The whole world is saddened by the demise of Queen Elizabeth II who reigned for 70 years. Well, she would always have a special place in our hearts.
The British empire including the late Queen, the longest-reigning monarch faced many hardships and criticism during the reign. The journey of the royals of England is portrayed in various movies and here we present a few of them among which also include the journey of Queen Elizabeth II.
You could go through the list, choose some, watch them and revive the History of the British empire.
1. The Crown (2016)
Creator: Peter Morgan
Cast: Olivia Colman, Emma Corrin, Tobias Menzies
Genre: Historical drama
IMDb Rating: 8.7/10
Runtime: 47–61 minutes
Release Date: 4 November 2016 to present
The widely acclaimed Nexflix series The Crown reveals the life of Queen Elizabeth portrayed by actresses Claire Foy and Olivia Colman at her different ages.
The series shows the historical moments from the Queen marrying Philip, Duke of Edinburgh 1947 AD to her life in the early 21st century.
The Crown covers the gradual personal events in the Queen’s life and political events such Suez Crisis and the scandal of the Profumo affair in between.
Four seasons of the series have disclosed the events until 1990 and further events are yet to be shown in upcoming seasons. The fifth season is scheduled to be released in November of this year (2022). Well, we wonder how the show would proceed with the demise of Queen.
Until 2020, The Crown‘s estimated budget has been reported to be $260 million, making it one of the most expensive television series ever.
2. The King’s Speech (2010)
Director: Tom Hooper
Writer: David Seidler
Cast: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter
Genre: Historical drama
IMDb Rating: 8.0/10
Runtime: 119 minutes
Release Date: 6 September 2010
The King’s Speech is a biopic about Britain’s King George VI portrayed by actor Colin Firth in the film.
The plot focuses on how King (called Bertie by his family) had to struggle to solve his speech impediment as he suffered from stammer since his childhood. It is recorded in history that he address the crowd at the closing of the 1925 Commonwealth exhibition in London with a stammer, difficult for him.
He tried many therapies to solve his stammer and finally his wife Queen Elizabeth convinced him to see an Australian speech therapist, Lionel Logue.
Longue applied a variety of unorthodox techniques to cure King’s issue, and gradually start to improve the techniques of his speech. His flawless speech was witnessed around by world on the radio when the U.K. declared war on Nazi Germany in 1939.
The movie was made on a budget of $15 million and grossed $427.4 million worldwide. Well, this is a massive hit. It also received good reviews from critics. It even had 12 nominations for Oscars and it won 4 awards too.
3. Anne of Thousand Days (1969)
Director: Charles Jarrot
Writer: Maxwell Anderson
Cast: Richard Burton, Genevieve Bujold, Irene Papas
Genre: Historical drama
IMDb Rating: 7.4/10
Runtime: 145 minutes
Release Date: 18 December 1969
Anne of Thousand Days focuses on Anne Boelyn (Geneviève Bujold), the second wife of King Henry VIII (Richard Burton), and the controversial marriage between both of them.
King Henry had dissatisfaction with Catherine of Argon whom he had married for political reasons. He noticed Anne in a courtroom and became fascinated by her beauty.
Anne refuses to become King’s mistress when she was offered to, thus king divorced his first wife and married her. Soon Queen Anne gave birth to a girl child, Elizabeth. This was a massive disappointment for the king as he wanted an heir desperately. He flaunted a mistress in front of her eyes.
Meanwhile, Anne’s enemies moved against her accusing her of false deeds to destroy her and they triumphed in bringing an end to Anne’s thousand days reign as a queen of England.
The movie grossed $6,134,264 at US/Canada rentals, however, got a negative review from New York Times. It was nominated for 10 Academy Awards.
4. Unlawful Killing (2011)
Director: Keith Allen
Writer: Victor Lewis-Smith and Paul Sparks
Genre: Documentary film
IMDb Rating: 7.5/10
Runtime: 78 minutes
Release Date: 13 May 2011
The documentary film Unlawful Killing is about the controversial death of Diana, Princess of Wales, and Dodi Fayed Fayed, which took place on 31 August 1997.
The film accuses Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margeret of being “Gangster of Tiaras” and alleges Prince Phillip is a psychopath in molding the killing of Diana and Dodi. It also alleges that Diana’s life could be saved if she had been taken to the hospital quickly.
The documentary film was highly controversial. Thus, the film was not allowed to release in the United Kindom. However, director Keith Allen believed that the film would gross in the United States which too was withdrawn later.
5. The Madness of King George (1994)
Director: Nicholas Hytner
Writer: Alan Bennett
Cast: Sir Nigel Hawthrone, Helen Mirren, Rupert Everett
Genre: Historical drama
IMDb Rating: 7.2/10
Runtime: 110 minutes
Release Date: 28 December 1994
As the name suggests, the movie portrays the story of aging King George III (Sir Nigel Hawthorne) who was sliding into insanity. He was often in bouts of confusion and near-violent state; even the doctor’s attempts failed to cure him.
Meanwhile, George, Prince of Wales (Rupert Everett) worsens the situation knowing he would take over the throne if he proved the deficiency of the King. Queen Charlotte (Helen Mirren) and Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger (Julian Wadham) make a constant effort to prevent Prince George.
The film was voted the 42nd greatest British film of all time in 1999. Also, the movie won the Oscar for Best Art Direction. It grossed $27.4 million at the box office.
6. Elizabeth (1998)
Director: Shekhar Kapur
Writer: Michael Hirst
Cast: Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, Christopher Eccleston
Genre: Biographical period drama
IMDb Rating: 7.4
Runtime: 123 minutes
Release Date: 8 September 1998 (Venice)
After King Henry VIII died in 1553, then his son Edward VI ascended the throne shortly before dying after which Henry’s eldest daughter Catholic Mary reigned as a Queen. She too died of her illness upon which Protestant Elizabeth ascended as a queen.
The new queen found herself surrounded by advisors, among whom some were plotting to restore the Catholic line by any means. She was advised to marry the Duke of Norfolk and produce an heir.
With the numerous events and decisions, eventually, she proclaimed herself married to only England, and she ascends the throne as “the Virgin Queen.”
The role of Elizabeth is portrayed by Cate Blanchett, the movie depicts the biography of Queen Elizabeth I. The movie became both critically and commercially successful. With a budget of $30 million, it hit $82 million at the box office.
7. A Royal Night Out (2015)
Director: Julian Jarrold
Writer: Trevor de Silva, Kevin Hood
Cast: Sarah Gadon, Bel Powley, Jack Reynor
Genre: Historical romantic comedy-drama
IMDb Rating: 6.5/10
Runtime: 97 minutes
Release Date: 8 May 2015
A Royal Night Out uses a fascinating historical footnote as a springboard into a fun dramedy diversion
Europe celebrated VE Days in 1945 after their victory in the second world war. Of course, London was celebrating too. Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret are allowed to join the celebration after Elizabeth impressed King against the wish of Queen.
Both Princess anonymously went to the celebrations with military chaperones with an order to report back to the palace before 1 a.m. The two princesses had many unusual encounters.
Did they enjoy their night outs and were they able to report to the palace before 1 a.m.?
The movie earned $4.3 million at the box office and had shown average reviews from the critics.
8. The Young Victoria (2009)
Director:Jean-Marc Vallée
Writer: Julian Fellowes
Cast: Emily Blunt, Rupert Friend, Miranda Richardson
Genre: Historical drama
IMDb Rating: 7.2/10
Runtime: 105 minutes
Release Date: 6 March 2009 (United Kingdom)
The movie portrays the early life of Princess Victoria (Emily Blunt), and how she ascended the throne when she was just 18 years old after the death of her uncle, King William IV.
Victoria had faced a childhood full of exceptions, she was forced to live under Kensington rules by her mother. Along with her private secretary, Sir John Conroy, her mother tried to force her to sign an agreement that would make her mother a regent until she reached 25 years.
Despite numerous threats, Victoria refused the agreement and started as an independent monarch. The movie also shows the married life of the Queen and Prince Albert and the difficulties that she faced in her personal and political life.
Well, the movie didn’t do well at the box office. With a budget of $35 million, it gained $31.9 million. Some aspects of the film were also criticized for historical inaccuracies.
9. Mrs. Brown (1997)
Director: John Madden
Writer: Jeremy Brock
Cast: Judi Dench, Billy Connolly, Geoffrey Palmer
Genre: Historical drama
IMDb Rating: 7.2/10
Runtime: 103 minutes
Release Date: 18 July 1997
Mrs. Brown displays the story of Queen Victoria (Judi Dench) after the death of her husband Prince Albert. The queen becomes depressed after her beloved husband’s died and withdraws from public life.
To help her overcome the grief, the court appoints a trusted servant, John Brown (Billy Connolly). Brown aids Queen to regain her confidence in his unconventional method. Also, the Queen found solace in her servant.
Well, this relationship was not accepted by royals and also the public. It brought scandals and disturbances to the royal family.
The film was a huge success as it earned $9 million worldwide. Actress Judi Dench won multiple awards as the best actress for his role in this film.
10. The Tudors (2021)
Creator: Michael Hirst
Cast: Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Henry Cavill, Sam Neill
Genre: Historical fiction
IMDb Rating: 8.1
Runtime: 47–56 minutes
Release Date: 1 April 2007 –20 June 2010
The historical drama series features the plot of England under the reign of King Henry VIII (Johnathon Rhys Meyers). It also portrays his political and personal journey throughout his life.
It shows his obsession with having an heir for his kingdom and the growing distance from his first wife. This ultimately led to him divorcing his first wife and marrying Anne Boleyn after a series of difficulties.
Meanwhile, Cardinal Wolsey rose to become the power behind his throne ruling ruthlessly and plotting and operating a series of betrayals against King Henry. The show also shows the love between King’s sister, Margaret, and Charles Bradon, the Habsburg ambassador.
The story was shown for four seasons. The premiere of the show had earned about one million views via online and cable affiliates.
Shortly,
If you are keen on history and want to know about the legacy of the British Empire, you will definitely love these movies. What are you further waiting for? Just watch them!
