THE CROWN: SEASON ONE - Blu-ray (Left Bank/Sony Pictures, 2016) Sony Home Entertainment
Few ventures in
human endeavor can justly rank as pivotal, turbulent, and, as challenging as
those possessed by the British monarchy of the 20th century. Those
who have only known a time under the reign of Her Royal Highness Queen
Elizabeth II will likely take comfort that as the sovereign herself tips the
scales at age 91, effectively having ruled longer than any of her predecessors,
she continues to captivate, not only the hearts and minds of that tiny isle where
Imperial rule has managed to weather many a grave and vindictive storm cloud
invigorated by the winds of change, but equally to hold an audience in the
world at large, compelled by her fortitude, vigor and, in more recent times,
candor – the likes of which no predeceased monarch would have engaged in, much
less entertained. The intrigues, foibles, follies and machinations to have
shaped Elizabeth’s time are on full display in Peter Morgan’s The Crown (2016-present); among
of the most masterfully told productions to have emerged from the BBC (produced
in an alliance between Left Bank Pictures and Sony Pictures Television for
Netflix). Whether considering Claire Foy’s uncanny and miraculously sustained
transformation from HRH Princess Elizabeth, majestically morphed into HM Queen
Elizabeth II, Vanessa Kirby’s passionate rendition of her more flamboyant
sister, Princess Margaret or John Lithgow’s extraordinarily heartbreaking,
frequently caustic, yet bitterly graceful portrait of Sir Winston Churchill, The Crown steadily evolves into
precisely the sort of melodrama about royalty, made heartily robust with all
the fire and music one could hope to witness secondhand.
Morgan has
assembled a superb roster of talent to tell his tale: the standouts (and there
are many) - Matt (Dr. Who) Smith, as the lanky embodiment of a feisty Prince
Philip, Duke of Edinborough, whose rank and title were foisted upon him to
expunge his Greek heritage from the public record; the ever-superb Pip Torrens
as the Queen’s resolute private secretary, Tommy Lascelles; Alex Jennings (who
seems to have a yen for dallying with the royals, previously playing Prince
Charles in Stephen Frear’s 2006 adaptation of Morgan’s The Queen) herein, cast as the much-beloved (at least, by the
people), though socially disgraced Edward, Duke of Windsor, having abdicated
the throne to marry the woman he loved, thrice-divorcee Wallis Simpson (Lia
Williams, eerily on point as his paramour). Intermittently scripted by Philip
Martin, Benjamin Caron, Stephen Daldry, Julian Jarrold and Philippa Lowthrope,
and immaculately photographed by Adriano Goldman, Stuart Howell and Ole Bratt
Birkeland, to say nothing of Hans Zimmer’s epic underscore, married to the work
of a small behind-the-scenes army achieving impeccable verisimilitude, The Crown: Season One rises above the accoutrements
of traditionally well-crafted BBC product to emerge as something of a testament
to one of the most covered – yet, perhaps entirely misunderstood – women in the
world.
From top to
bottom, The Crown is a tour de force.
Morgan’s command of the English language, not to mention the girth of his
research and appreciation for his subject matter affords him the opportunities
to play fast and loose with the narrative timeline of this hypnotic period
piece. Virtually all of the episodes are set in the hypothetical ‘present’ – Elizabeth on the cusp of
assuming her royal duties after the death of her father, King George VI (Jared
Harris), enjoying indiscriminate romps into the not-so-distant past when
Elizabeth and Margaret were children, carefree and at play within the palace
walls, completely unaware of how a singularly remarkable gesture by the
would-be sovereign would unexpectedly alter the course of their impressionable
youth forever, and, shape a national destiny that no historian could have
foretold.
The Crown begins with Episode
1, Wolferton Splash: set in 1947 as Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark
renounces his royal titles to wed the Princess Elizabeth; the eldest daughter
of King George VI. Unaware of the King’s grave condition (he is dying of coronary
thrombosis), a medical certainty kept hidden even from him by his doctors (having
already removed one cancerous lung, only to discover the other well-advanced
with similar tumors), the newlyweds return to Malta where Philip assumes
command of the Royal Navy while Elizabeth gives birth to Charles and Anne. In
1951, the couple returns to London to be with the family as the King undergoes
surgery for lung cancer. For the briefest wrinkle in time the King –
affectionately known to his wife, Queen Elizabeth (Victoria Hamilton) and
mother, Queen Mary (Aileen Atkins) as ‘Bertie’, enjoys restorative health.
Alas, the soot and dampness of London, and draftiness of old castles alike, not
to mention the George’s penchant for chain-smoking cigarettes, reveal a reoccurrence
of his illness. Informed by his loyal
physician, Dr. Weir (James Laurenson) he has mere months to live, the King
gingerly counsels Philip on his looming duties to the woman he has married, but
must now renounce as mere flesh and blood and come to regard as ‘the Queen’; a station exalted and
ordained by the will of God. In tandem
with this pending uncertainty in the royal house, there arrives the forbearance
of a relic from another epoch: as former Conservative Prime Minister, Sir
Winston Churchill marks a startling return to No. 10 Downing Street after six
years of Labor Party government. Churchill’s ever-devoted wife, Clementine -
‘Clemmie’ for short, (Harriet Walter) is as weary of what the aged-crust of
prejudice against her husband in the House of Commons will do to his
increasingly fragile health as she is protective of Winston’s legacy.
In Episode #2, Hyde Park Corner, we reach
the inevitable turning point in Elizabeth’s young life; gingerly sent by her
dying father, along with Philip, on an extensive tour of the Commonwealth in 1952.
The couple is given a lavish reception everywhere they go and enjoy their last
taste of freedom, experiencing the African tundra and wetlands firsthand. News
arrives by telegram from London. The King has died in his sleep. The Queen, Margaret,
and widowed mother, Queen Mary are inconsolable at the loss. Elizabeth,
however, is rather circumspect; her years of rigid training in royal protocol
having effectively whittled any great surge of emotion from the content of her
character. As the nation prepares for
the ceremonial funeral, Philip becomes increasingly aware he has blundered into
a situation where he can never prove himself as his own man. Like the others,
his independence is to be sacrificed in service to ‘the Queen’.
In Episode #3, Windsor, we learn a good deal
more about the private animosities the royal house harbors against the Duke of
Windsor. Indeed, 17 years after his abdication, Edward realizes he is still held
responsible for having disgraced the household by choosing to live, and later
marry the thrice-divorced, Wallis Simpson. The couple has since lived abroad in
Paris on a royal allowance the Queen Mother threatens to cut off. She also
absolutely forbids Wallis to return to London to accompany her husband to
Bertie’s funeral. Even Queen Mary cannot surrender her bitter contempt for
Edward. Reluctantly, Edward is granted permission to attend his brother’s
funeral He regards his former family as a morgue of embalmed royal corpses;
cruel and vindictive. Meanwhile, the pending Queen meets with Winston Churchill
to discuss her husband’s requests; vestures of his feeble attempt to hold on to
something sacred for himself. Hoping against hope to keep the name ‘Mountbatten’
and remain at Clarence House, a fashionable estate newly redecorated by him,
instead of relocating to Buckingham Palace, Elizabeth’s resolve on these
promises made to Philip buckles under the weight of the Prime Minister’s reluctance
to bow to either query. The other bone of contention arises when Churchill delays
Elizabeth’s coronation for one whole year as he toggles to secure his position
against his own party, eager for Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden (James Norton)
to succeed him.
Episode #4, Act of God, begins
innocuously enough with Philip, determined to take flying lessons from the
dashing Air Force Group Captain, Peter Townsend (Ben Miles), presently
embroiled in a scandalous affair with Princess Margaret. But quickly, attention shifts to a watershed
moment in English history oft made a mere footnote in the history books: the
nightmarish December 1952 sulfur-infused smog that descended upon London,
killing thousands with its noxious toxicity. For nine days this smog
obliterated the sun, regarded by parliament as an ‘act of God’ to pressure
Churchill to step down as Prime Minister. Exacerbating longstanding respiratory
conditions, as well as indiscriminatingly decimating both young and old with
its lethal deadliness, the smog terrorizes the city like the plagues of old. Churchill’s
postwar governance seems ill-equipped to handle the panic: his warrior-like
stance against enemies (even, his friends), refusing to bend to any notion of a
resignation. Churchill is working against the hands of time, frequently caught
napping in public and, even when awake, a very caustic lion, indeed; chafing at
his cabinet who suggest the smog is a curse upon his administration. Forced to
care for a flat-mate afflicted by the effects of the smog, Churchill’s favorite
fresh-faced young secretary, Venetia Scott (Kate Phillips) is struck down in
the streets by a double-decker bus en route from the hospital. Her loss proves
the catalyst for Churchill’s impassioned declaration in the press; a promise
made and kept of sweeping reforms to prevent another smog from ever again
afflicting London. Inspired by his fortitude, Elizabeth resists the advice of
her ministers to ask for Churchill’s resignation.
In Episode #5, Smoke and Mirrors, Queen
Mary expires peacefully in her sleep. It is March 1953, and Mary’s passing
stirs the acrimony between Edward and the royals once more. Unbeknownst to
Elizabeth, her Private Secretary Tommy Lascelles all but makes it impossible
for Edward to attend her royal coronation. Bitterly, Edward retreats to France.
Meanwhile, the soon-to-be monarch breaks with tradition, ruffling more than a
few feathers along the way, when she insists Philip be made Chairman of her Coronation
Planning Committee. Recognizing that in
order to remain relevant in a world fast spinning out of control the monarchy
must also make concessions, modernizing and streamlining the process by which
they are perceived to govern, Philip encourages Elizabeth to allow the Westminster
Abbey ceremony to be televised; an anathema to the Archbishop of Canterbury
(Ronald Pickup) who eventually relents. Nevertheless, Elizabeth will not allow
Philip to forgo kneeling before her as she is crowned. He resists, but
eventually follows this time-honored protocol, creating a distinct rift in
their marriage. From his villa outside of Paris, Edward and Wallis view the
coronation with a gaggle of their fair-weather friends, Edward publicly mocking
the ceremony, but secretly admiring Elizabeth from afar.
In Episode #6, Gelignite, Margaret reveals
the extent of her passion for Peter Townsend, inviting Elizabeth and Philip to
dine with them, and, finally beseeching Elizabeth to grant them permission to
marry. Unaware of the entanglement to result from this seemingly innocent act
of true love, the Queen freely agrees to her sister’s happiness. She is quickly
advised on the epic misfire of keeping such a promise by Lascelles and The
Queen Mother. Alas, having found out the affair, the newspapers transform it
into the whirlwind romance of the decade. The British people are with Margaret
and Townsend. Regrettably, Elizabeth begins to resent Margaret’s notoriety and
popularity overshadowing her own. She is also made acutely aware of the Royal
Marriages Act of 1772. This expressly prohibits Margaret from marrying without
royal consent until she is twenty-five. Having successfully delayed Margaret’s
plans to wed for two years, Elizabeth and Philip attempt to soften the blow by
taking Townsend, previously posted as a cultural attaché in Brussels, with them
on a trip to Northern Ireland. Again, this act of benevolence backfires when
Townsend – not the royal couple – becomes the intense focus by the press.
Lascelles cruelly preys upon Elizabeth’s insecurity, recommending Townsend be
shipped off to Brussels sooner than promised. Recognizing the real reason for
this exile, Margaret becomes temporarily estranged from Elizabeth. She remains
wholly committed to wedding Peter upon her twenty-fifth birthday. Time passes.
In Episode 7, Scientia Potentia Est, prompted
by the Soviet Union’s atomic experiments, Churchill calls for an International
Summit with U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower. As Buckingham Palace prepares
for this lavish state dinner plans for the Anglo-American alliance are
inadvertently derailed when Churchill suffers a series of strokes. Concealing
the true nature of his infirmity from the Queen, Churchill convalesces while Lord
Salisbury (Clive Francis) performs the necessary damage control. Meanwhile,
Elizabeth considers Lascelles’ retirement. Senior Deputy Michael Adeane (Will Keen) is
the natural successor. But the Queen prefers the more open-minded and
congenial, Martin Charteris (Harry Hatton-Paton). Determined she should be better
acquainted in the art of diplomacy and politics the Queen engages Professor
Hogg (Alan Williams) to improve her knowledge of science and other related
subjects. Alas, Hogg quickly deduces Her Majesty’s tutelage thus far leaves
much to be desired. She never graduated from any accredited school and is, in
point of fact, rather ignorant in matters outside of her narrowly construed
instruction on how to be the perfect figurehead. Gingerly, the real process of
higher learning begins. Infused with newfound confidence, the Queen gives both
Churchill and Salisbury a dressing down for lying to her about the Prime
Minister’s health.
In Episode #8, Pride and Joy, Margaret is
appointed by her sister to take on several royal engagements while the Queen
and Philip begin a rather strained tour of the Commonwealth. In the meantime,
the Queen Mother heads to Scotland to reflect on her new position. In the
process she is shown a dilapidated castle nestled on the moors and elects to
buy it. Unbeknownst to everyone, Elizabeth suspects Philip’s revelry in the
hours he frequently spends apart from her are leading him astray. In their
first royal row as husband and wife, the Queen is startled to discover the
press nearby, poised for a photo-op. Appealing to the reporters she is spared
the embarrassment of a public scandal in the papers after one of the reporters
dutifully surrenders the film in his camera with his apologies. Martin presides
over Margaret’s planned address during her first royal engagement at home.
Instead, Margaret elects to depart from her scripted speech. Her monologue,
half tongue-in-cheek and devil-may-care is appreciated by the attendees, who
are delighted by her candor and glibness, and the press, who waste no time splashing
the particulars across their front pages. Elizabeth is furious. Once again, her
sister’s escapades have outshone her.
Churchill intervenes, informing Margaret she will not be allowed to take
on any more royal engagements.
In Episode #9, Assassins, the Queen is
unnerved by her husband’s flagrant absence from the family home. In reply, she begins
spending more time with Lord Porchester (Joseph Kloska); affectionately
nicknamed ‘Porchey’. Porchester is a professional horse breeder, and one-time
aspiring love interest who encourages the Queen to put one of her racing
thoroughbreds out to stud. Philip is slightly jealous of his wife’s innocuous
interactions with Lord Porchester. Later in the evening he bluntly suggests
Elizabeth ought to have married Porchester instead of him. Elizabeth concurs
that the lord’s temperament would have been better suited for the royal duties
Philip now takes disdainfully for granted. But the Queen sets her husband
straight. For better or worse, he is the only man she has ever truly loved. And
even now, despite his suspected dalliances, she continues in these affections.
As the royals prepare to attend Churchill’s eightieth birthday dinner, Philip
sheepishly mouths his apology to Elizabeth from across the table. Alas,
Churchill’s elation is deflated when he is assigned a relatively unheard of
contemporary artist, Graham Sutherland (Stephen Dillane) to commission his
professional portrait. During their sittings, Churchill gets to know Sutherland
better. The two men share in the loss of a young child; Sutherland’s son, and
Churchill’s fifth daughter. As part of his birthday gala, Churchill addresses
Parliament, unveiling the portrait he has never seen but quickly comes to
regard as a total betrayal. Sutherland bitterly reminds Churchill that the
portrait accurately captures the true ravages of time he is unwilling to
concede. Reluctantly, and sometime later on secret instructions, Clementine has
the portrait destroyed in a bonfire at their country estate.
The Crown: Season 1 concludes with Episode #10, Gloriana. It is 1956 and
the Queen struggles to remain true to the promise made to Margaret regarding
her engagement to Peter Townsend. While the public and press have branded it
the romance of the decade, the Archbishop of Canterbury and Parliament disavow
any such hope for marriage. The Princess cannot be allowed to wed the
previously divorced Townsend, even though he was blameless in that first marriage.
Elizabeth gingerly tries to dissuade Margaret from pursuing their relationship.
Meanwhile, the Queen Mother grows impatient with Philip’s domineering attitude
toward Charles. The boy is sensitive. But Philip cruelly regards Charles as
weak. Again, in search of a project to occupy her husband’s time and energies,
Elizabeth asks Philip to open the Summer Olympics in Melbourne. Later, a five-month
tour aboard the newly commissioned Britannia is added to his itinerary.
Churchill reluctantly confides in Clemmie; the time has come to step down from
public service. As Edens prepares to
replace Churchill he is still plagued by his own health issues and a growing
dependency on injections to alleviate his pain; aggravated by a raging dispute
with Egypt’s President Gamal Abdel Nasser over rights to the Suez Canal. The
episode ends with Philip’s departure, the Queen’s further isolation in
Buckingham Palace and the newsreel of Nasser railing against the West, suddenly
caught and burnt in the projector as Edens helplessly looks on.
The Crown is superbly conceived. As with the very best of BBC
Productions, its strengths are primarily the creation of a sustained climate of
intrigue that never translates into the sort of ‘in-your-face’ heavy-handed
melodrama readily afflicting movies and TV produced in America. Sony’s
participation here seems more financial than creative, affording Peter Morgan
and Left Bank Pictures the reigns to evolve their riveting narratives.
Arguably, the life and times of Queen Elizabeth II need no embellishment. And, indeed, the affinity for remaining
steadfast and true to the real biographical facts (with minor caveats) has been
highly praised by both the critics and royal biographers/historians, whose job
it is to document such accuracy for posterity. The Crown is currently in Season
Two on Netflix. But the series is planned to incorporate 60, one-hour-long
episodes, spread over six seasons. Interiors were shot at Elstree Studios in
Borehamwood, Hertfordshire with various locations throughout the United
Kingdom. Owed and afforded widespread critical acclaim, The Crown: Season One took home Screen Actors Guild Awards for
Claire Foy and John Lithgow. It also received 13 Emmy nominations, including one
for Most Outstanding Drama Series. There is not much more to be said of it. The Crown is an enveloping drama with
few equals. Once hooked, you are unlikely to put it down or forget it.
Sony Pictures
Entertainment has released The Crown:
Season One on Blu-ray, dividing episodes across 4 discs. Uniformly, picture
quality is outstanding. Sony has proven time and again it remains at the
forefront of digital mastering. The
Crown was photographed digitally, so the leap to Blu-ray is almost a
foregone conclusion. The lack of ‘film-based’ grain is complimented by a smooth
digital sheen, exhibiting a startling amount of fine detail and superior color
reproduction. Subtly photographed, this is an incredibly varied, textured and visually
rich presentation. Black levels are solidly represented and skin tones acquire
a natural pallor. The 1080p image exports a superior amount of information
with pinpoint accuracy. There are no source anomalies or other encode flaws.
This image is flawless and breathtaking!
The DTS 5.1 soundtrack
is sublimely satisfying, full of directionalized SFX, robust music cues and
properly placed dialogue. As most of the verbal badinage is uttered in restrained
hush, such outbursts of conflict appear even more startling and potent. The
aural ambiance extended to choral chants or wild cheering, the screech of cars
and horses’ hooves galloping across pebbly ground, shotgun blasts during the
hunting season, conspire to create sonic bursts as scintillating as any
large-scale movie-going experience. The one grave misfire here is in the
extras. Apart from a photo gallery we get absolutely nothing. No audio
commentaries, no ‘making of’ featurette, no interviews with the stars…nothing.
For shame! Oh well, can’t have everything, I suppose. For anyone’s money, The Crown: Season One will surely not
disappoint. Buy today and treasure forever. What a great way to kick off the
New Year!
FILM RATING (out of 5 – 5 being the best)
5+
VIDEO/AUDIO
5+
EXTRAS
1 (boo-hoo!)
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