DVD Review: A Royal Night Out

A Royal Night Out
(DVD Royal)

With the recent passing of Queen Elizabeth II in England this past week, there has been renewed interest in her life, especially as presented in films and television. I checked out this DVD to see how she was portrayed as Princess Elizabeth on VE Day, the day that the war with Germany was declared to be over. With the deprivation and sacrifice behind them, the people in Britain are given the opportunity to celebrate the end of the war this particular night. Elizabeth and her sister Margaret receive permission from their parents to go out that evening to celebrate the end of this terrible war. This opportunity is not one to be missed — the one time in their lives when they can mingle with the crowds “incognito” and celebrate alongside their British subjects. Unfortunately, the Queen Mum has other ideas in mind — she sends them out with military escorts who take them to the Ritz to celebrate with older upper crust society members — certainly not their idea of a good time! Both Princesses manage to escape and the adventure begins, taking them all over London and into areas that were considered to be the roughest at that time. Here Elizabeth meets Jack, a pilot gone AWOL who helps her to navigate the streets of London in an effort to find Margaret who is caught up in the wild partying throughout the London streets. This DVD was very enjoyable — it has romance, humor and drama, much like Roman Holiday with Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn, one of my all-time favorite films. Sarah Gadon and Bel Powley do an excellent job of portraying the young royals, Elizabeth and Margaret. I especially enjoyed the performance by Roger Allam (DCI Thursday of Endeavour fame) as Stan, a kingpin in the underworld of London. This is definitely a film worth watching!

 

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Roman Holiday, or The King’s Speech.)

 

( Internet Movie Database entry for this film ) | ( official A Royal Night Out web site )

 

Recommended by Kim J.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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Music Review: Diana - The Musical by Joe DiPietro and David Bryan (on Hoopla)

Diana: The Musical
by Joe DiPietro and David Bryan (Hoopla Music)

Few members of the British royal family have engendered such love and attention in our lifetime as the ill-fated Princess Diana. This stage musical features book and lyrics by Joe DiPietro (Memphis, Nice Work if You Can Get It) and music and lyrics by David Bryan (also Memphis). Diana: The Musical‘s story is the life arc of Diana Spencer from her first introduction to Prince Charles, at a formal event, through the years of their courtship/marriage/divorce, to her untimely and tragic demise.

 

Unlike feel-good princess-centered fairytales, Diana: The Musical tells her story with honesty and emotion, highlighting the complicated relationships between her, Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles, with the rest of the royal family as a backdrop — Queen Elizabeth II is another major role in this musical. the songwriters don’t shy away from controversy, choosing to portray some elements in that messy family which are scandalous, and others which have been accusations over the years but have never been proven.

 

Diana: The Musical was one of the victims of COVID-19 shutting down Broadway. However, the producers had the foresight to record a performance of the production, which has been available for viewing on Netflix. The show returns to live Broadway performances again in November 2021, and the soundtrack is available for purchase on CD. The libraries have the soundtrack available only through out Hoopla digital service. Jeanna de Waal is spectacular as Diana. Judy Kaye gives a heartfelt performance as Elizabeth II. Erin Davie as Camilla and Gareth Keegan as James Hewitt are good in supporting roles. Unfortunately, for my taste, Roe Hartrampf is poorly cast as Charles — his singing voice is much higher-pitched than the actual Charles, and that threw me out of the world of the play any time he sang. Royal apologists have attacked Diana: The Musical as bending the truth beyond acceptable levels, but I felt these songs told an emotional and engaging story, which gibes with my memories from the years that Diana was in the public spotlight. Your mileage may vary.

 

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Andrew Morton’s biography, Diana: Her True Story.)

 

( official Diana: The Musical web site )

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

DVD Review: The Crown - The Complete First Season

The Crown: The Complete First Season
(DVD Crown)

 

The first season of The Crown covers the marriage of Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip, the rapid decline of King George VI’s health and then eventually his death, Elizabeth’s coronation, her relationship with Churchill – played very convincingly by John Lithgow – interactions with the abdicated king (now known as the Duke of Windsor) and other family drama, mostly involving her sister Princess Margaret.

 

This Netflix series was recommended to me by several friends and family members. Before watching it I knew nothing about the history of the royal family so I spent a lot of the first few episodes on my phone looking at the family tree to figure out who was who. Once that was nailed down things became really interesting. The first season focuses on her learning how to be the queen and being torn in different directions. She wants to remain loyal to her sister and also have opinions on matters but knows that as the Queen she has to do things differently. She also has to deal with a headstrong husband who has to learn how to become a follower instead. It’s really quite fascinating. Claire Foy was a very strong lead but Vanessa Kirby stole every scene.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try The Queen with Helen Mirren, The Tudors or The Hollow Crown, Reign, Victoria, The King’s Speech or Downton Abbey.]

 [ Internet Movie Database entry for this series ] | [ Netflix’ official The Crown web page ]

 

 

Recommended by Carrie R.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

Have you watched this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!