harry Lloyd and James Fleet, she really does shown through.

It's a great film, 9/10.

Watched this having been around the visitor centre in Leicester. Watching the film, it seems extremely unlikely that someone reading a few books, wandering around the city and looking at an old map, could actually pinpoint where a king was buried. I mean it could be anywhere, how on each they managed to find it was nothing short of incredible. The villains in the film seem somewhat overplayed, mind. What is also odd is that the female lead , visually looks nothing like the actual person she was playing, we spent a lot of the film wondering what on earth was on her head, it looks like someone had cut her hair blindfolded, especially at the front. It was well shot and managed to make Leicester look pretty good, they must have cleaned up the streets, picked up the litter, as when I go I am often harassed to donate to someone's personal alcohol fund.

I have been interested in Richard 111 eversince i saw Laurence Oliviers performance in the film in 1956. In May of this year i drove up to Leicester to visit first the Battle Of Bosworth field and museum and then to the modern museum in the city centre. So i was always going to like this film.

I could empathise with the main character as i also suffer from me or as its now known chronic fatigue syndrome.

It was a story worth telling and particularly to highlight the sterling work of Phillipa Langley. Who it would appear to have been sidelined by others,who are now complaining at their depiction in this film,notwithstanding the fact that they now have a spanking new museum which is bringing people like myself to go and visit Leicester.

For me this was one of the most enjoyable films that i have seen this year.

Despite being based on a truly remarkable and intriguing story, I found this film to be a bit lacklustre.

Sally Hawkins gives a very appealing and watchable lead performance as Philippa, the woman who doggedly seeks to find and honour the remains of the much (and unfairly?) maligned Richard III. As a character she is easy to get behind and root for which makes for easy viewing.

In an attempt to flesh out the plot, they add in Harry Lloyd as Richard III, appearing as an apparition to Philippa. I actually think this was the best part of the film and could have been developed further. More of this would have been nice.

This is because when they got down to the nuts and bolts of the bureaucracy of finding Richard the film felt quite uninspiring and bland. I don't think there was actually enough meat on the bones of that process to make for an engaging story.

Still, this film is a very easy watch and it does have its moments, with some nice light-hearted comedy and a handful of decent performances. Nothing remarkable, but perfectly watchable and somewhat enlightening.

I found this to be an enjoyable and engaging movie, Until I watch "Richard III - The King in the Car Park" documentary from Channel 4 which pretty much dispelled many of the dramas of this movie and turned the overall effect of 'The Lost King' in to a bad after taste, luckily replaced by the uplifting good spirits of the documentary.

The movie felt it necessary to replace an interesting and captivating actual story with unnecessary fictional 'dramatic' elements, which quite clearly from the documentary which was made at the time the actual events, never happened.

We get to see Philippa in real life being a little bit dramatic herself but we also get to see her being front and center of the show, not sidelined in anyway by the evil university or other figures. She's right there on the panel at the press conference 'The Lost King' says she was shut out of, she's right at the front of the press interviews, not sidelined by media grabbing other figures. She's treated respectfully by all parties (at least in every interaction we see on camera in the documentary) and her slightly bonkers emotional responses are handled with grace and understanding, in sharp contrast to this film which paints the other parties poorly.

And it's just so utterly unnecessary, turning a real feel good story of personal triumph supported by many into a feel bad story of bitterness and rivalry. The documentary presenter Simon Farnaby who is by Phillippa's side being supportive and tolerant through the actual events captured in the documentary has been completely removed from the film's narrative, replaced by Steve Coogan's character who we never see in the documentary.

I'm not saying that 'The Lost King' is not a moving and entertaining film, but in hindsight and with the benefit of an actual document of the events it's much less of a story than the real thing, and it diminishes the achievements of the people involved including Phillippa's and I wonder how the other good willed people who put their effort behind Phillippa's mission feel about being portrayed as bad self-serving people just for a little bit of Hollywood antagonist fiction.

It is deeply ironic that a story about the misrepresentation of the legacy of a slain King should be portrayed in a misrepresenting story of the events that lead to his discovery and indeed the inconvenient revelations of the discovery.

In the documentary we see clearly that Richard's spine is massively S shaped, there's no doubt about it. In this film they say it was slightly curved because it is an inconvenient detail to the re-framing of history that the film makers wish to show. Propaganda if you will.

This film leaves me feeling conflicted about the whole story and doubting the benefit of its existence. I think it does more harm than good and wish that someone better had decided to tell this story in film. It's not a bad film, but it is a bad representation of real, positive, and uplifting events. It comes across as the worst aspects of Hollywood.

Everything doesn't have to be conflict.

Why can't they just tell a good story as it is without lying to us?

Where are the bones of Ricard III? The uncertainty of their location impelled amateur historian Phillipa Langley (Sally Hawkins) to seek funding to find them and at the same time restore the reputation of the king much-maligned as a child murderer and usurper. Docudrama The Lost King, both informative and comic, gets right not so much the clues to the whereabouts of the monarch's remains as the process of an amateur going nose to nose with academics and dear friends, who don't believe her and think she is going senile.

Phillipa is depicted as both a dreamer and a digger, a civilian who feels more deeply about the treasure than the academics who have made careers out of alternative theories about the bones. She joins the local Richard III Society and seeks funding from every possible source, much as archaeologists over the 500 years have done. Anyone doing research can testify to the vagaries of the job.

Director Stephen Frears has smartly woven in the imagined appearance of the "real" Richard (Harold Lloyd) only to Phillipa, as Richard gives her encouragement and reacts angrily to her question about whether or not he killed the two princes in the tower. The Lost King hints at the controversy about Shakespeare's changing history with the murders to improve sales.

Sally Hawkins is a Brit actress who can play a naif with the best of them as she did as the Poppy for Happy-Go-Lucky (2008) and Elisa in The Shape of Water (2017). As Philippa, she is passed over at work in part for her chronic health condition, but she is an intuitive explorer of the conjunction of history and the contemporary, pushing forward fanatically with her thesis despite the opposition, mostly by men, even her still loving ex-husband.

While no discernable feminist agenda appears, it seems she might have accomplished more sooner had she been a woman. Brits love this kind of amateur underdog (see The Duke and The Flying Scotsman). She is hampered by the perception that her characteristically feminine emotions and intuition have no place in academia. Maybe worse, she's over 40!

Plenty of comedy is milked from the Ricardians, a society of misfit historians dedicated to rehabbing Richard's reputation. She's also helped considerably by the head of the Leicester Council, a female who gains the project's funding despite opposition.

The Lost King is a delightful experience with a light heart and warm history. Oh, yes, and an award-worthy performance by Sally Hawkins.

A 'safe' film that is an easy watch. Fiction based partly on true events regarding the search and archaeological find of the remains of English King Richard III, in a car park.

Sally Hawkins gives a great performance as amateur historian or Richardian, Phillipa Langley. The viewer sees Langley defy obstacles such as some academia and raising money for the dig. The full facts are fully available on documentaries and her 2013 book.

Steve Coogan adds some comic flair, sometimes inadvertently as Langley's husband John Langley. I can't help but seeing some of his most famous comic character Alan Partridge in the role.

Many scenes are filmed in Edinburgh that seem to be shoehorned in as Leicester.

Hawkins has visions of King Richard from a Shakespearean stage production throughout the film that add some light relief from the seriousness of some academia and amateur historians.

Look out for Mark Addy, of The Full Monty (1997) as a archaeologist.

A feel good film at its conclusion. Long live the King. The King IS dead.

The Lost King holds no surprises and little tension in its narrative but that doesn't stop it from being a really good fact based drama that rightfully seeks to correct 2 wrongs done to those who were dealt an unfair hand by the writers of history.

Sally Hawkins is perfect, carrying the film on her boundless warmth, determination and awkward nature. Steve Coogan is great in an easygoing supporting performance that doesn't ask for much but is still memorable.

Stephen Frears' direction is good, everything is competently shot and the film has a surprisingly fast pace. The music by Alexandre Desplat is amazing, it's exactly how you expect it to sound with all the quirky charm and beauty present.

Greetings again from the darkness. Obsession often gets a bad rap. Sure, being obsessed with another person to the point of stalking is not just bad, but illegal. However, most hobbies are a form of obsession ... you know, like watching movies! OK, that was a self-serving (weak) attempt at making a point, although obsession can lead to innovation and discovery. In fact, if an obsession does turn into something productive or exciting, it is often re-labeled as commitment. That's pretty much the moral of the story when it comes to Phillipa Langley.

Ms. Langley wrote the 2013 book, "The Search for Richard III", the basis for this screenplay by Steve Coogan and Jeff Cope, and this film by director Stephen Frears ... all three whom collaborated on the Oscar nominated PHILOMENA (2013). Based on the true story, the always terrific Sally Hawkins stars as Phillipa Langley. Ageism has compromised Ms. Langley's job, as has her Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), medically known as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME). But Phillipa is no victim, and it's a stage production of Shakespeare's "Richard III" that sets her off on deep research into the life and death and after-death stories of the former and often disrespected King.

Shakespeare's play is referred to as "historical", but it's Phillipa who reads all the books and attends the lectures, and even joins the Richard III Society. She quickly realizes many of the theories about the malformed usurper and his character and actions are not correct. She sets her mind to calculating his final resting spot; meaning she's certain his corpse was not dumped unceremoniously into the river.

An interesting and entertaining aspect of the film is that Richard III (Harry Lloyd) "haunts" or follows Phillipa during her research. She sees him and talks to him, adding a new dimension to her obsessive behavior and the "feelings" she often possesses. After initial skepticism, Phillipa's ex-husband John (played by co-writer Steve Coogan) begins to support her quest, as do their young sons. She searches not just for a body supposedly buried in the 15th century, she also searches for funding and partnerships. The city of Leicester offers to assist in cutting red tape, but funding is a bit more challenging, though she finally finds a supporter in archaeologist Richard Buckley (Mark Addy) who understands how to work the University grant system.

As an amateur historian-researcher-sleuth, Phillipa proves to be a stronger person than even she thinks herself to be. What unfolds for her is a textbook example of power plays and glory hogs as those who had once laughed at her theories, began to take credit for the accomplishment and bask in the publicity. Credit in the academic world is often more valued than knowledge or integrity, and yet Phillipa's sense of accomplishment did ultimately lead to the Queen awarding her MBE (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire).

Director Frears has had a prestigious career with films including: THE QUEEN (2008), HIGH FIDELITY (2000), THE GRIFTERS (1990), and DANGEROUS LIASONS (1988). And Sally Hawkins consistently brings a realism and likability to her roles to the point that we simply believe her every move. Here she portrays a woman whose search for Richard allowed her to find herself. We will never view that "R" in a reserved car park the same way again.

Opens in theaters March 24, 2023.

I went to see this movie on a whim not knowing much about it at all. I vaguely remembered the story appearing in the news some years ago. Sally Hawkins turns in a moving performance as Philippa Langley. The inclusion of her "visions" of Kind Richard could have been badly handled but here it lends both humour and pathos and its a nice touch. This movie was an unexpected pleasure and brought a tear to my eye more than once. Philippa's passion is inspiring and this is as much a story of the woman herself as it is about the discovery of Kind Richard.

It is clear that the writers take much creative licence with the story, which appears to take place in a matter on months but no doubt took years of research in reality. This kind of thing is to be expected with any dramatisation of reality. I'm sure the University of Leicester will have a lot more issue with the creative licence taken than I do as they don't come out of it looking at all good! However, the story is told from the perspective of Philippa Langley, and having since watched some real footage following the discovery of King Richards remains, it is clear to see she was sidelined and undermined and so it is nice to see her side of the story.

Recommended!!

In veteran director Stephan Frears' gently engaging true-tale Brit drama "The Lost King" Sally Hawkins (great as ever) is a nondescript, middle-aged, middle-class divorcee mum who believing 1400's King Richard III to have been unfairly maligned by history (and Shakespear) campaigns to clear his name AND find his missing remains, which she did, in Leicester in 2012 (supported by the likes of Stephen Coogan (who btw co-wrote it with Jeff Pope) & Harry Lloyd). Sadly, local uni pigs like Mark Addy & Lee Ingleby (deliciously odious performances both) then steal her credit (which they now dispute btw) but hey, this movie puts that all right, right?

No heroes wearing tights. No high action fight scenes. No car chases. No laser guns. Therefore, the people who should be watching this gem of a film, will not ... unfortunately. Sally Hawkins reminds us (again) that acting can be art. Steve Coogan, Jeff Pope, and Michael Jones deliver a touching screenplay. I loved this film. I was especially drawn to the plot line that we often unfairly define people by their physical shortcomings instead of their strength of character. We would all be better humans if more films such as "The Lost King" were made. See this film. And for criminy sakes, get your teenagers to watch it.

Sally Hawkins, another name I love very much, plays the leading role in the movie directed by Stephen Frears, which has an important place in British cinema with its unique narrative style.

The actors of the National Theater, who direct the British cinema and TV series industry, have an important place in the film.

The comments made for the semantically distant movie for those who are not familiar with Stephen Frears cinema also confirm this.

I hope 81-year-old Stephen Frears lives to 181 and continues to make new films for us.

I hope the movie, which has been watched many times even to satisfy the longing for the language of cinema that has disappeared in the 21st century, will be released as Blu-ray.