Death of A Princess - Form

Form

The film was based on numerous interviews by journalist Antony Thomas who, upon first hearing the story, grew passionately curious about its veracity, soon drawing upon contacts in the Arab world for their insights and opinions. Because of the candid and sometimes critical nature of the interviews, Thomas and ATV bosses decided not to make the film as a straight documentary but instead to dramatise it with actors.

Thomas himself was played by Paul Freeman under the name 'Christopher Ryder'. The identities of the interviewees were obscured, and the actors chosen to replace them were based only loosely on their subjects. The character of Elsa Gruber, played by Judy Parfitt, was based on Rosemarie Buschow, a German woman who had worked for the Saudi Royal Family as a nanny.

There was only one exception, a Palestinian family who played themselves. The fictitious nation in which the drama was set was called 'Arabia' which some viewers took to mean Saudi Arabia. The name of the Princess was never said.

Death of a Princess depicts Thomas' focus on 'the Princess', as her story became his vehicle through which important parts of Muslim culture was revealed, showing facets of Islamic tradition, custom, society, gender and social roles, sexuality, politics, myth, and identity. Thomas later explained that he had only reconstructed scenes where he was confident that they did happen, although he included film of interviewees telling him information which he did not believe.