La principessa degli intrighi

Princess Caraboo is one of those films for all ages and with a superb cast.During the King George III's court,beggars and all kinds types of vagrancy were punished with death or prison. Many problems and farces were frequent,making people very suspicious about humble people in general and even foreigners.One day, a beautiful and exotic girl is found walking down the road by two farmers. She is dressed as a beggar, but since she has oriental and noble aspect/manners, and only speaks in a strange language,people stay confuse about her Ancestry, taking her to a judge, where they make the conclusion that her name is Caraboo and she is a princess from an exotic country who was kidnapped by pirates. Being the focus of so many curiosity by the English court and also by the King himself,Caraboo is analyzed by a language professor and the maids who think she is a impostor. Would be a real impostor or a true princess? Got to found out watching this film. :)

Phoebe Cates was very cute in the lead role of "Mary Baker/Princess Cariboo." The story was a nice one, too, with no complaints about inappropriate language or behavior.

Kevin Kline supplies many of the laughs, at least with me. I preferred him over John Lithgow or Jim Broadbent.

This is supposedly based on a true story but I am going to assume they took a lot of liberties with it. Nonetheless, it's a story and a decent for "the whole family," as the cliché goes. However, I think this is mostly appealing to females. I found it pleasant, but more of a "chick flick" than a guy's film. Thus, I doubt I would watch it again, especially knowing the surprise ending.

I definitely recommend this comedy-drama-romance for people who haven't seen it, and for most people who are not adult males.

"Princess Caraboo" is a wonderful, almost perfect film in the old-fashioned mode. It should have made Phoebe Cates a major star--but unfortunately (and mysteriously) she is still best known as the girl Judge Reinhold thinks about in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High".

The movie is based on the true story of a mysterious girl who convinced a bunch of 19th century upper British Class men she was an Oriental princess. I'll leave the question as to whether she actually is or not up for you to find out. The performances, writing and direction are uniformly first rate, even magical in that old movie way. Unfortunately, the filmmakers tacked on a completely unearned and unwarrented "romantic" ending that mars the film. Not only does the romantic pairing of two main characters stretch believability, it is also SO OBVIOUSLY tacked on after the fact that it disrupts the flow of the film, almost ruining what had come before. I can't tell you what the ending is without ruining what pleasure the film will bring you when you see it, but I can say that it doesn't even make sense.

This story is set several hundred years ago. A mysterious girl who apparently speaks no English is found begging in the streets. The magistrate wants to put her in jail, but the wife of one of the prominent men of the city wants to take her home to stay with her. Several people are consulted to determine what language the girl speaks, including one language expert played by John Lithgow who is very funny (especially when he tries to speak various languages). The girl doesn't look Asian or Middle Eastern, but if she's faking it (as some suspect) she's doing a good job. She has a tattoo and strange religious customs that provide clues, though the language in which she writes is not known to anyone. It is decided that she is speaking a dialect from Asia.

When she does understand what is going on, she comes across as quite charming. Eventually, it is determined that she must be a princess, and her name seems to be Caraboo.

Phoebe Cates gave a performance worthy of an Oscar nomination. Whether her character did as well I won't say. You'll just have to watch.

I was worried when the movie wasn't funny at first, but the humor came in large doses after a while, and not the usual type of movie humor. This was quite a sophisticated film considering it often tried to be silly, and the costumes and the settings were very nice. The music was magnificent, whether highbrow classical or period music that sounded more like what ordinary people would enjoy.

Everything about this movie was well done, and while it's not normally the type of movie I would watch, I enjoyed it.

"Princess Caraboo" is a rare breed of film these days -- aimed at adults, but highly respectful of the human soul and therefore safe for all ages. All viewers should find the historical angle fascinating, lovers of whimsical, offbeat humor will be delighted, "romantics" will be stirred by the powerful ending...and the ravishing color palette of the sets and costumes will enchant those who crave sheer visual beauty.

I personally thought the wonderful ending was handled very well -- it was particularly powerful for being beautifully understated, and did not "take away" from the effectiveness of the story. Because it had been foreshadowed (with great subtlety) throughout the movie, it did not arrive as a shock but rather as a fulfillment.

I must also put in a good word for the glorious music...another home run. See this film. As others have noted, it will stay with you long afterward.