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Royalty

Around the world, people have a fascination for those born into privilege. And at the top of the heap are those born into royalty, groomed from a young age to take on the responsibilities, and perks, of leadership. From Queen Cleopatra to King Henry VIII to the current Queen of England, filmmakers, like their audiences, have taken a keen interest in what makes these people tick, always trying to expose something of their private lives and challenges, and perhaps even making them seem as human as the rest of us. Pictured: Queen Bette in 'The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex'.

The Devil's Whore (2008)

7.2/10
Director: Marc Munden
Starring: Andrea Riseborough, Dominic West, John Simm, Tim McInnerny, Tom Goodman-Hill, Pe...

A four-part mini-series set during the English Civil War as seen through the eyes of 17-year-old courtier Angelica Fanshawe. An English co-production... Read more

The Emperor and the Assassin (1999)

7.3/10
Director: Chen Kaige
Starring: Gong Li, Zhang Fengyi, Li Xuejian, Sun Zhou, Lu Xiaohe, Wang Zhiwen

This lavishly produced, epic historical drama is set in the third century B.C. and tells the multi-faceted story of the man who became the first Emper... Read more

The Exception (2016)

6.8/10
Director: David Leveaux
Starring: Ben Daniels, Christopher Plummer, Janet McTeer, Anton Lesser, Jai Courtney, Lily...

German soldier Stefan Brandt goes on a mission to investigate exiled German Monarch Kaiser Wilhelm II. The Kaiser lives in a secluded mansion in the N... Read more

The Favourite (2018)

7.7/10
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Starring: Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz, Nicholas Hoult, Joe Alwyn, Mark Gatiss,...

In the early 18th century, England is at war with the French. Nevertheless, duck racing and pineapple eating are thriving. A frail Queen Anne occupies... Read more

The Favourite (Blu-Ray) (2018)

7.7/10
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Starring: Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz, Nicholas Hoult, Joe Alwyn, Mark Gatiss,...

In the early 18th century, England is at war with the French. Nevertheless, duck racing and pineapple eating are thriving. A frail Queen Anne occupies... Read more

The King And I (1956)

7.5/10
Director: Walter Lang
Starring: Deborah Kerr, Yul Brynner, Rita Moreno

Walter Lang's remake of the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical is thematically buttressed by the daring choreography of Jerome Robbins ('West Sid... Read more

The King and the Clown (2005)

7.5/10
Director: Jun-ik Lee
Starring: Woo-seong Kam, Jin-young Jeong, Seong-Yeon Kang, Jun-gi Lee, Hang-Seon Jang, Hae...

South Korea's highest-grossing film of all time (until it was surpassed by 2006's 'The Host') is this period drama-comedy about a group of wandering m... Read more

The Last Emperor (1987)

7.8/10
Director: Bernardo Bertolucci
Starring: John Lone, Joan Chen, Peter O'Toole, Victor Wong

A stunning milestone in the history of cinema; John Lone stars as Pu Yi, emperor of China, who comes from a long history of a tradition that is irreve... Read more

The Last Emperor ( Blu-ray ) (1987)

7.8/10
Director: Bernardo Bertolucci
Starring: Joan Chen, John Lone, Peter O'Toole, Victor Wong

A stunning milestone in the history of cinema; John Lone stars as Pu Yi, emperor of China, who comes from a long history of a tradition that is irreve... Read more

The Libertine (2004)

6.4/10
Director: Laurence Dunmore
Starring: Johnny Depp, Samantha Morton, John Malkovich, Rosamund Pike, Tom Hollander, Kell...

Johnny Depp plays the hedonistic writer John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester, close friend of Charles II (John Malkovich) and a notorius figure in 17th cent... Read more