Period dramas and historic films have always attracted a global audience. The genre’s appeal among film makers and directors probably lies in people’s fascination for travelling back in time to experience a cherished or forgotten time.
Whether it is the HBO’s Game of Thrones or Shekhar Kapur’s Elizabeth, people have loved stories of royalty set in different periods. When it comes to the British royal family, it is impossible to overlook the fact that the Royal Family has held the reverence and attention of the world through generations.
From Queen Elizabeth II’s diamond jubilee celebrations to the telecast of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding, the British royal family and its celebrations are lapped up by the audiences worldwide. Even as the royal family has been opening up more and more to the audiences with documentaries and behind-the-scenes footages, a complete depiction of its history showcasing the enigmatic lives of the royals has been a daunting task that is yet to be explored to its full potential.
While there have been many films covering the older history of the British royal family, such as the award-winning King’s Speech, there has seldom been enough on-screen depictions of the existing royal family and their lives.
Netflix’s successful offering “The Crown” has done what no other period drama has ever done so far. It has brought life to the characters of the existing royal family and its relatives while telling the turmoil and challenges Queen Elizabeth II and the royal family, including Prince Phillipe, the Queen Mother, Princess Margaret and Prince Charles had to face to keep the British Monarchy relevant and functioning over the past few decades.
Queen Elizabeth II has been reigning for the past 65 years and it is a Herculean task to bring her early reign to life on screen, but the Crown achieves it with ease, showing the human side of the world’s most famous royal family.
Currently in its 4th season, the Crown is covering the 1970s and 1980s. This season, like all others, is going to be female-centric as it captures the time when both the power centres of Britain were held by two strong ladies of world politics – Queen Elizabeth II and Britain’s Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher.
The entry of Emma Corrin as the young Princess Diana infuses fresh life to the series. The story now revolves more around an adult Prince Charles and his beautiful wife Princess Diana, taking a dark turn with splashes of adultery and marital troubles that eventually led to the couple’s separation in the 90s. The spotlight this season shifts away from the Queen and her rebellious sister Margaret, and focuses more on new characters and world events. These new characters do not disappoint as their portrayal is just as brilliant as the Queen’s portrayal in the previous seasons. For example, Gillian Anderson as Margaret Thatcher is surprisingly authentic and is one of the central characters of this season.
All in all, the story of the Royal Family seems to be as riveting this season as it was in previous seasons, bringing out more details that might have been buried deep in the pages of history.
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