‘Princess Caraboo’

Witty and hilarious, this 1994 release is at once a romantic adventure and a comedy of manners in the finest tradition of British screen humor. A lively pleasure under Michael Austin’s astute direction, the film is based on a true story: In 1817, a proud, beautiful but dirty-faced young woman (Phoebe Cates, pictured) shows up in Bristol, wearing a turban and pants and uttering sparse phrases from a vaguely Southeast Asian dialect. She is in mortal danger from the harsh laws of the time and and in a position of great opportunity--the Asian influence on decor and clothing was all the rage for that period. If she can capture the fancy of the nouveau riche, the aristocracy and, especially, the fatuous heir (John Sessions) to the throne himself, a fabulous life of privilege awaits her. The deliciously ambiguous Cates and the film itself keeps us guessing about the authenticity of the princess right up to the climax. With Kevin Kline, John Lithgow, Stephen Rea (Showtime Saturday at 8 p.m.).