Amazon.com video review:
This gentle "true" fairy tale succeeds on nearly every
level, becoming an intelligent handling of a tabloid story. In 1817 a
young foreign drifter (Phoebe Cates, never better) sets a small portion
of England buzzing that she is a royal princess from an uncharted land.
This feels like a magical movie with slightly overcooked
characters, such as Kevin Kline's Greek butler. The supporting cast
is older than in most movies of this type--no cute actors, we have
performers with chiseled features and gruff voices. Director
Michael Austin's decision to approach this as a true story keeps
things firmly
grounded so the eccentrics are not overplayed. Beautifully filmed by
the great Freddie Francis (Glory) and featuring a surprisingly rich
cast (Stephen Rea, Wendy Hughes, Jim Broadbent, and John Lithgow), this is
simply the best family movie since The Secret Garden. --Doug
Thomas
