Movies/documentaries on British royalty?

Question

I’m aware of the recent movies about the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. I’m wondering if there are any more on British royalty, especially from the Reformation era onward, through the Revolutionary War period. Even if they aren’t movies, are there any good documentaries?

Answer 1

There was a really good mini-series on TV a few years back about the reign of Charles II.  You can get the DVD on Amazon - it's well worth a look.

Another good movie is 'To Kill A King' - it's set just after the English Civil War and it's about Charles I & Cromwell.  Also, well worth a look.

'The Madness of King George' is excellent.

There was another tv mini-series from a couple of years back called 'Gunpowder, Treason & Plot' - I thought it was pretty good.  The first part deals with Mary Queen of Scots and the second part deals with her son James VI of Scotland & I of England & the attempted assassination of him by the Gunpowder Plotters.  It's also available on Amazon.

Answer 2

I Hope this link helps...

http://www.royalty.nu/royal/movies.html

Answer 3

If you like movies, there's a great BBC miniseries from the 70s called Elizabeth R (about, you guessed it, Elizabeth I). However, for drama AND accuracy, it simply cannot be matched. I also recently saw a more modern BBC series with Ray Winstone about Henry VIII. The movie Mary, Queen of Scots with Vanessa Redgrave, while not necessarily accurate, is certainly entertaining. The Protestant Reformation played a huge role in her fate. Anne of the Thousand Days, about Anne Boleyn, is wonderful and heartbreaking at the same time.

For documentaries, I really recommend Simon Schama's A History of Britain. Let's face it, he's kind of a condescending tool, but it's a fascinating and thorough documentary.