In the words of the eternally wise Joni Mitchell, “they paved paradise and put up a parking lot”. But what if what they paved over wasn’t paradise, but instead the grave of a long-deceased and eternally disgraced sovereign? That is the premise of the upcoming IFC film The Lost King, which follows one woman’s quest to uncover the burial spot of a long misunderstood historical figure. The film is set to be released on March 24, and ahead of the film’s theatrical release, a new trailer has just dropped, giving us a glimpse into the new film.
The Lost King is based on the 2013 book The King’s Grave: The Search for Richard III, by Philippa Langley. The upcoming film tells the story of Philippa’s quest to uncover the burial spot of King Richard III. King Richard III was the last of the Plantagenet dynasty, whose death in 1485 initiated the rule of the Tudor dynasty. Richard’s reputation has, for over five centuries, been maligned in both text and drama as a villain, remembered only for his villainy, with even his place of burial obscured by time. This could, and probably is, in part due to the Tudors’ insistence on a villainized depiction of the former king in media. Tudor-era writers, such as William Shakespeare, featured Richard III in a villainous light in his historical plays. These texts would influence public perceptions of the king for centuries to come.
But for some people at least, these negative depictions of King Richard III rung false. And this is the case for Philippa Langley, played by Sally Hawkins, who, upon seeing a live production of Shakespeare’s Richard III, finds herself quite defensive of the historical villain. The trailer begins with Philippa watching the play, and afterward, she prods at the idea of his evil nature and its links to his physical disabilities. After her fateful Shakespeare viewing, Philippa is haunted by a vision of Richard III that follows her through her strained and often hum-drum life. She finds solace in his long-obscured reputation, and after some hunting, finds comradery in a group of like-minded history buffs who are dead set on setting his reputation right. The trailer then explores Philippa’s primary goal of uncovering Richard III’s grave, a quest that was ultimately successful, when King Richard III’s grave was found, most improbably, under a parking lot.
