All Hail The Crown: The 10 Best Movies (and one TV Show) About the British Monarchy

All Hail The Crown: The 10 Best Movies (and one TV Show) About the British Monarchy November 11, 2016

Nigel Hawthorne and Helen Mirren in The Madness of King George, photo courtesy The Samuel Goldwyn Company
Nigel Hawthorne and Helen Mirren in The Madness of King George, photo courtesy The Samuel Goldwyn Company

The Madness of King George (1994)

We’re past the age of frilly collars and into the age of powdered wigs. It’s a big leap here: Several kings and queens have come in gone between Elizabeth and George III. Indeed, Britain dispensed with the monarchy entirely for a bit. But the royalty returned in 1660 (with greatly curtailed power) and was once again quite stable a century later, when George took the throne. If only the same could be said for George himself. The king (who lost those pesky American colonies to independence) suffered from mental illness—perhaps caused (modern scholars say) by porphyria. The result was an uneven reign but a really great movie—one that was nominated for four Oscars (including one for Nigel Hawthorne as George) and won one.


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