The Queen's Sister
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Movie Reviews of The Queen's Sister
Movie Review: Full satisfaction
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm quite used to buy from amazon.com.Besides quality of script, shooting and acting I'm very satisfied with this purchase moreover the eficiency of delivery (fast and safe).I do recommend amazon.comMovie Review: THE QUEEN'S SISTER
Summary: 5 Stars
Five stars! An excellent piece of drama, as only then English can do!Movie Review: S O M E......D E L I G H T F U L.....S U R P R I S E S !
Summary: 4 Stars
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF YOU TOOK THE WORST PERSONALITY TRAITS OF
BRITNEY SPEARS AND LINSAY LOHAN, AND MIXED THEM WITH THE
WORST PERSONALITY TRAITS OF PRINCESS MARGARET? Right -- you'd
get this BBC Production!
The late Princess Margaret comes across here as a one-dimensional,
self-centerd person who cares very little even for the men in her
life. Her attitudes to her children are hardly touched upon --
and, (incredibly!), her sister, the Queen, though spoken of, never
appears on-screen!
Perhaps this is all for the good. Were I queen, I would not want
to be associated with this production in any way -- even to having
someone portray me in this one-domenisonal pseudo-dramatisation of
my sister's life!
There is a (real!) photograph of Princess Margaret just after she had broken off with, (or is that, been forced to break up with), with Peter Townsend. She is in the back-seat of a car, and her eyes are just containing unseen tears that cannot flow. She looks like a waif in a trance. There is another incident in (the real)
Princess Margaret's, (real!), life that shows the "softer" side
of her personality as well: upon attending the ground-breaking ceremonies for a building, she is prsented with a bouquet of roses by one of the workmen. Without hesitation -- and certainly, not part of the scenduled events, the Princess, quite unexpectedly, but
very touchingly, took one of the roses, and carefully placed it on the man's bib-overalls. These incidents in the Princess's life is are not presented here.
Further, there is a Princess Margaret Hospital, today, as well. She was also a patron of Dr. Bernardo's Children's Home, a post later held by Princess Diana. Princess Margaret also acted as god-mother to the chilren of Jennifer Bevan, a former lady-in-waiting. But none of these incidents, which show the kinder side of Princess Margaret, are seen here. Nor are numberous others. Nope. In this movie, Princess Margaret comes across as basically a floozy, not caring about the English people, royal tradition, Parliament, the Commomwealth, or anything except her own desires and pleasures. And not even the REASONS behind this harsher side, (the only side presented), of Princess Margaret are shown. True, most people -- around the world -- will never characterize Princess Margaret as an example of rectitude or royal restraint -- but this movie shows her with NO decency, and NO integrity whatsoever!
The actors in this movie do NOT look like their royal counterparts.
This is especially true of LUCY COHU in the leading role. The cover of the dvd DOES show a passing resemblance -- but this is only in that scene, and maybe one or two others. And -- -- as Prince Phillip, sometimes has a simularity to Prince Charle's manner of speaking...but NOT Prince Philips.
There are, however, places in this movie where clever little "snapshots" are taken. Upon seeing people watching Princess Margaret at home on TV, pr palace servants, or notoriously anti-royalist, real-life Member of Parliament, the late WILLIE HAMILTON, the action is suddenly stopped, and we are given a witty caption as to what they are thinking. These captions are thankfully large and clear enough, and on the screen long enough, to allow the viewer to see the meanings of the captions -- often quite ironic and humourous, and much more entertaining and engrossing than the main action of the movie itself!
And FAR more entertaining and engrossing than the main film, are the "extras", included on the DVD. First and fore-most is a short summary of Princess Margaret's early life, and, (as stated on the dvd, just before it is presented), it is an excerpt taken from a BBC special on Princess Margaret, just before her wedding. It is a compilation of old, (and REAL), newsreels, and both the charm of the style of these early nini-documentaries, and the charm of the Royal Family -- especially the often "scene-stealing" charm of the REAL Princess Margaret, as shown in this delightful newsreel-type film compilation, are an historic film treasure and a true delight to behold!
A wonderful surprise is also included amongst the other "extras" of this DVD -- and that is the COMPLETE mini-movie, "A Royal Scandal", the story of George, Prince of Wales, (son of George II), and Princess Caroline of Brunswick. Narrated by in a witty, ironic style by Ian Richardson, (star of the BBC drama triology, "House of Cards"), it is beautifully photographed, wonderfully costumed, and, especially, very well-acted and very well-written! THIS mini-movie is worth the price of the DVD! And, together with the newsreel-like documentary on Princess Margaret's early life, this DVD is a positve BARGAIN! This DVD is also a mini-lesson on movie-making -- because the MAIN title, "The Queen's Sister", shows how NOT to make a movie, whilst the "extras" of "A Retrospective of Princess Margaret's Early Life", and "A Royal Scandal", show how TO make a movie -- and how to make a very GOOD movie, at that!
Other lessons in good movie-making are also included on this disc! Previews of, and advertisements for, BBC series, now available for purchase on other DVDS -- including "MI5-Season 1", "BBC-America", (which features a delightful, stop-motion puppet version of Queen Elizabeth I), "Cambridge Spies" -- which in addition to a dramatic version of the story, includes documentaries and filmed interviews with the REAL Cambridge spies, (older now, but no less -- and perhaps more -- perspicacious); BBC Drama, (including enticing scenes from BBC productions of "Wives and Daughters", "The Way We Live Now", "Daniel Duronda", and "He Knew He Was Right"; BBC Classics, with inviting previews of BBC Productions of the works of Jane Austin, ("Pride and Prejudice"), George Elliot's "Middle- march", Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre", and Charles' Dickens's "Martin Chesselworth", "Oliver Twist", and "Great Expectations"......
Great Expectations, in fact, also describes how I felt when I first put this DVD of "The Queen's Sister" into my DVD player. After watching only the first few scenes, I was thoroughly and sorely disappointed. And that disappointment continued throughout watching the entire hackneyed, stereotyped drama. SO disappointed, in fact, was I, that I first entitled this review: "BLOODY AWFUL", and gave it only one star! I am still of that opinion about the main feature, "The Queen's Sister", on this DVD. But the extras -- the delightful, (and complete!), "A Royal Scandal", and the previews of other BBC offerings, now on DVD, as described above, have changed both the title of my review, (which is now, "SOME DELIGHTFUL SURPRISES...!", and my rating of it, (from 1 star to 4!) The included historic, (and quite valuable), excerpt from the BBC documentary on the early life of Princess Margaret, done just before her wedding, also as described above, is worth 10 stars, in and of itself! How I wish that the MAIN feature, (and title!) of this DVD, "The Queen's Sister", was done even half as well as the rest of the material presented! Love her or hate her, Princess Margaret of the United Kingdom and the British Commonwealth, Countess of Snowdon, deserves a far better dramatization of her life than the rude caricature presented here.
She had her good side and her bad side -- but ONLY the bad side is presented here, and it is exaggerated WAY out of proportion, like a filmed, bio-pic version of a fun-house mirror!
Buy this DVD for the extras! And for the lessons on how NOT to make a movie, (the title feature), and how TO make a movie, (everythng else!)
Movie Review: Straight from the tabloids
Summary: 4 Stars
A biographical film of the adult life of Princess Margaret, covering her doomed relationship with Group-Captain Peter Townshend through her unhappy marriage to Tony Armstrong-Jones through her late midlife affair with Roddy Llewellyn. The animating idea behind it is to show almost all the more sordid aspects of Margaret's life blown up to absurdist mythic status; at key junctures the plot is advanced by flashing tabloid headlines and by people reacting to Margaret's antics while watching television, with funny subtitles clueing us into their internal sympathies.
This doesn't work so well (it doesn't seem carried through enough), but the film still succeeds largely by dint of its superior performances. Lucy Cohu is astonishingly good as Margaret, convincing playing her not only in many moods and at many ages but at many weights: she delivers the truly bravura performance the film needs to put it over. (Her mother and sister are pointedly never shown on film, as if to suggest their godly power over her life.) Thoby Stephens is also quite fine as Margaret's commoner husband the Prince of Wales, and Simon Woods is quite sweet as the spacey, kindly Roddy Llewellyn. Also in this film's favor are its superior sets, and its very carefully executed fashions and hairstyles that reveal the full resplendant ghastliness of Margaret's era of chic (roughly 1950 through 1978). This film also comes with a sweet little BBC documentary vignette about Margaret's life before her marriage to Armstrong-Jones, and "A Royal Scandal," a very strange half-attempt at an hour-long film covering the marriage of George IV and Caroline of Brunswick, with Rupert Everett oddly cast as the Prince Regent (a part he would even more oddly play again in THE MADNESS OF KING GEORGE).
Movie Review: Great two-for-one deal
Summary: 4 Stars
Not knowing anything about the actual life of Princess Margaret may have had it's advantage when I watched this film. I liked it quite a lot, as a view into how different the life of a royal really is. Margaret is so impressed with herself and her status in this movie that you sometimes want to reach in the screen and strangle her as she demands special treatment from everyone. The best part is that she doesn't seem to even realize she's inconveniencing people because she truly believes it is her birth right. Her marriage is doomed by a husband who really just wants to be normal. The film comes to a close after Margaret hits rock bottom, and learns to appreciate a quieter life. I really enjoyed the look of this movie with lots of great clothes and ultra glamorous '60s and '70s nightclubs. The over the top Margaret is a lot of fun to watch, especially in her free spirited youthful days.
The great two-for-one comes to us in the bonus feature "A Royal Scandal". A compact and enjoyable film about another spunky royal, Caroline of Brunswick. I actually like this feature better than the title feature, as it is always very interesting to see such outrageous behavior in a historical figure. And for it's short length (about an hour) it tells the story very well.
This DVD is a good value with it's two movies. You are bound to be pleased with at least one if not both of them as I was.