A documentary film that features a paparazzi photograph of Princess Diana dying after a car crash in Paris in 1997 has stirred controversy, three days before it is shown to the media and potential buyers in Cannes.
A documentary film that features a paparazzi photograph of Princess Diana dying after a car crash in Paris in 1997 has stirred controversy, three days before it is shown to the media and potential buyers in Cannes.
"Unlawful Killing," directed by British actor Keith Allen and backed by Mohamed al-Fayed, whose son Dodi died with Diana, is due to be screened at the Cannes film festival on Friday.
A spokesman for the film's backers sought to play down the significance of the controversial image being aired, after a friend of Princess Diana expressed anger at the movie.
"The picture has been published in full before, in many parts of the world," the spokesman said in an email to Reuters.
"We acquired the image from an Italian magazine, which had already published it in full. It is also widely available on the web. Only in Britain did the press choose to black out her face.
"Our film is not being shown in the UK and the trailer is only viewable in the UK on the official movie website. We are therefore not publishing anything that the rest of the world has not already seen elsewhere."
But friends of the princess, whose death marked a low point in the British monarchy's popularity with the public, reacted angrily.
"If this is true this is absolutely disgusting," said Rosa Monckton, who went on holiday with Diana a few weeks before she died.
"The fact people are trying to make money -- which is all that they are doing now -- out of her death is quite frankly ... words fail me," she told Britain's Daily Mail newspaper on Tuesday.
The movie aims to prove that a 2007/8 inquest into Diana's death was a cover-up by the "establishment" and "dark forces," according to a statement from the film makers.
Fayed has long maintained that the couple was killed on the orders of Queen Elizabeth's husband, Prince Philip. Fayed believes the royal family could not bear the idea of Diana marrying a Muslim.
Major investigations by French and British police have concluded the deaths were a tragic accident caused by a speeding chauffeur, who was found to be drunk. They both have rejected Fayed's conspiracy theories.
一部记录戴妃1997年巴黎车祸的影片即将在戛纳向媒体和潜在买家展示，这一包含狗仔队拍下的戴妃死前照片的纪录片在上映三天前引发了争议。
这部名为《非法致死》的影片由英国演员基思•艾伦执导，并得到亿万富翁穆罕默德•艾尔•法耶德的赞助，法耶德的儿子多迪和戴安娜同死于该场车祸。该影片将于周五在戛纳电影节上映。
在戴安娜王妃的一位朋友表达了对影片的愤怒后，电影赞助商的发言人力图淡化即将曝光的争议性图像的影响。
这名发言人在发给路透社的一封电子邮件中说：“这一图片曾经在全球多个地方被完整出版过。”
“我们是从一家意大利杂志得到该图片的，该杂志社以前就完整出版过该图片。这一图片也可以从许多网站下载到。只有英国的出版社才将照片上她的脸部遮住。
“我们的影片不会在英国上映。在英国，电影的预告片也只有在官方电影网站才能看到。我们不会发布任何在世界其他地方没见过的图像。”
但是戴妃的朋友们对此却很愤怒。戴妃的死曾让英国君主制在公众心目中的地位一度陷入低谷。
罗莎•蒙克顿说：“如果这是真的，那实在太可恶了。”她在戴妃死前几周曾和戴妃去度假。
周二她告诉英国《每日邮报》说：“很明显有人就是想利用已故的戴安娜来赚钱，这就是他们现在正做的事，这种行为实在是……让人无语。”
据影片主创们发表的声明，拍摄这部影片是为了证明2007年至2008年度对戴安娜的死因展开的调查是“当权派”和“黑暗势力”掩盖事实真相的手段。
法耶德长时间以来一直坚持认为是伊丽莎白女王的丈夫菲利普亲王下令杀死这对情侣的。法耶德认为王室无法接受让戴安娜嫁给一个伊斯兰教信徒。
法国和英国警方展开的大规模调查得出结论称，戴妃的死是司机超速引起的不幸事故，调查发现该司机是醉酒驾驶。两国警方都否定了法耶德的阴谋论。
paparazzi: a photographer who follows famous people around in order to get interesting photographs of them to sell to a newspaper（猎奇名流的摄影记者；狗仔队）
play down: 减低……的重要性；贬低；淡化
black out: 使（某处）变黑暗
trailer: a series of short scenes from a film/movie or television programme, shown in advance to advertise it （电影或电视节目的）预告片
inquest: an official investigation to find out the cause of somebody's death, especially when it has not happened naturally（死因审理；验尸；勘验）
establishment: the people in a society or a profession who have influence and power and who usually do not support change （通常反对变革的）当权派，权势集团；（统称）权威人士
maintain: to keep stating that something is true, even though other people do not agree or do not believe it（坚持意见；固执己见）
chauffeur: a person whose job is to drive a car, especially for somebody rich or important （尤指富人或要人的）司机