The Crown [Netflix]

[KiDisaster]

Netflix released the trailer for their upcoming original series about Queen Elizabeth II today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWtnJjn6ng0

 

Looks pretty goddamn impressive. Had a massive budget apparently so that makes sense. John Lithgow as Churchill works surprisingly well. 

[polishgenius]

There was a weird extended early trailer a few months ago that I wasn't impressed with. This is better edited, but still shows the considerable problem that Matt Smith as Prince Phillip commands the screen whereas Claire Foy as the Queen apparently doesn't, meaning he overshadows her whenever they're on it together. That shouldn't happen.

[red snow]

I just don't see anything particularly interesting regarding modern british monarchs. I'm more interested in the ones that had some power. Give me a Charles I/Civil war show and I'd be all over it. I guess there'd be some drama to squeeze out of the "glorious revolution" but after that it's all a bit Downton Abbey/Costume Drama for me in the sense they became more or less figureheads. I'd probably rather follow the prime-ministers from that point.

I can see why they are making the show as there's a big market for the current Queen though.

[Martini Sigil]

5 hours ago, red snow said:

I just don't see anything particularly interesting regarding modern british monarchs. I'm more interested in the ones that had some power. Give me a Charles I/Civil war show and I'd be all over it. I guess there'd be some drama to squeeze out of the "glorious revolution" but after that it's all a bit Downton Abbey/Costume Drama for me in the sense they became more or less figureheads. I'd probably rather follow the prime-ministers from that point.

I can see why they are making the show as there's a big market for the current Queen though.

Yeah... I totally get where you're coming from... the more i think about it, the more I agree.... The story must have much less to do with Liz as royalty, and more about her as a person... but since Netflix has yet to disappoint me... I'll check this out

[red snow]

5 hours ago, Martini Sigil said:

Yeah... I totally get where you're coming from... the more i think about it, the more I agree.... The story must have much less to do with Liz as royalty, and more about her as a person... but since Netflix has yet to disappoint me... I'll check this out

Netflix does have the HBO factor these days so if anyone can make it work - they can. Prince Phillip could be incredibly entertaining

[Channel4s-JonSnow]

11 hours ago, red snow said:

I just don't see anything particularly interesting regarding modern british monarchs. I'm more interested in the ones that had some power. Give me a Charles I/Civil war show and I'd be all over it. I guess there'd be some drama to squeeze out of the "glorious revolution" but after that it's all a bit Downton Abbey/Costume Drama for me in the sense they became more or less figureheads. I'd probably rather follow the prime-ministers from that point.

I can see why they are making the show as there's a big market for the current Queen though.

Agree. If you've ever seen the fantastic David Starkys Monarchy series (on All4) it basically does a Monarch a week. Every single week is a brilliant slice of history. That all grinds to a halt once we get to Liz the second. Unfortunately by that point the Monarch had zero power, was nothing more than a face on a bank note, and worse still have learnt PR so there are far fewer scandals than ever before.

[red snow]

7 minutes ago, Channel4s-JonSnow said:

Agree. If you've ever seen the fantastic David Starkys Monarchy series (on All4) it basically does a Monarch a week. Every single week is a brilliant slice of history. That all grinds to a halt once we get to Liz the second. Unfortunately by that point the Monarch had zero power, was nothing more than a face on a bank note, and worse still have learnt PR so there are far fewer scandals than ever before.

Need to watch/read Monarchy (i've seen the odd episode) and I guess schama covers similar history too. But old-school monarchs (from any country) are usually pretty fun (or terrible but in a way that's good for tv). The whole point of Elizabeth II is that she remains neutral and plays everything safe

 

[Calibandar]

I wonder how this show will compare to the current ITV series Victoria. Come out at about the same time and that series seems well regarded.

[Channel4s-JonSnow]

1 hour ago, red snow said:

Need to watch/read Monarchy (i've seen the odd episode) and I guess schama covers similar history too. But old-school monarchs (from any country) are usually pretty fun (or terrible but in a way that's good for tv). The whole point of Elizabeth II is that she remains neutral and plays everything safe

 

Exactly, which why shes actually been very good at her 'job', shes stayed regal but kept her head down, hasn't done much in the way of stupid stuff, outside of how she reacted during Di's death.

Recommend both those history shows btw. 

[Channel4s-JonSnow]

This does actually look to have quite good production values and a good cast. I do think with these shows they tend to glorify characters a little bit. I love Prince Phil, but he is a bit of an old racist and a twat in some ways, sure they won't go into that.

[red snow]

2 hours ago, Calibandar said:

I wonder how this show will compare to the current ITV series Victoria. Come out at about the same time and that series seems well regarded.

There's definitely an audience out there for these type of shows. At least with Victoria they can probably dig into things or be loose with the truth without people getting too annoyed. With this show they'll have to be as careful as the Queen herself because she's still alive and people are very defensive about her.

1 hour ago, Channel4s-JonSnow said:

 I love Prince Phil, but he is a bit of an old racist and a twat in some ways, sure they won't go into that.

Which is a shame because he would probably be the most fun part of it. I don't know they could portray it that his "gaffs" are something she's envious of because she can't could be interesting. A bit like everyone will eagerly await season 4 when Diana turns up.

Like you say the cast almost seems wasted if the show isn't excellent. Lithgow as Churchill has me curious but again that's probably because I'd watch a show called "churchill" following him from his crazy years as a soldier through to WWI the intervening wilderness and then his return in WWII. Why hasn't someone made this show?

[KiDisaster]

I'm really hoping that they don't whitewash (for lack of a better word) Phillip's shittyness. That would probably hamper my interest in the show somewhat. 

But I suppose with the weird libel laws in the UK they probably have to be very careful. 

[l2 0 5 5]

Trailer looked pretty good.  I'l be tuning in to give it a shot.

[Calibandar]

This has now been released. Looking forward to it, has anyone started it yet.

It will be an interesting comparison with the Victoria 8 part series that has just aired on ITV in England.

[Zorral]

I'll get to it at some point.  Awfully busy these days.  My television watching  lately has been limited to Outlander season 2, and for over two months, The Magnificent Century, the Turkish soap opera of the emperor Sulieman's long reign from the pov of the harem -- I'm up to episode 40!

These two series both show why I would be interested in watching Crown: interesting history; female protagonists; narrative; evocative landscapes; beautiful horses; sumptuous textiles, meticulously fashioned costumes.

Further, when doing historical research, once a popular press developed, I always get thrills and chills reading contemporary accounts of the events, issues and people I'm researching. The Crown is still living history as the Queen is still here, so at some point the history that I've experienced as a living person will intersect with the queen's.  I expect that to b interesting in itself.

 

 

[TickleMyToes]

Watched the first episode last night while half asleep, they do mention Phillip's sisters married to Nazi's, IIRC. And Lithgow as Churchill is great. 

 

[TickleMyToes]

Watching episode 2, Phillip is indeed, a total dick. haha

[Calibandar]

Watched the first episode. Excellent. Looks beautiful and the actors certainly work for me.

[C Rutherford]

Have gotten through the first two episodes.  Its okay.  A bit affected style wise.  A heavy hand on gore oddly enough and we definitely know Matt Smith has an ass, he has no problem baring it and and Netflix is making serious artistic programming here!  Serious I say.  Two cheeks and a crack serious.  I did laugh at the one review that said ironically that it is still a man's world when Smith bares his ass (at least three times I think) and yet no royal titties.  I don't think bare ass or salacious royal tatas are necessary or ad to the story.  But again. Serious adult programming needs it apparently.

I did have a case of the bad giggles at the end of the second episode at what I think was an attempt to get their own dramatic stirring moment akin to Dame Maggie smith's bravura performance as the Dowager Countess leaving Downton after the death of Sybil.  Unfortunately Queen Mary just came off creepy and as others have noted elsewhere she ends up looking like she wandered off the set of David Lynch's Dune film and I kept waiting for her to lift the veil and tell Elizabeth if she is ready to meet her Gom Jabbar.

Still it isn't bad.  The female roles are all marvelously cast.  Lithgow definitely works.  Matt Smith, bare bum for art aside, is not working for me.  There is just something that lacks the young exile so determined to be more British than the British as well as someone who may wall have been incredibly self-serving in his wooing and wedding of the princess.  Smith just has a face that for me does not work with enigmatic glances and long unspoken pauses.  He has a silly putty face that worked well in Dr Who from the little I watched but this I find him miscast.  Likely the outlier in that regard.

I'm looking forward to how they handle Margaret's story. 

 

 

[HexMachina]

4 hours ago, C Rutherford said:

Have gotten through the first two episodes.  Its okay.  A bit affected style wise.  A heavy hand on gore oddly enough and we definitely know Matt Smith has an ass, he has no problem baring it and and Netflix is making serious artistic programming here!  Serious I say.  Two cheeks and a crack serious.  I did laugh at the one review that said ironically that it is still a man's world when Smith bares his ass (at least three times I think) and yet no royal titties.  I don't think bare ass or salacious royal tatas are necessary or ad to the story.  But again. Serious adult programming needs it apparently.

I did have a case of the bad giggles at the end of the second episode at what I think was an attempt to get their own dramatic stirring moment akin to Dame Maggie smith's bravura performance as the Dowager Countess leaving Downton after the death of Sybil.  Unfortunately Queen Mary just came off creepy and as others have noted elsewhere she ends up looking like she wandered off the set of David Lynch's Dune film and I kept waiting for her to lift the veil and tell Elizabeth if she is ready to meet her Gom Jabbar.

Still it isn't bad.  The female roles are all marvelously cast.  Lithgow definitely works.  Matt Smith, bare bum for art aside, is not working for me.  There is just something that lacks the young exile so determined to be more British than the British as well as someone who may wall have been incredibly self-serving in his wooing and wedding of the princess.  Smith just has a face that for me does not work with enigmatic glances and long unspoken pauses.  He has a silly putty face that worked well in Dr Who from the little I watched but this I find him miscast.  Likely the outlier in that regard.

I'm looking forward to how they handle Margaret's story. 

 

 

 thank you for that.

I'm also not sure how I feel about it. I like Foy as Elizabeth a lot, and Lithgow as Churchill has been fantastic. Like you I dislike Matt Smith as Phillip. I can't take him seriously, and aside from that I find him very forgettable. If he doesn't show up every five minutes I forget he is in e show at all. 

Apparently season 2 got the green light with Foy and Smith back though, so hey hum, another season of him at least.