MovieChat Forums > Darling (1965) Discussion > Diana Scott = Grace Kelly

Diana Scott = Grace Kelly

posted 15 years ago by ellichar
15 replies | jump to latest

I've always felt that "Darling" was a retelling of the Princess Grace story, as "The Barefoot Contessa" was about Rita Hayworth.

Both Diana and Grace started as models, became actresses and had affairs with married men. Then, they each married a somewhat older European prince and, if several bios of Grace are true, suffered from being "a bird in a gilded cage".

Diana's affairs with Miles and Robert could easily mirror Grace's liasons with her married costars Gary Cooper, Ray Milland, and William Holden. As Diana tried to escape her boring life with her Prince, Grace began to bury herself with outside interests and was said to drink her troubles away at times. It is known that Grace desperately wanted to make a comeback in Hitchcock's "Marnie", but either Prince Rainier or DeGaulle (or both) blocked her path.

As they are European, I suspect Frederic Raphael and John Schlesinger got all kinds of gossip regarding HSH Grace of Monaco, and changed a few deatils. The result- Diana Scott!!

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] Tjcat 15 years ago

I have read extensively about Grace Kelly
particularly her lively existance before
she became Her Serene Highness Princess Grace
and WHOLEHEARTEDLY agree with your assessment.

Once the spectacular wedding was over and began assess
her existance in Monaco, Grace realized the
gilded cage she had locked herself into.

"Be careful what you wish for, you might just get it"

[–] bron-tay 15 years ago

Perhaps her biography matches Diana's, but her character? I find it hard to believe that she was as much of a destructive, selfish bitch as Diana. It seems she really tried to make a go of family life.

~~~~~~~
Think cynical thoughts.

[–] Zinjanthropus 14 years ago

Interesting discussion! No one mentioned Grace's alleged affair with Bing Crosby, the infamous wife-beater and child abuser. Accounts I've read suggest it was pretty flagrant. Paints quite a conflicting image to the characters she played in Mogambo and Rear Window, I'd say! Not to mention the princess role, her last walk down the red carpet, with a substantially bigger prize than an Oscar.

[–] marktayloruk (2386) 3 years ago

Seems that she slept with all her costars.

[–] rexamillion 14 years ago

Interesting idea.
What I find weird is the scene where she's filming the chocolate commercial and looking around the palace, and the prince's son shows her the picture of his mother and says she died in a car accident.
The setting and her character are so reminiscent of Grace Kelly, and that alwasy throws me.
17 years before it happened...

[–] frog-34 13 years ago

I watched this for the first time last night and had exactly the same reaction. I found myself thinking, "Hmmm . . . model to actress to princess, tht's a rather atypical progression for a young woman. I can think of only one woman who's actually done that."

I also found myself thinking that Julie Christie's performance was good but far from "Best Actress" worthy. Now that I've found this thread, I'm beginning to see how Julie Christie beat Julie Andrews for the Best Actress AA in 1966.

JEB BUSH IN '012 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[–] pdmh48 13 years ago

Julie Andrews vs. Julie Christie1? Most people voted for the beautiful Christie.
It was fine to see Mary Poppins with your family but to give Andrews the Academy award-no way! Mary Poppins was a Disney movie: they got no live-action respect.

[–] Noir-It-All 13 years ago

Big difference: Grace Kelly had issues with her family & father.

"Two more swords and I'll be Queen of the Monkey People." Roseanne

[–] emeraldgreen 12 years ago

I've always heard that some of the wilder scenes were actually based on Princess Margaret, who in a lot of ways, behaved exactly like Diana Scott. So the movie may be an interesting composition of two princesses.

[–] pdmh48 10 years ago

Good point, I didn't know that. I do remember that the Princess was considered wild, but I never exactly knew why ( I was a kid then and no adult filled me in! LOL)It was sad when she died; it was as if she had been totally forgotten ( or repressed by the monarchy.)

[–] aboutagir11 12 years ago

I just watched Darling tonight, and just like this thread topic, I thought the same thing... it's grace kelly's story.

I'm so pleased that GK didn't play Marnie. I can't imagine anyone but Tippi Hendren playing Marnie... Hitchcock definitely dodged a bullet by not having GK in the role.

"Where is Aron?" - Adam
"I don't know. I'm not my brother's keeper." - Cal

[–] Charlot47 12 years ago

You could find another precedent in Dawn Addams, an English beauty from a relatively posh background who had bit parts showing something of herself in horror films and married an Italian prince della Roccasecca (not far from della Romita?).

But there would have been no shortage of Dianas in London in the 1960s or indeed now. That is why this fictional tale still rings true.

[–] 12 years ago

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