History of England in Film
I want to create a list of (fairly) historical films that tell the history of the England from William the Conqueror to Elizabeth II. I may also want to start listing films that deal with the period from Rome's departure through the pre-Norman period. This list doesn't include documentaries. I also want to avoid strictly period pieces that focus on fictional characters like Arthur and Robin Hood even though something can be learned from those tales as well. I know some of the movies (Braveheart and Rob Roy) are told from a Scots point of view, but at some point, I would like this list to cover the history of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales.
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- DirectorGilles GrangierSergiu NicolaescuStarsHervé BellonJohn TerryMircea AlbulescuWilliam's government blended elements of the English and Norman systems into a new one that laid the foundations of the later medieval English kingdom.[141] How abrupt and far-reaching the changes were is still a matter of debate among historians, with some such as Richard Southern claiming that the Conquest was the single most radical change in European history between the Fall of Rome and the 20th century.~1066 CE.
- DirectorPeter GlenvilleStarsRichard BurtonPeter O'TooleJohn GielgudKing Henry II of England comes to terms with his affection for his close friend and confidant Thomas Becket, who finds his true honor by observing God's divine will rather than the King's.~1155 to 1170 CE.
Middle Ages, First Plantagenet monarch, Henry "Curtmantle" II.
What we learned from the movie.... King Henry II of England has trouble with the Church. When the Archbishop of Canterbury dies, he has a brilliant idea. Rather than appoint another pious cleric loyal to Rome and the Church, he will appoint his old drinking and wenching buddy, Thomas Becket, technically a deacon of the church, to the post. Unfortunately, Becket takes the job seriously and provides abler opposition to Henry. - DirectorAnthony HarveyStarsPeter O'TooleKatharine HepburnAnthony Hopkins1183 A.D.: King Henry II's three sons all want to inherit the throne, but he won't commit to a choice. When he allows his imprisoned wife Eleanor of Aquitaine out for a Christmas visit, they all variously plot to force him into a decision.Christmas 1183 CE.
Middle Ages, First Plantagenet monarch, Henry "Curtmantle" II.
What we learned from the movie... Grizzled old Henry II (Peter O'Toole) and his feisty wife Eleanor of Aquitaine (Kathryn Hepburn) have been feuding ever since she murdered his mistress - which is kinda understandable. Still, they get together to make nice at the wedding of their AC/DC son Richard (Anthony Hopkins) and Alais of France (Jane Merrow) - who's also Henry's new mistress, the sly old dog. Things don't go according to plan, with Richard refusing the marriage, Philip II of France (Timothy Dalton) fomenting rebellion among all three of Henry's sons, and all of them threatened with imprisonment or death by their father. That's probably why elder son Richard went on to become a psycho cannibal (the other two disappeared) and the French king triumphantly swanned off to become James Bond.
What really happened... There was no family Christmas at Chinon in 1183 (though they did get together the year before) and none of the events or dialogue in the film have much basis in fact. Still, the outcomes are pretty spot-on: Henry and Eleanor (who was a kick-ass character, by the by) had a fiery relationship in their later years, and he really did imprison her (whether she actually poisoned his mistress is still debated). Family strife between Henry and his three surviving sons also did much to fracture their parents' empire: Henry and Eleanor between them at one point ruled more of France than the French King did. Quel loser!
http://www.empireonline.com/features/complete-english-history-in-movies/2.asp - DirectorJonathan EnglishStarsPaul GiamattiJason FlemyngBrian CoxIn thirteenth-century England, a Knights Templar and a few of the Barons men fight to defend Rochester Castle against the tyrannical King John.~1215 CE.
- DirectorMel GibsonStarsMel GibsonSophie MarceauPatrick McGoohanScottish warrior William Wallace leads his countrymen in a rebellion to free his homeland from the tyranny of King Edward I of England.~1292 to 1305 CE.
Middle Ages, Fifth Plantagenet monarch, Edward "Longshanks" I.
What we learned from the movie... Manly, heavy-metal-haired Scot William Wallace (Mel Gibson) gets fed up with those English comin' up here, rapin' his women, and decides to fight back. After some military success that is all due to the Scots flashing their bits at the English, notably at the Battle of Stirling Bridge, Wallace raids as far as York before being forced back and defeated at Falkirk. He is betrayed, captured by pantomime villain English King Edward I, and hung, drawn and quartered in public - although not before having it off with the French princess who married Edward's gay son. Yes, that sound you hear is the Scots having the last laugh.
What really happened... First of all, he's 1000 years late with the blue face paint, 500 years too early with the kilts - and we're not convinced by the mooning. The stuff about primae noctis and local lords demanding the right to first dibs on Scottish brides is urban legend, Robert the Bruce gets a bad rap, Edward's son probably wasn't gay, and Isabelle didn't even arrive in England until several years after Wallace's death, which sadly means he didn't knock her up and sneakily infiltrate the British monarchy.
http://www.empireonline.com/features/complete-english-history-in-movies/4.asp - DirectorKenneth BranaghStarsKenneth BranaghDerek JacobiSimon ShepherdIn the midst of the Hundred Years War, the young King Henry V of England embarks on the conquest of France in 1415.1413 to 1420 CE.
Middle Ages, second Lancastrian, King Henry V.
What we learned from the movie... This adaptation of Shakespeare's play sees the young and untried Henry V (Kenneth Branagh) decide to attack France, both in pursuit of his own dynastic claims to the French throne and in retribution after the French king sends him tennis balls as an insult (Imagine! Tennis balls!). Despite huge forces being arrayed against him, Henry won a notable victory at Agincourt (where the French army lost 10,000 and Henry lost 29 men), and forced Charles of France to appoint Henry his heir. Henry's due to be crowned by the Norse God Thor in 2011.
What really happened... This one's mostly right, since Shakespeare paid a good bit more attention to history than any modern screenwriter or studio would countenance. The tennis balls bit is probably balls; by the time of that scene, Henry had already proved his military prowess, the French were shaking in their stylish-but-rather-foppish boots and were not going to poke their neighbor with a stick, or a tennis ball. Interestingly, Branagh's film adds a bit of extra authenticity in portraying the French king as a lunatic; history suggests he was.
The numbers killed at Agincourt may have been exaggerated, however. The French casualties were probably more like 7,000 according to modern historians and the English between 400 - 1,600. Still a clear win for Henry though. Vive l'Angleterre!
http://www.empireonline.com/features/complete-english-history-in-movies/ - DirectorMichael HayesStarsPatrick GarlandJohn RinghamNoel JohnsonFollowing his father's early death and the loss of possessions in France young Henry VI comes to the throne, under the protection of the duke of Gloucester. He is unaware that there are other claimants to the throne, Plantagent of York and Somerset of Lancaster, whose factions will ultimately cause the Wars of the Roses. Ignorant of the schisms Henry tries to unite them in the Hundred Years War, capturing Joan of Arc, before he marries Margaret of Anjou to unite England and France, but there is no dowry, angering the court. Margaret finds the pious Henry a dull husband and embarks upon an affair with Somerset as well as crossing Gloucester's wife Eleanor. When Gloucester is arrested for alleged treason because of Eleanor Henry is too feeble to prevent his death or the country slipping into civil war.1422 to 1445 CE.
Third Lancastrian, King Henry VI. - DirectorMichael HayesStarsEdgar WrefordTerry ScullyMary MorrisFollowing his father's early death and the loss of possessions in France young Henry VI comes to the throne, under the protection of the duke of Gloucester. He is unaware that there are other claimants to the throne, Plantagent of York and Somerset of Lancaster, whose factions will ultimately cause the Wars of the Roses. Ignorant of the schisms Henry tries to unite them in the Hundred Years War, capturing Joan of Arc, before he marries Margaret of Anjou to unite England and France, but there is no dowry, angering the court. Margaret finds the pious Henry a dull husband and embarks upon an affair with Somerset as well as crossing Gloucester's wife Eleanor. When Gloucester is arrested for alleged treason because of Eleanor Henry is too feeble to prevent his death or the country slipping into civil war.1422 to 1445 CE.
Third Lancastrian, King Henry VI. - DirectorMichael HayesStarsJohn RinghamTerence LodgeAdrian BrineFollowing his father's early death and the loss of possessions in France young Henry VI comes to the throne, under the protection of the duke of Gloucester. He is unaware that there are other claimants to the throne, Plantagenet of York and Somerset of Lancaster, whose factions will ultimately cause the Wars of the Roses. Ignorant of the schisms Henry tries to unite them in the Hundred Years War, capturing Joan of Arc, before he marries Margaret of Anjou to unite England and France, but there is no dowry, angering the court. Margaret finds the pious Henry a dull husband and embarks upon an affair with Somerset as well as crossing Gloucester's wife Eleanor. When Gloucester is arrested for alleged treason because of Eleanor Henry is too feeble to prevent his death or the country slipping into civil war.1422 to 1445 CE.
Third Lancastrian, King Henry VI. - DirectorMichael HayesStarsFrank WindsorJack MayJulian GloverFollowing his father's early death and the loss of possessions in France young Henry VI comes to the throne, under the protection of the duke of Gloucester. He is unaware that there are other claimants to the throne, Plantagenet of York and Somerset of Lancaster, whose factions will ultimately cause the Wars of the Roses. Ignorant of the schisms Henry tries to unite them in the Hundred Years War, capturing Joan of Arc, before he marries Margaret of Anjou to unite England and France, but there is no dowry, angering the court. Margaret finds the pious Henry a dull husband and embarks upon an affair with Somerset as well as crossing Gloucester's wife Eleanor. When Gloucester is arrested for alleged treason because of Eleanor Henry is too feeble to prevent his death or the country slipping into civil war.1422 to 1445 CE.
Third Lancastrian, King Henry VI. - DirectorMichael HayesStarsJohn WarnerTamara HinchcoMary MorrisFollowing his father's early death and the loss of possessions in France young Henry VI comes to the throne, under the protection of the duke of Gloucester. He is unaware that there are other claimants to the throne, Plantagenet of York and Somerset of Lancaster, whose factions will ultimately cause the Wars of the Roses. Ignorant of the schisms Henry tries to unite them in the Hundred Years War, capturing Joan of Arc, before he marries Margaret of Anjou to unite England and France, but there is no dowry, angering the court. Margaret finds the pious Henry a dull husband and embarks upon an affair with Somerset as well as crossing Gloucester's wife Eleanor. When Gloucester is arrested for alleged treason because of Eleanor Henry is too feeble to prevent his death or the country slipping into civil war.1422 to 1445 CE.
Third Lancastrian, King Henry VI. - DirectorRichard LoncraineStarsIan McKellenAnnette BeningChristopher BowenThe classic Shakespearean play about the murderously scheming 15th-century king is reimagined in an alternative setting of 1930s England as clouds of fascism gather.1482-1485 CE.
End of the Middle Ages, second reigning York, King Richard III.
What we learned from the movie... Hitler-moustache-sporting Richard (Ian McKellen) is the brother of the popular, handsome King Edward IV (John Wood), but plots against his sibling in secret, eventually seizing the throne on his brother's death despite having two nephews. But the hunchbacked, paranoid Richard soon finds enemies ranged against him, because after all no one likes a bloke who murders his nephews and goes around dressing like a Nazi. As these enemy forces (not the French, for once) seem poised to triumph against him at the Battle of Bosworth Field, Richard's car gets stuck in the mud and he offers to exchange his kingdom for a horse. Unfortunately, he doesn't get to keep either because he is killed by the future Henry VII.
What really happened... Well, of course the 1930s fascist setting isn't accurate, what with it being deliberately anachronistic. Aside from that, and our aul' mucker Shakespeare here proves that he does have what it takes to work in Tinseltown by engaging in historical distortion and outright slander. There's no proof that Richard ordered the murder of the princes in the Tower, nor that he was a hunchback. Oh, and while practically every actor to have played him is in his 40s or older, Richard died at age 32, so he was only a stripling. But given that Henry VII's granddaughter was Queen in Shakespeare's day, the Bard was a little reluctant to point any of that out.
http://www.empireonline.com/features/complete-english-history-in-movies/ - StarsAneurin BarnardRebecca FergusonAmanda HaleThree different, yet equally relentless women vie for the throne in 15th-century England.1464 to 1485 CE.
First reigning York, Edward IV, and second reigning York, Richard III. - StarsJames MaxwellBruce HodgkinsNorma WestA series recording the key events in the reign of Henry Tudor and his founding of the Tudor Dynasty1485-1509, Henry VII, shows a modern king learning how to navigate finance rather than chivalry.
- StarsJodie ComerRebecca BensonJacob Collins-LevyBased on the Philippa Gregory book of the same name, the story of Elizabeth of York, the White Queen's daughter, and her marriage to the Lancaster victor, Henry VII.1485 - 1501 CE. Daughter of Edward IV of York and niece to Richard III of York. Married Henry VII Tudor and was mother to Henry VIII Tudor.
- CreatorMichael HirstStarsJonathan Rhys MeyersHenry CavillAnthony BrophyEpic series reveals the scandalous life of a young king whose affairs and obsession with producing a male heir changed marriage, the church, and the world.1514 - 1547 CE.
Second Tudor, Henry VIII. Begins with the Field of the Cloth of Gold and the Treaty of Redon. Ends with Henry VIII on his deathbed. - DirectorFred ZinnemannStarsPaul ScofieldWendy HillerRobert ShawThe story of Sir Thomas More, who stood up to King Henry VIII when the King rejected the Roman Catholic Church to obtain a divorce and remarry.~1527 to 1535 CE.
Second Tudor, Henry VIII.
What we learned from the movie... Sir Thomas More (Paul Scofield), scholar, lawyer, politician, family man and man of conscience, is highly regarded by Henry VIII (Robert Shaw), who considers himself a scholar and man of conscience too - even when he's boffing bit-on-the-side Anne Boleyn (Vanessa Redgrave) and attempting to divorce his wife. When More refuses to assist the King in attaining a divorce, or in declaring himself Head of the Church of England and breaking with Rome, the two come into conflict and More loses his head. Literally.
What really happened... Well, this one's pretty much spot-on in terms of the historical record. The only question, really, is what we actually think of Thomas More. Lately there's been something of a backlash against him, with More portrayed as a sadomasochistic religious fantatic in the likes of Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall. Frankly, Empire's inclined to dismiss such revisionism as unfair: More's writings portray a man who was hardly unthinking in his acceptance of the Catholic faith, and virtually every contemporary account agrees that he was a decent bloke. He did wear a hair shirt, though, so he did have something of a thing for self-punishment - but to each his own, eh?
http://www.empireonline.com/features/complete-english-history-in-movies/ - DirectorJustin ChadwickStarsNatalie PortmanScarlett JohanssonEric BanaTwo sisters contend for the affection of King Henry VIII.Second Tudor, Henry VIII.
- DirectorCharles JarrottStarsRichard BurtonGeneviève BujoldIrene PapasKing Henry VIII of England discards one wife, Catharine of Aragon, who has failed to produce a male heir, in favor of the young and beautiful Anne Boleyn.Second Tudor, Henry VIII.
- StarsGlenda JacksonRonald HinesRobert HardyWhen Elizabeth Tudor comes to the throne, her (male) advisers know she has to marry. Doesn't she? Thus starts a decades-long political/matrimonial game, during an age of high passions and high achievement.Fifth Tudor, Elizabeth I.
- StarsHelen MirrenToby JonesHugh DancyMini-series about the the public and private lives of the later years of Queen Elizabeth I.Fifth Tudor, Elizabeth I.
- DirectorShekhar KapurStarsCate BlanchettLiz GilesRod CulbertsonThe early years of the reign of Elizabeth I of England and her difficult task of learning what is necessary to be a monarch.~1558 to ~1560 CE.
Fourth Tudor, Mary I, and fifth Tudor, Elizabeth I.
What we learned from the movie... Following the death of her less attractive, borderline crazy sister Mary (Kathy Burke), lovely lovely Elizabeth I (Cate Blanchett) ascends to the English throne, following a lifetime of persecution and dancing on the border of imprisonment. After some early missteps, and a doomed love affair with Robert Dudley (Joseph Fiennes), Elizabeth reinvents herself as the tough-as-nails Virgin Queen, who has the heart and stomach of a King of England. Just not the other bits.
What really happened... While the broad outline of this plot's all fair enough, the detail is all over the place. Many of the characters' ages are wrong, notably William Cecil (who Elizabeth did not retire) and Kat Ashley (Emily Mortimer), while Dudley didn't betray Elizabeth - they were, like, BFFs for life. On the other hand, there's no actual evidence that they were at it in the first place. We might be presuming too modern a lifestyle on the Virgin Queen when we suggest that she was anything but a virgin. Then again, they may've been at it like rabbits. That's the joy of history: nobody really knows, so you can argue about it all day.
http://www.empireonline.com/features/complete-english-history-in-movies/ - CreatorLaurie McCarthyStephanie SenguptaStarsAdelaide KaneMegan FollowsCelina SindenMary, Queen of Scots, faces political and sexual intrigue in the treacherous world of the French court.1557 - 1565 CE.
- DirectorCharles JarrottStarsVanessa RedgraveGlenda JacksonPatrick McGoohanDuring the sixteenth century, the Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots engages in over two decades of religious and political conflict with her cousin, the Protestant Queen Elizabeth I of England, amidst political intrigue in her native land.~1560 CE.
- DirectorShekhar KapurStarsCate BlanchettClive OwenGeoffrey RushA mature Queen Elizabeth endures multiple crises late in her reign including court intrigues, an assassination plot, the Spanish Armada, and romantic disappointments.1585 to 1588 CE.
Fifth Tudor, reign of Elizabeth I.
What we learned from the movie... Good Queen Elizabeth (still Cate Blanchett) is beset by enemies at home and abroad. Domestically, the Babington plot is trying to assassinate her and place Mary Queen of Scots (Samantha Morton) on the throne; abroad, Philip of Spain (Jordi Molla) is stroking his moustache, plotting against her and planning a Spanish Armada to conquer England. Elizabeth herself is distracted by a bad crush on Walter Raleigh (Clive Owen), who's hubba-hubbaed his way back from the New World and into the knickers of Elizabeth's lady-in-waiting Bess (Abbie Cornish). Still, she's tough, so she manages to pull it all together, have a word with the Almighty and get some bad weather for the Spanish fleet, and generally emerge triumphant. Girl power!
What really happened... The real timeline is all over the place here: Raleigh and Bess Throckmorton's secret marriage occurred several years after the Armada - and Raleigh wasn't even at that battle, which was led by Robert Dudley (yes, Joseph Fiennes from the previous film) and whose most famous participant was Sir Francis "let's have a quick game of boules" Drake.
http://www.empireonline.com/features/complete-english-history-in-movies/ - DirectorGillies MacKinnonStarsVulpe AdrianCarmen UngureanuClémence PoésyMini series depicting the turbulent and bloody reigns of Scottish monarchs Mary, Queen of Scots and her son King James VI of Scotland who became King James I of England and foiled the Gunpowder Plot.1561 - 1587 CE
Elizabeth I, Mary Queen of Scots, James I. - CreatorMartine BrantPeter FlanneryStarsAndrea RiseboroughDominic WestTom Goodman-HillDrama charts the progress of the English Civil War through the story of a young woman, the fictional Angelica Fanshawe, and her three husbands.1636 - 1660 CE
Charles I, Oliver Cromwell - DirectorKen HughesStarsRichard HarrisAlec GuinnessRobert MorleyPuritan statesman Oliver Cromwell leads England in a civil war against the absolutist and Catholic-sympathetic King Charles I.1648 to 1658 CE.
Charles I, Oliver Cromwell; English Civil War; Commonwealth - DirectorMike BarkerStarsTim RothDougray ScottOlivia WilliamsA recounting of the relationship between General Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell, as they try to cope with the consequences of deposing King Charles I.1648 to 1658 CE.
Charles I, Oliver Cromwell; English Civil War; Commonwealth.
What we learned from the movie... Dashing Thomas Fairfax (Dougray Scott) and slightly psycho Oliver Cromwell (Tim Roth) are bestest buds, engaged in a Civil War against the arrogant Charles I (Rupert Everett) who claimed the divine right to rule without listening to anyone, and probably used commoners for furniture in his many palaces. Fairfax and Cromwell's friendship is tested, however, when the former gets worried that the King isn't getting a fair trial. Cue estrangement that lasts nearly a decade.
What really happened... Fairfax did step out of the King's trial, but it didn't lead to any significant falling out between himself and Cromwell; in fact, Fairfax remained Lord-General of Commonwealth land forces until 1650 (a year after the King's execution) when he decided he didn't want to pre-emptively attack Scotland (he was probably nervous he'd get mooned). He didn't fall out with Cromwell until the latter had Fairfax's son-in-law arrested a few weeks before Cromwell's death - so the rosy deathbed reunion scene in this film is pretty much the opposite of what happened.
http://www.empireonline.com/features/complete-english-history-in-movies/ - DirectorLaurence DunmoreStarsJohnny DeppSamantha MortonJohn MalkovichThe story of John Wilmot, a.k.a. the Earl of Rochester, a 17th century poet who famously drank and debauched his way to an early grave, only to earn posthumous critical acclaim for his life's work.~1660 CE.
- DirectorMichael HoffmanStarsRobert Downey Jr.Sam NeillDavid ThewlisThe exiled royal doctor to King Charles II devotes himself to helping Londoners suffering from the plague, and in the process falls in love with an equally poor woman.1660 to 1666 CE.
Restoration of Charles II to the English Throne after the Civil War.
What we learned from the movie... Robert Downey Jr. is Robert Merivel, a part-time medical student and full-time drunk who has the unmitigated gall to fall in love with his own wife, after he is married to the King's mistress (Polly Walker) for convenience. He's exiled from court, which sucks since at court everyone's dressed in fabulous outfits and the rest of England is mud-coloured, and which sucks even more when first the Great Plague and then the Great Fire hit London. Still, Merivel grows up, develops a conscience and invents a magic metal suit and is soon back in the royal favour.
What really happened... Merivel and his story are entirely invented, but Charles II really was a big lech, with 14 illegitimate children and often more than one mistress on the go at a time. And it was common practice in those days to marry mistresses off to someone at court for the sake of appearances, on the understanding that such husbands should keep their hands off their wives. The Plague and the Fire really happened, however; the latter helpfully getting rid of the last traces of the former, which just goes to show that every city-swallowing conflagration has a silver lining.
http://www.empireonline.com/features/complete-english-history-in-movies/ - DirectorMichael Caton-JonesStarsLiam NeesonJessica LangeJohn HurtIn 1713 Scotland, Rob Roy MacGregor is wronged by a nobleman and his nephew, becomes an outlaw in search of revenge while fleeing the Redcoats, and faces charges of being a Jacobite.~1719 to ~1722 CE.
- DirectorNicholas HytnerStarsNigel HawthorneHelen MirrenRupert GravesWhen King George III goes mad, his Lieutenants try to adjust the rules to run the country without his participation.~1788 CE.
Reign of King George III and regency of his son.
What we learned from the movie... George III (Nigel Hawthorne) has a smokin' hot Queen (Helen Mirren) but is plagued by bouts of insanity. His ambitious son (Rupert Everett. Again) is tired of waiting around for the throne and wants to step in during his father's illness - preferably permanently. The King's closest aides try to hide the extent of his dementia, his doctor (Ian Holm) tries to cure it and in Parliament the Prime Minister tries to delay a Regency Bill long enough for the King to recover. It's all a bit like the recent UK election, if the Queen started acting like her corgis were people.
What really happened... This play's pretty closely based in reality, even the icky bits with leeches and doctors who spend all day poking at bits of *beep* George III really did go a bit crazy for periods of time, especially towards the end of his life - possibly due to the hereditary blood disease porphyria - and his illness did cause a constitutional and political crisis in the country, since he and his heir cordially loathed each other and supported different political parties. Fun fact, however: George III didn't wear powdered wigs. That hair was all his, baby.
http://www.empireonline.com/features/complete-english-history-in-movies/ - DirectorAlfred L. WerkerSidney LanfieldStarsGeorge ArlissBoris KarloffLoretta YoungThe wealthy Rothschild family undergoes prejudice from the anti-Semitic society they live within.How Nathan Rothschild bought England and became Europe and America's banker.
- DirectorMichael AptedStarsIoan GruffuddAlbert FinneyMichael GambonThe idealist William Wilberforce maneuvers his way through Parliament, endeavoring to end the British transatlantic slave trade.~1797 CE.
- DirectorAlexander KordaStarsVivien LeighLaurence OlivierAlan MowbrayThe story of courtesan and dance-hall girl Emma Hamilton, including her relationships with Sir William Hamilton and Admiral Horatio Nelson and her rise and fall, set during the Napoleonic Wars.1790 to 1815 CE.
Napoleonic Wars, reign of George IV.
What we learned from the movie... Emma, Lady Hamilton (Vivien Leigh) was largely happy with her much older husband (after an early life as a showgirl) until naval hero Horatio Nelson (Laurence Olivier) shows up, being all dashing and flaunting his great big flagship. They start an affair that scandalises the nation, but it's alright because he still finds time to beat the French (them again! Zut alors!) at the decisive Battle of the Nile and again at Trafalgar, where he is killed in action. Despite having squished Napoleon's naval ambitions and having become a national hero, Nelson's dying wish that the nation look after Emma is roundly ignored by the family values crowd, and she dies in poverty in 1815.
What really happened... Well, this isn't all that far off. Nelson was the man responsible for Great Britain's greatest victories against Napoleon, putting a firm kibosh on his ambitions to invade these sceptr'd isles. And he and Emma were definitely at it; they openly lived together, alongside her husband, for years. Shamefully, the nation did repay Nelson's heroism, and the loss of his arm, eye and a few teeth in its service, by refusing his last wishes and heaping accolades on his brother rather than the mother of his child. Enough to make you wish Napoleon had won, eh?
http://www.empireonline.com/features/complete-english-history-in-movies/ - CreatorDaisy GoodwinStarsJenna ColemanAdrian SchillerTommy KnightThe early life of Queen Victoria, from her ascension to the throne at the tender age of 18 to her courtship and marriage to Prince Albert.1835 - [1901?] CE.
- DirectorJean-Marc ValléeStarsEmily BluntRupert FriendPaul BettanyA dramatization of the turbulent first years of Queen Victoria's rule, and her enduring romance with Prince Albert.~1835 to ~1840 CE.
Early Victorian, reign of Queen Victoria.
What we learned from the movie... Victoria (Emily Blunt) is heir to the British throne but isn't allowed to walk downstairs on her own. When her uncle dies and she inherits, there are some teething troubles while she sorts out her tendency to form girlish crushes on her Prime Minister (Paul Bettany - who can blame her?) and to arrange a marriage to the German Prince Albert (Rupert Friend). Still, all's well that ends well, and after a failed assassination attempt and a couple of riots, she's all set to spend the rest of her life being Empress of India and balancing a doily on her head.
What really happened... The broad strokes are fine here; it's just the detail that's a little off. After all, Prince Albert was never actually shot in defence of the Queen; the bullets fired by young Edward Oxford both missed. In fairness, we're sure that Alfred would've taken a bullet for her; anyone with sideburns that luxuriant or trousers that tight can be relied upon to throw himself in harm's way, if only to escape a lift of sideburns and tight trousers.
http://www.empireonline.com/features/complete-english-history-in-movies/ - DirectorJon AmielStarsPaul BettanyJennifer ConnellyIan KellyTorn between faith and science, and suffering hallucinations, English naturalist Charles Darwin struggles to complete 'On the Origin of Species' and maintain his relationship with his wife.1850 to 1855 CE.
Mid-Victorian.
What we learned from the movie... Enough with kings and queens: let's look at the people who really matter: old white men with beards. Charles Darwin (Paul Bettany, clearly on a Victorian spree) is pretty sure that living things, what's the word, evolve. But he dithers about, trying to fit what he's seeing in with his religious beliefs (and those of his devout wife Emma (Jennifer Connelly)). After losing all faith following the death of his beloved daughter, however, he finally finishes his masterpiece, On The Origin Of Species, and incidentally kicks off a revolution in science, thought and religion.
What really happened... Well, we have no evidence that his daughter really did come back as a ghost, but aside from that this isn't too bad. Darwin did procrastinate about publishing his great work for years, and was prodded into it by a rival's publication on the same subject, as shown in the film. We just wish they could've added an epilogue showing David Attenborough making fascinating documentaries that back Darwin up, and generations of Bushes and Palins getting all het up over his assertions that facts matter.
http://www.empireonline.com/features/complete-english-history-in-movies/ - DirectorJohn MaddenStarsJudi DenchBilly ConnollyGeoffrey PalmerWhen Queen Victoria's husband Prince Albert dies, she finds solace in her trusted servant, Mr. John Brown, but their relationship also brings scandal and turmoil.
- DirectorStephen FrearsStarsJudi DenchAli FazalTim Pigott-SmithQueen Victoria strikes up an unlikely friendship with a young Indian clerk named Abdul Karim.1887 -1901 CE.
- DirectorRichard AttenboroughStarsWendy AllnuttColin FarrellMalcolm McFeeThe working-class Smiths change their initially sunny views on World War I after the three boys of the family witness the harsh reality of trench warfare.1914 to 1918 CE.
World War I.
What we learned from the movie... World War I was fought in a theatre on Brighton Pier, where the upper classes watched and laughed as the proletariat died for their amusement. Maggie Smith seduced men into joining the army, while death was generally caused by someone giving you a poppy - so beware flowers! Still, everyone still had a jolly old time and spent loads of time singing together.
What really happened... World War I killed about 16 million people and left another 21 million wounded - not counting those who died from the Spanish Flu that followed it. It decimated a generation, changing the map but also the psyche of entire countries and whole political systems. The disastrous peace settlement that followed it directly caused World War II, killing tens of millions more, and therefore also led to the Cold War, the conflict in Afghanistan and the rise of Jedward. It was, in other words, nothing to sing about.
http://www.empireonline.com/features/complete-english-history-in-movies/ - DirectorTom HooperStarsColin FirthGeoffrey RushHelena Bonham CarterThe story of King George VI, his unexpected ascension to the throne of the British Empire in 1936, and the speech therapist who helped the unsure monarch overcome his stammer.
- DirectorJonathan TeplitzkyStarsBrian CoxMiranda RichardsonJohn SlatteryNinety-six hours before the World War II invasion of Normandy, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill struggles with his severe reservations with Operation Overlord and his increasingly marginalized role in the war effort.
- DirectorJoe WrightStarsGary OldmanLily JamesKristin Scott ThomasIn May 1940, the fate of World War II hangs on Winston Churchill, who must decide whether to negotiate with Adolf Hitler, or fight on knowing that it could mean the end of the British Empire.
- DirectorChristopher NolanStarsFionn WhiteheadBarry KeoghanMark RylanceAllied soldiers from Belgium, the British Commonwealth and Empire, and France are surrounded by the German Army and evacuated during a fierce battle in World War II.
- CreatorPeter MorganStarsClaire FoyOlivia ColmanImelda StauntonFollows the political rivalries and romances of Queen Elizabeth II's reign and the events that shaped Britain for the second half of the 20th century.
- DirectorPhyllida LloydStarsMeryl StreepJim BroadbentRichard E. GrantAn elderly Margaret Thatcher talks to the imagined presence of her recently deceased husband as she struggles to come to terms with his death while scenes from her past life, from girlhood to British prime minister, intervene.
- DirectorStephen FrearsStarsHelen MirrenMichael SheenJames CromwellAfter the death of Princess Diana, Queen Elizabeth II struggles with her reaction to a sequence of events nobody could have predicted.1997 CE.
Reign of Elizabeth II (obviously) and government of Tony Blair.
What we learned from the movie... The death of Diana, Princess of Wales, causes Elizabeth II (Helen Mirren) no end of grief. Not only is she trying to comfort her bereft grandsons, but the super-keen new Prime Minister Tony Blair (Michael Sheen) keeps chasing her to make some sort of public show of herself, which very much goes against her tweed-wearing grain.
What really happened... Writer Peter Morgan carried out extensive interviews with Buckingham Palace and Downing Street insiders before writing the film, so the history's not far off. As we all know, Diana died in a car crash in Paris on August 31, 1997, and while a most-unBritish public display of grief erupted from all sides, the Queen delayed making any public address to the nation - or lowering the flag at Buckingham Palace (something which was not traditional except on the death of a monarch) - for days, which significantly dented her popularity. Still, Her Madge came through in the end - and she's still there, while the more-popular-at-the-time Blair is long gone. Just goes to show: tweed never truly goes out of style.
http://www.empireonline.com/features/complete-english-history-in-movies/20.asp