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'.
Monarchy: Series 3 (2006)
6.1/10
Starring: David Starkey
Dr David Starkey presents the third series of his complete history of the British Monarchy. In this series, Starkey explores the period dating from 16... Read more
Edward II (1992)
7/10
Director: Derek Jarman
Starring: Kevin Collins, Steven Waddington, Andrew Tiernan
Derek Jarman uses Christopher Marlowe's classic play about the 14th century monarch for this daring cinematic treatise on gay love and its place in th... 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
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
To Kill a King (2003)
6.2/10
Director: Mike Barker
Starring: Tim Roth, Dougray Scott, Olivia Williams, James Bolam
1645: After years of civil war, King Charles I is overthrown and two heroes have emerged Lord General Thomas Fairfax and his best friend and deputy Ge... Read more
The Crown: Season 4 (2020)
7.7/10
Starring: Helena Bonham Carter, Olivia Colman, Imelda Staunton, Josh O'Connor, Tobias Menz...
S.1: The royal family mourns the passing of Winston Churchill. The United Kingdom ushers in a new prime minister, the Labour Party's Harold Wilson who... Read more
Fire Over England (1937)
6.7/10
Director: William Howard
Starring: Leslie Banks, Laurence Olivier, Fiora Robson, Vivien Leigh, Raymond Massey
Superb British historical drama as Elizabethan England is under attack by the Spanish Armada. Flora Robson is magnificent as Queen Elizabeth, who send... Read more
The White Queen (2013)
7.8/10
Starring: James Frain, Janet McTeer, Juliet Aubrey, Robert Pugh, Amanda Hale, Max Irons, R...
The year is 1464 and England has been at war for nine years over who is the rightful King of England. This is a war between two sides of the same fami... 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
Mary, Queen of Scots (1971)
7.5/10
Director: Charles Jarrott
Starring: Vanessa Redgrave, Glenda Jackson, Timothy Dalton, Patrick McGoohan, Nigel Davenp...
A resplendent historical tale of ambition and betrayal, capturing the intense rivalry between Queen Elizabeth I (Academy Award winner Glenda Jackson)... Read more