ianlouisiana Review of Bertie and Elizabeth

Bertie and Elizabeth (2002 TV Movie)

More fun than "The King's speech"........

[6/10 · 19 March 2015]

And an opportunity to see the great Miss Eileen Atkins at her most sardonic as that old klepto Queen Mary whose penchant for stealing knickknacks from posh stores and country houses was kept from us plebs for half a century after her death. The late Mr D.Ryall,that most versatile of character actors,adds Winston Churchill to his not inconsiderable gallery of top class performances,a characterisation Mr T.Spall could have benefited by studying before attempting his impersonation in "The King's Speech",surely one of the least deserving Oscar - laden pictures in that award's somewhat eclectic history. "Bertie and Elizabeth" has no pretensions towards documentary - like veracity.It is meant to be entertainment centred around the lives of King George the Sixth and Queen Elizabeth and succeeds at that level. It's cheap and cheerful,like a jar of jam bought from "Lidl" rather than "Harrods".Jam is jam,right? The Duke of Windsor doesn't come out of this too well and Mrs Simpson gets her usual character - assassination at the hands of the Brits who once saw Edward,Prince of Wales as their Prince Charming and have never forgiven the Yank who stole him from them,regardless of the fact that he was vain,weak and feckless and would have made a terrible king. All the usual clichés about the blitz are given an airing with jolly cockneys abounding and exchanging unlikely quips with Elizabeth as they gaily stand outside their ruined hovels after a visit from the Luftwaffe. But if you don't take it seriously,it's a lot of fun.