Duty before self

Queen Elizabeth II is certainly a popular subject in film and on TV lately.  I wonder what she herself thinks about all the dramatizations of her life?  I was very interested to receive a copy of the recent Channel 4 miniseries, The Queen to learn even more about the life of this long-serving monarch.

I was expecting this to be just a dramatization of various points in the life of the queen, but I was pleasantly surprised by the format of this program.  Five different actresses portray the queen at different ages, and important events are dramatized.  The introduction to each episode states "The drama is imagined."  I think they imagined a bit too far in one episode, as the queen is shown doing the washing up while having a cosy chat with the current prime minister.  Somehow, I don't think "we" do washing up ourselves!  Aside from the re-created scenes, there are also interviews with people who were involved with the events, archival footage, and a narrator tying all the events together.  So the series isn't a straightforward dramatic telling of the story as I had imagined.

The five episodes in the series look to especially stressful or difficult times in the queen's life.

Episode 1: Sisters  This episode looks at the early relationship of Queen Elizabeth and her younger sister Princess Margaret just after the death of their father, King George VI.  After being crowned queen, Elizabeth was surrounded by the mostly elderly male advisers who had worked with her father.  Margaret fell in love with a divorced man, and the queen faced her first crisis in attempting to persuade her sister to avoid this potentially explosive match.

Episode 2: Us and Them  Events from 1969 to 1975 are covered.  In those years, the UK was in economic upheaval.  It was beset by strikes, IRA bombings and demands to abolish the monarchy.  Amidst all this, the queen had to ask for more money from the government to continue to run her increasingly expensive household.  The country is briefly united for the wedding of Princess Anne, but even this turns out badly when she becomes the target of a botched kidnapping.

Episode 3: The Rivals  This turned out to be my favorite episode, mainly because I hadn't realized (or had forgotten) that there was such tension between the queen and former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.  Their icy relationship was mainly caused by Mrs. Thatcher's refusal to impose sanctions on South Africa, which the queen feared would cause the break-up of the Commonwealth.

Episode 4: The Enemy Within  The queen's famous annus horribilis (1992) is played out in all its gory glory, from the divorces of her children to the fire at Windsor Castle to tax problems.  Can't a queen get a break?

Episode 5: How Do You Solve a Problem Like Camilla? The queen must struggle with her son, Prince Charles, over his decision to marry his mistress Camilla Parker Bowles.  Princess Diana had given television interviews blaming Camilla for the break-up of her marriage, so the queen was not especially eager to give her blessing to the union.

I was surprised to see the Queen portrayed as forever reading tabloid newspapers and taking note of opinion polls on the future of the monarchy.  I suppose when your livelihood depends upon "the affection of the public" that it pays to keep up with their moods!

I really enjoyed this series.  It provided a fascinating look behind one scenes at the life of one of the most famous women in the world.  She never had a choice about whether or not to be queen, and she certainly had to endure more than her fair share of controversies and tragedies.  She has still managed to maintain an air of dignity and grace that probably few of us could match!

Thanks to Alyssa at Acorn Media, I have a copy of The Queen to give away!  To enter, just leave a comment naming your favorite member (past or present) of the British royal family.  Be sure that your email is in your comment or in your profile (if you have a blog) so I can contact you. Open only to the U.S. Ends Oct. 22, so get to commentin'!  The winner will have 48 hours to respond to my email, or I will have to choose another winner.

Disclaimer:  I was provided with a review copy and a giveaway copy of the DVD.



Pop a ciggy in her hand, and you've got Dot Cotton!

Final Verdict for The Queen:   Four Gherkins, for being a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at a royal life