The People s Prince Deserves A Better Trailer

Did you watch the trailer for Diana' and feel underwhelmed? You're not alone.

The first trailer for the highly anticipated biopic about Diana, Princess of Wales, hit the Internet earlier this week. Focusing primarily on the last two years of her life, the film features Aussie phenom Naomi Watts as the People's Princess. From what is revealed in the trailer, the majority of the movie will focus on the relationship between her and Dr. Hasnat Khan (played by Naveen Andrews), a Pakistani heart surgeon, who doesn't care about her past and wants to focus only on their future.

The fact that the Diana trailer relies on sensationalism is needless and unfortunate.

The two-minute preview begins with paparazzi flocking around Diana at several different venues and goes on to scenes revealing the difficulties of life after Charles. For one thing, Diana continues to spar with palace officials who still dictate aspects of her life, including time spent with her two sons. That Diana also struggles with establishing healthy relationships is made clear when the trailer shifts to a scene during which Diana jogs across her estate (apparently to clear her head) with a voice-over stating, you're so good at giving love, the hard part is receiving love.

Though the chemistry between Watts and Andrews is palpable, romantic schmaltz prevails as Watts utters contrived lines like He doesn't treat me like a princess. It's almost as if he doesn't know who I am. Whether the real Diana and Khan used such clich s to describe their relationship is unknown, but we hope not.

Diana does not overlook the Princess' propensity for good deeds. For exactly eight seconds, the trailer shows Diana during her famous tour of Africa walking across an Angolan minefield as part of her campaign to make the world aware of the human toll taken by land mines. Though her methods were a little unorthodox, Diana's championship of the cause undoubtedly influenced the signing of the Ottawa Treaty banning the use of anti-personnel landmines internationally. This occurred not long after her death.

The trailer ends, of course, on a lurid note, with the collapse of Diana's relationship with Dr. Khan and the introduction of Dodi Fayed and the infamous yacht trip that ratcheted up the paparazzi's obsessive pursuit of Diana with deadly consequences. The fact that the Diana trailer relies on sensationalism is needless and unfortunate.

People will go see a biopic about the People's Princess without having to be convinced or sold on the film. In addition to being a beleaguered and troubled celebrity, Diana was a conscientious mother and an activist. We hope that all facets of this complex woman will be represented in the film, but after viewing the trailer, we're doubtful.

LINK:	http://tribecafilm.com/blogs/diana-trailer-naomi-watts-naveen-andrews...
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