Wednesday 11 January 2017

The Crown (TV Series - 2016) - A Review

The Crown is a Netflix series which chronicles Queen Elizabeth II’s reign.  The beloved British Monarch is portrayed by Claire Foy (Anne Boylen in the fantastic “Wolf Hall”), first as the Princess Elizabeth just before her marriage to Prince Philip, and Season One ends a few years into her reign.  Matt Smith (a former Dr. Who) plays the young Prince Philip.

I came to the series with very high expectations, not all of which were met.  Some episodes were positively riveting and I came away with a fresh appreciation of the humanity of the Queen’s father, King George VI.  A couple of episodes verged on being slow, though being a keen lover of historical drama I never did feel like switching off and walking away.

When Season one was done, I felt as if not enough ground had been covered and there was still too much shut away behind closed doors.  I was left wanting more depth to the story, to some of the characters, as much as is possible when dramatizing real events.  Having said that, with multiple Golden Globe nominations and wins including best drama and best actress in a Drama series, Netflix has clearly done something right here.

Would I watch a Season 2? Certainly. Would I recommend the Crown to others?  Yes I would, but with a caveat.  You probably need to be a fan of historical drama, or an avid Anglophile to really enjoy this.  It’s not even particularly Royalist in its treatment of the family; if anything I wouldn’t be surprised if it was made by people with Republican leanings (in the Monarchical sense).

Check it out, and let me know what you think!

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