Caraboo, a beautiful and exotic young woman who speaks an unknown language, mysteriously appears ina small English village in 1817. Her arrival creates tremondous curiosity among the townspeople, and she soon captures the imagination of England’s wealthy aristocrats, who decide that she must be Japanese royalty.
“Princess Caraboo” is a gentle, charming family comedy, a romp whose strength is in its enchanting cast. While the entire town tries to decide whether Caraboo is a kidnapped princess or England’s cleverest impostor, the film surrounds her with a group of hilarious, warm-blooded minor characters. This story is based on fact — the real-life Caraboo existed and was taken up by English society — though the film adds a fictional romance to the happy ending. The colorful production design and flouncy costumes enhance the film’s story-book playfulness. The English director Michael Austin creates a sense of fun. “Princess Caraboo” is not a particularly sharp satire, but it is a great lark. – NYT
Starring Phoebe Cates, John Lithgow, Jim Broadbent, Wendy Hughes, Kevin Kline.
Note: The beige dress with paisley bodice Rachel Fielding (Mrs. Benson) wears while being interviewed by Mr. Gutch is the same costume Sabina Franklyn (Jane Bennet) wears at Longbourn in Pride and Prejudice (1980), Julie Cox (Annabella Milbanke) wears to read Byron’s poetry book in Byron (2003), and Freema Agyeman (Tattycoram) wears on the Marseilles wharf in Little Dorrit (2008). The same costume is also worn by an extra on the Marseilles wharf in The Count of Monte Cristo (2002), worn by a guest at Fanny’s wedding in Miss Austen Regrets (2008). Phew!