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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'.

A Man for All Seasons (1966)

7.9/10
Director: Fred Zinnemann
Starring: Wendy Hiller, John Hurt, Leo McKern, Paul Scofield, Robert Shaw, Orson Welles, S...

Adapted by Robert Bolt and Constance Willis from Bolt's hit stage play, this is a literate, penetrating treatment of the conflict between Thomas More... Read more

A Man for All Seasons ( Blu-ray ) (1966)

7.9/10
Director: Fred Zinnemann
Starring: Corin Redgrave, John Hurt, Leo McKern, Nigel Davenport, Orson Welles, Paul Scofi...

Adapted by Robert Bolt and Constance Willis from Bolt's hit stage play, A Man for All Seasons stars Paul Scofield, triumphantly repeating his stage ro... Read more

Anastasia (1956)

7.1/10
Director: Anatole Litvak
Starring: Akim Tamiroff, Helen Hayes, Ingrid Bergman, Yul Brynner, Martita Hunt, Natalie S...

Ingrid Bergman won an Oscar for her performance in this strange but engrossing story about Czar Nicholas' missing daughter Anastasia. Yul Brynner is a... Read more

Anna And The King Of Siam (1946)

7.1/10
Director: John Cromwell
Starring: Irene Dunne, Rex Harrison, Linda Darnell, Lee J Cobb

A sumptuous production chronicling the experiences of a British governess in 19th Century Thailand and her battle of wits with a strong-willed ruler.... Read more

Anne of the Thousand Days (1969)

7.5/10
Director: Charles Jarrott
Starring: Genevieve Bujold, Richard Burton, Anthony Quayle, Irene Papas, John Colicos

The ill-fated romance of King Henry VIII of England and his second wife, Anne Boleyn, is recounted in this lavish drama. The king's (Richard Burton) o... Read more

Antony And Cleopatra (BBC) (1981)

5.9/10
Director: Jonathan Miller
Starring: Colin Blakely, Janet Key, Jane Lapotaire, John Paul, Esmond Knight, Ian Charleso...

Colin Blakely and Jan Lapataire star in this BBC adaptation of Shakespeare's passionate tale. Mark Antony, one of the three rulers of the Roman Empire... Read more

Becket (1964)

8/10
Director: Peter Glenville
Starring: Richard Burton, Peter O'Toole, John Gielgud

Richard Burton and Peter O'Toole star in this grand historical drama adapted from the Jean Anouilh play about the tumultuous relationship of an archbi... Read more

Bertie and Elizabeth (2002)

7.2/10
Director: Giles Foster
Starring: Eileen Atkins, Juliet Aubrey, Alan Bates, Elisabeth Dermot Walsh, Robert Hardy

James Wilby and Juliet Aubrey star in the intimate portrayal of the endearing love affair between the young Queen Mother Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon and Albe... Read more

By the Sword Divided: Series 1 (1983)

7.6/10
Director: Henry Herbert, Michael Custance, Brian Farnham, Diarmuid Lawrence
Starring: Julian Glover, Andrew MacLachlan, Rob Edwards, Jeremy Clyde, Tim Bentinck, Lucy...

Produced by the BBC, this epic historical drama series is set during the English Civil War and follows the changing loyalties and wrenching conflict w... Read more

Caesar and Cleopatra (1945)

6.4/10
Director: Gabriel Pascal
Starring: Vivien Leigh, Claude Rains, Stewart Granger, Flora Robson

George Bernard Shaw's exuberantly witty play about Rome's titanic leader and Egypt's young queen was transferred to the big screen with stars Vivien L... Read more