MM Film Blog

Americans have long had a fascination with British royalty, and with films about British royalty. Thus there are high expectations for a film about King George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George), father of Queen Elizabeth II. Add to that a phenomenal cast led by Colin Firth -- who many Americans consider to be British film royalty -- and the anticipation for The King's Speech is even greater. So it was a joy to watch this film and discover that it delivers on every level!

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Phillipa Gregory's novel receives its second film treatment with The Other Boleyn Girl, the first being a TV movie in 2003. A strong cast, stunning costumes, and juicy drama make this film very entertaining, even if not historically accurate. It is after all based on a novel, and does not claim to be biographical.

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Shekhar Kapur's follow-up to his hugely successful 1998 film Elizabeth suffers in comparison to the first film, as most sequels do. However, it is still an enormously entertaining portrayal of one of the most fascinating women in history, with a stellar cast, wonderful cinematography, and dazzling costumes.

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First, I have to admit that I am quite partial to British films. And among those, anything adapted from a Jane Austen novel is bound to be high on the list. And of those, Pride and Prejudice is among the best of the best. This 1995 television version directed by Simon Langton (of Upstairs, Downstairs fame) is first rate -- it is probably the best of all of the many versions of what is likely Austen's most popular novel.

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