Princess Caraboo

In early nineteenth-century England, a young woman dressed in exotic clothing is arrested for begging and can speak no English. When a man steps forward claiming to understand her language, her strange speech is taken to mean that she is a princess from a distant land. A wealthy family takes her in, less out of kindness than out of a wish to raise their own standing, and the household is soon caught up in the idea that a royal guest is living among them. Not everyone is persuaded, and a local reporter begins to look into whether she really is who she claims to be.

Michael Austin directed and co-wrote the screenplay with John Wells. Released in September 1994, the film runs 97 minutes and mixes comedy, drama, history and mystery. Phoebe Cates plays the title role, appearing as both Princess Caraboo and Mary Baker, with Jim Broadbent and Wendy Hughes as Mr. and Mrs. Worrall. Kevin Kline appears as Frixos, John Lithgow as Professor Wilkinson and Stephen Rea as Gutch, among a credited cast of 37.

The film was made by TriStar Pictures together with Beacon Pictures, Beacon Communications and Longfellow Pictures. Its worldwide box office came to about 3 million USD, a modest return. On IMDb it holds 6 out of 10 from roughly 3,200 votes, while on TMDB it stands at 5.5 out of 10 from a much smaller group of 32 voters, so the two audiences differ somewhat in how they received it.