''Something's Rotten'' is a Canadian drama film, directed by Harvey Frost and released in 1979."Harvey Frost's Something's Rotten". ''

Cinema Canada ''Cinema Canada'' (1972–1989) is a defunct Canadian film magazine, which served as the trade journal of record for the Canadian film and television sector. The magazine had its origins in the Canadian Society of Cinematographers (CSC), which b ...

'', March 1980. The film stars Charlotte Blunt as the queen of an unnamed European country, who is being pressured by the Prime Minister (

Cec Linder Cecil Yekuthial Linder (March 10, 1921 – April 10, 1992) was a Polish-born Canadian film and television actor. He was Jewish and managed to escape Poland before the Holocaust. In the 1950s and 1960s, he worked extensively in the United Kingdom, ...

) to abdicate the throne in favour of one of her sons, but who must wrestle with the question of which son, the older but emotionally unstable Prince Calvin ( Geoffrey Bowes) or the younger but more mature Prince George (Christopher Barry), will be named as her successor. Meanwhile, a series of murders of the palace staff is being committed by an unidentified "Skulker", whom the queen begins to suspect may in fact be one of the princes. The film was shot at Casa Loma in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...

. The film was not well received by critics. The magazine ''

'' wrote that Bowes' performance as Prince Calvin was the only good thing about the film, while critic

Jay Scott Jeffrey Scott Beaven (October 4, 1949 – July 30, 1993), known professionally by his pen name Jay Scott, was a Canadian film critic."Critic Jay Scott, 43 among world's best". ''Toronto Star'', July 31, 1993. Early life Scott was born in Lincol ...

claimed that when the film screened at the

1979 Cannes Film Festival The 32nd Cannes Film Festival was held from 10 to 24 May 1979. The Palme d'Or went to ''Apocalypse Now'' by Francis Ford Coppola, which was screened as a work in progress, and '' Die Blechtrommel (The Tin Drum)'' by Volker Schlöndorff. The fest ...

, by the time the screening ended there weren't enough people left in the theatre to boo or hiss it. The film garnered two

Genie Award The Genie Awards were given out annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to recognize the best of Canadian cinema from 1980–2012. They succeeded the Canadian Film Awards (1949–1978; also known as the "Etrog Awards," for sc ...

nominations at the

1st Genie Awards The 1st Genie Awards were presented on March 20, 1980, and honoured films released in 1979.Jay Scott, "Changeling wins Genie as year's best movie". '' The Globe and Mail'', March 21, 1980. They were given out at a gala event at the Royal Alexandra ...

in 1980, for Best Actor (Bowes) and Best Costume Design (Julie Whitfield)."Changeling leads Canadian Film Award nominees". '' The Globe and Mail'', February 8, 1980.

References

External links

* 1979 films Canadian drama films English-language Canadian films Films set in Europe Films about royalty 1970s English-language films 1970s Canadian films {{1970s-Canada-film-stub