Diana director ‘devastated’ by bad reviews

‘Diana’ director Oliver Hirschbiegel has said the critical mauling of the Princess Diana biopic was “devastating”, adding that “when you make a film you don't think about the reactions".

In an interview with the BBC, Hirschbiegel said he hoped audiences would “make their own minds up” about the movie that stars Naomi Watts as the British Royal, despite a near universal panning from critics.

['Dire' Diana slated by the critics]

"In all the other places where it's opened - in Poland, the Czech Republic, Turkey and Slovakia - it's been very strong," Hirschbiegel said.

"I think for the British, Diana is still a trauma they haven't come to terms with."

The Times called the ‘Diana’ “atrocious and intrusive,” whilst the Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw infamously dubbed the movie “car crash cinema”, reasoning “the awful truth is that, 16 years after that terrible day in 1997, she has died another awful death”.

[Diana movie advertises near Paris tunnel crash site]

Hirschbiegel, who previously directed the excellent ‘Downfall’, a German-language movie about the last days of Adolf Hitler, dubbed his experience with ‘Diana’ “déjà vu” because of similar reactions to the Nazi leader’s biopic in Germany.

"I hope it is a matter of stepping back and looking at it afresh in a year or so, because it is a very British story and I am a very German director,” he said.
"[Diana] was the most complex character I have ever tried to depict - more complex than Hitler. The one thing they both had in common was they were born actors".

‘Diana’, starring Naomi Watts and Naveen Andrews, is out now in UK cinemas. Watch the trailer below.