- Queen Elizabeth II was the most photographed, the most loved and talked about woman on the planet. A cinematic portrayal of The Queen from the lenses of the Queen's Photographers with the captivating narration of Charles Dance.
- An original portrayal of The Queen from a totally new perspective: through the most revealing photographic portraits of her, symbols of 20th century history, from the first ones in Marcus Adams' innocent style, to the more formal sophistication shown by Cecil Beaton, Lord Snowdon, Jousuf Karsh, and the work of superstars such as Brian Aris, Jason Bell, Julian Calder, David Montgomery and John Swannell, up to the 2000s, when Chris Levine celebrated the Queen's image with her eyes closed. The story is told through the captivating narration of Charles Dance directed by Fabrizio Ferri. It is based on the Paola Calvetti's book "Elisabetta II: Ritratto di Regina". Images of the Queen, and a focus on each of her most intense, intimate, faithful portraits alternate with conversations with some of the photographers who portrayed Her Majesty - Brian Aris, Jason Bell, Julian Calder, Chris Levine, David Montgomery, John Swannell - as well as those with Emma Blau (photographic artist and curator and co-owner of Camera Press), Pierpaolo Piccioli (one of the most important, internationally acclaimed stylists and creative directors) Isabella Rossellini (one of the most photographed women in the world, who has graced the most magazine covers in the history of publishing), and Susan Sarandon (who met the Queen in person and gives viewers a more private, intimate reflection on the role, obligations and complexities of being a monarch)
- Elizabeth II's very long reign is the enigmatic story of a shy, unapproachable woman who turned the acceptance of her destiny and the passionate defense of the crown, into a supreme reason for living, as well as an impenetrable screen. With one exception: photography - a companion both on her long journey as a monarch and as part of the iconography of the century. It was the only stage on which, by yielding, even for just a few minutes, to the universal laws of light and the practical demands of a portraitist, the Queen truly revealed herself. In this way she delegated to the great artists who followed her with their lenses over the decades, the task of telling not only the story of her image over time and the memory of the fabulous, sometimes dramatic days in the life of the Windsors, but also of serving as a testimony to the role of the monarchy in a constantly evolving society. Portrait of the Queen is a story about photographs, fragments of a biography arranged non-geometrically and very emotionally, but also of the biographies of the "great creators" of photography intertwining with the Queen's on an imaginary journey. Each portrait is a piece of a mosaic, capturing just one of her thousand faces, even when that face is the same. If it feels like we have always known her - or rather, always "seen" her - it is also thanks to the attraction of her photo portraits which, while maintaining an aura of timelessness, have over time become iconic worldwide. Her way of presenting herself, of directing a photogenic smile to us alone, is marked by the grace of her portraits, as if Elisabeth, while not letting any emotion show, allowed the camera to reveal the invisible nuances of her personality. A long chapter of history unfolds before the image of Elizabeth II - the story of a life with a unique script. Over seventy years of reign have been examined from the very first portraits in Marcus Adams' plain, innocent style, to the more formal sophistication shown by Cecil Beaton, Tony Armstrong-Jones, photographer and brother-in-law, who became Lord Snowdon, Jousuf Karsh, and the work of superstars such as contemporary photographers Brian Aris, Jason Bell, Julian Calder, David Montgomery and John Swannell, up to the 2000s, when Chris Levine definitively celebrated the Queen's image with her eyes closed - with discretion - through the lenses of amazing photographers.
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