Customer Reviews

Masterpiece Theater: Bertie & Elizabeth [VHS]

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Bertie and Elizabeth is the story of the courtship and marriage of Prince Albert, Duke of York and second son of King George V, and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. This has historical significance in that Bertie and Elizabeth became King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in December 1936 upon the abdication of Bertie's older brother King Edward VIII, who became Duke of Windsor. George VI and his Queen led the British monarchy through World War II and the beginning of the dissolution of the British Empire before the King died in his sleep in 1952.

The first segments of this story are well done but a bit thin in historical detail. I would like to have seen more of the difficult relations between Bertie and his parents, and I feel personally that the character of Edward VIII was drawn to be crueler than he deserved. (While there is no doubt that the Duke of Windsor was self-absorbed, he was kinder to his siblings, particularly Bertie and his stuttering problems, than this film depicts.) I also think Elizabeth's character comes off as superficial too much of the time, and that Wallis Simpson is made out to be far nastier than she deserves (I don't have much use for the Duchess of Windsor, but most of her missteps were out of ignorance rather than malevolence.) I enjoyed the scenes showing Elizabeth's working to help her husband overcome his stammer, though I rather doubt they really spent much time on the floor of the doctor's office.

The Abdication scenes and the early years of George VI's reign are well done, particularly the Royal Visit to President Roosevelt in 1939, but things get skimpy again in the World War II years. I don't understand why Elizabeth's famous comment that she could at last look the East End in the face after Buckingham Palace was bombed was left out. I also don't quite see the point of spending so much time focussed on Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands and her wartime travails. Some of the characterizations of generals and politicians are very well done indeed, particularly Montgomery and Churchill. (Its nice to be reminded of Churchill's sense of humor!!) The last few segments showing the King's final years are also nice. Queen Mary's shocked reactions are used to good effect to emphasize the advent of change in the late 1940s with the election of a Labour Government. (Clement Attlee is also very well done.) I also thought Elizabeth Dermot Walsh's portrayal of Princess Elizabeth (the present Queen) as a cool headed pragmatist extremely well done.

My only real disappointment with this film is that it is too short. A six hour mini series would have covered the period with far more detail and historical accuracy. But this film does reveal the humanity and courage of a King who did his duty and of the Queen who loved and supported him. Its a nice reminder these Windsor-bashing days.

There was never supposed to be a Queen Elizabeth II sitting on the throne of England, anymore than there is ever supposed to be a second Queen Victoria. When the Duke of York, the second son of King George V, married Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the first commoner to marry into English royalty since Anne Boelyn, it was not of any concern because his older brother David would inherit the throne as Edward VIII. When the couple had their first daughter, they named her Elizabeth and I always thought it was because he wanted to honor his wife. So when Edward VIII gave up his throne for the woman he loved, the American divorce Wallis Simpson, the Duke of York became King George VI, his wife became Queen consort, and their daughter would one day be Queen Elizabeth II.

"Bertie and Elizabeth: The Reluctant Royals - The Story of King George VI & Queen Elizabeth" begins the story right before they meet in 1920 and ends it after his death in 1952. Of course, Elizabeth then became the "Queen Mum" and the most beloved woman in England and there is some indication of why in this Masterpiece Theater movie. During the Nazi Blitz during World War II when it was suggested that the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret be taken to Canada for safety, it was the Queen consort who insisted that the family stay in London just like all of the other citizens who had no place to go. There is some indication of the affection their subjects had for the King and Queen, but mostly the scenes are set in the castles out of the public's sight. Of course, that is the attraction of such biopics.

James Wilby ("Gosford Park") and Juliet Aubrey ("Middlemarch") play Bertie and Elizabeth, with Alan Bates as King George V, Eileen Atkins as Queen Mary, Charles Edwards as Edward VIII and Amber Rose Sealey as Wallis Simpson (note: the two brothers are actually named Albert and Edward although they are called Bertie and David respectively by family and friends). This movie enhances the reputation of the title characters and they end up replacing the Duke and Duchess of Windsor as one of the great love stories of Twentieth Century. The Prince of Wales was a playboy who lied to his family, neglected his duties, and made fun of his brother's stutter. His future wife was a snob and when she puts down Elizabeth it is Wallis Simpson whose reputation takes a major hit. Of course, any and all such hits are historically justified by the objective evidence regarding the infamous couple.

Ultimately, this movie is a testament to how King George VI, considered a shy, dull-witted, colorless man married to a hopelessly plain wife, became heroic figures by their actions during the war. Edward VII and Wallis Simpson were style, but George VI and Elizabeth had substance. Even though she is another minor character in the story, the Princess Elizabeth (Elisabeth Dermot-Walsh), can still easily be seen as the product of her pragmatic parents. Queen Mary has a couple of nice scenes, as does Winston Churchill (David Ryall), but overall this is a history light version of these interesting times. That is because the emphasis is on the Reluctant Royals and the peculiar dynamics of the House of Windsor. Yet, even against that troubled backdrop the simple bonds of affection between the last King of England and the woman he loved.

This review refers to "Bertie & Elizabeth" (DVD/WGBH Boston Video)

This production of "Bertie & Elizabeth" was originally broadcast as part of the "Masterpiece Theatre" series(seen on Public Television). James Wilby and Juliet Aubrey, do a wonderful job of portraying the younger brother and sister-in-law to Edward VIII, who would abdicate his throne to brother Bertie(becoming George VI), in favor of his love for the divorced American, Wallis Simpson.It is probably a good idea to view "Edward and Mrs. Simpson" before this one, as Edward and his love get a pretty harsh going over in this story.

Bertie & Elizabeth are portrayed as "the reluctant" King and Queen of England, both being unprepared to fill their roles. But they rise to the occasion, becoming both capable and adored by the people. Bertie even overcoming his fear of speaking because of a stutter.Adhering to his strict upbringing, he lived the more structured and traditional life of the Royals then his older brother, who even before Mrs. Simpson, was a bit of a Randy prince. Throughout the story we see in them the strengths that they have within them to lead a country through their loyalty and inspiration. Even refusing to leave the palace as it comes under attack during WWII. Then going on to pass on those strengths to their daughter Elizabeth, who has now sat on the throne for over 50 years, since her father's death.

I have to agree with the last reviewer who said, this production(at 1 hour and 45 min.) is just too short. All the other films on Royalty(Henry VIII, Edward The King, etc..) I have viewed so far, go into much more depth of the family, and the events of the times, and take several discs to tell the story of each.I usually got to spend at least a week with each Royal, viewing an episode a night. I would have liked to have had more time with this King and his Queen to get to know them and the events surrounding them, a little better.

The quality of the DVD is excellent. A sharp, clear picture with bright colors. I loved the period costumes, and the adding of some actual footage from some of the Royal parades, etc. The DVD also has some very nice features. First it is presented in the letterbox format, and I thought the sound was very good as well. You can access described video for the visually impaired. This is found on the third feature down on the main menu, access availability, which will take you to an on/off button for that. There is also Closed Captions. To get to this you must go through your TV(not DVD player) remote. So your TV must have the closed caption option available in the menu. Most TVs these days have that. There is also scene selection and access to the Masterpiece Theatre Web Site.

Not quite as enthralling or as in depth as it predecessors, but very much worth the view, and a good addition to your Royal collection.

Enjoy....Laurie

also recommended:
Edward the Seventh

This Film tells the story of the current Queen Elizabeth's parents. Many remember well her late Mother who died very recently aged 101, her Faher is remembered for taking over the role of King from his wayward Brother who abdicated in order to marry Wallace Simpson (the divorced American, shock horror!) It plays the couple as blissfully happy young people, madly in love and not interested in royal life.
It plays the Queen Mother as a sweet girl, badly treated by the nasty Mrs Simpson.
It places all the major historical events in context, the abdication, WW2, the birth of Princess Elizabeth (now the Queen) and Princess Margaret (the Queen's late Sister).
I'm just not sure it is as truthful as it could be, King George had a very bad stammer and was highly anxious of public speaking, he was damaged by the cruel treatment of his Father and no doubt by years at Public School; not one jot of that information is played out here. In contrast, many historians suggest that Lady Elizabeth Bowes Lyon, or the Queen Mother as she later was, was quite keen to not persue nor accept King George, preferring his Brother who later abdicated.
The reported poor relationship between she and Mrs Simpson (later the Duchess of Windsor) was 2 way street, the Duchess reportedly teased the Queen Mother about her robust figure and was aware of her jealously of her, and it was generally reported the Queen Mother treated the Duchess with comtempt and like a cheap harlot. Again the film glosses over this, maybe the makers had to be careful to keep lawyers off their back, this was screened in Britian just after the Queen Mother's death so it may help to explain it's historical engineering work and the general feeling that you are viewing a J M Barrie adaptaion, I was waiting throughout for Peter Pan to appear!; it really was that fancifull at times.
Not great but worth a look, the central actors are pretty wet and unconvincing too but that seems to be a script fault.

I enjoyed this movie because I love history and always wonder what life was like behind the scenes. Even though I often enjoy watching the big ceremonial scenes with the crowns, robes, and history, there is always curiosity about 'the rest' of it. This movie was about the family discussions behind the scenes, not the big ceremonial events, and while we don't know how close it comes to what really happened, I found it believable. While the story told by this movie is very much about the decision of the king to leave when the country will not accept his flawed would-be queen, we don't go through what was obviously many months of emotional and political negotiations prior to the final decision. That was only briefly treated in this presentation, and I'm glad. The more interesting part was Bertie & Elizabeth and their story apart from the battle we've all heard before.

The movie starts as Bertie and Elizabeth meet, Bertie being fully devoted to his brother, the future king. Bertie seemed humble, particularly since he had a severe problem with stuttering. We get to watch as he struggles to overcome his speech difficulties, finally with success, exceptions being when he was overcome with anger or emotion. At one such time he was lashing out at his brother the king, who had given up his throne and subsequently shown no signs of having any good character at all. Bertie finally had enough, his speech problems briefly recurring as he responded to that moment.

We see a few 'party' scenes where Bertie's brother meets the woman he would give up the throne for, and believe me, they don't come off too well. This movie is not sympathetic to Edward and Mrs. Simpson, showing them to be petty, lazy, uncaring, and ignorant.

In one impressive scene, Bertie and Elizabeth come to have dinner with the King and happen upon Mrs. Simpson carrying on about how common and silly Elizabeth, the current Queen Elizabeth's mother, was. She was making fun of her and even doing a demeaning imitation of her, while unknown to Mrs. Simpson, Elizabeth watched. Elizabeth, in response to their stunned looks when they realized she was there, said effectively and with great dignity, "We came to have dinner with the King." Mrs. Simpson was subsequently shunned and shut out of any family or official events.

We see the differences in the brothers. Bertie showed bravery as he literally spent his life trying to save his country. On the other hand, Edward tricked Bertie into giving him money by pretending he didn't have any. When he realized that, as well as the fact that Edward & Mrs. Simpson were traveling outside the country as if they were ambassadors, befriending Hitler, etc., Bertie lost respect for his brother. He also didn't have time for his brother's demands, because he devoted long, hard hours to his war-time work, which eventually contributed to his early death. Even his mother tried to intervene when she realized he was working himself to death, but stopped herself, because she realized that he was doing his duty. Finally, Edward was allowed to attend the funeral and Mrs. Simpson was not allowed. The movie doesn't go past his death and only briefly showed how his daughter was prepared for her role as Queen.

There is a Bible story that when the prophet Samuel went to choose the King of Israel the first candidate was a tall and impressive man. But God forbade it saying, "Man looketh on the outward appearance but God looketh on the heart." This went on several times until finally the King was chosen-David.

The story of George VI has always reminded me of this story. King George was a shy, almost hobbit-like man who looked like he would have been happier as an accountant then a King. And yet he became one of England's most beloved Kings.
This film is in some ways a subversion of the normal Hollywood ethos(perhaps, not least because it was not made in Hollywood). The hero was not the one who "followed his bliss". It was the decent, respectable man who followed his duty. His brother, by contrast did "follow his bliss" and comes off as rather a cad. "Bertie and Elizabeth" make normallity attractive and "convention" sublime. At a time when actually living the "mere" homely virtues of loyalty to family and country, and of decency of heart and of action could in fact be heroic.
The movie shows not only the drama of history but more incongruously and yet more realistically the familiar family life. It reminds one that a happy family is still a happy family even if mommy and daddy have the highly respectable job of reigning over the world's greatest empire.
The most heartwarming scene in the movie is of the royal couple touring the ruins of bomb-battered London to be greated by indomitable children waving Union Jacks. It shows the spirit that can prevail over adversity.
This is a movie well worth the watching.

Bertie and Elizabeth is a beautifully unfolding look back in a historical moment that captured the interest of the entire world - and all just before the outbreak of World War II. The acting is superb, historically, it is absolutely accurate, all characters were wonderfully well acted, direction, costuming, set designs, all were outstanding. For those few of us still living remember well the romance of Edward VIII and Wallis Simson, and the speech(es) of George VI. We were not aware of his impediments, thanks to the manner in which the media managed to keep them hidden in a way - much like they did for F.D.R., never showing him in a wheel chair. The vendor was accurate and prompt in all ways! For the younger people, this is a marvelous tool for learning the past. For us very senior persons, it is a beautifully produced and acted stroll down memory lane.

Having a thorough knowledge of the events surrounding the life of George VI of England is something of a liability when viewing Bertie and Elizabeth. Although the actress who plays his wife, Queen Elizabeth, bears some slight resemblance to her character, every other actor in this production fails in this respect. In some cases, their lack of credibility cripples this production, and at best, this is a tepid and unsatisfying look at what was an important and dramatic period in England's history.

After seeing Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush in the fine 2010 film "The King's Speech" and recalling that King George VI and his wife Elizabeth were once the subject of a BBC production televised on PBS's Masterpiece Theatre, I viewed "Bertie and Elizabeth: the Reluctant Royals" with the intention of gleaning more information about this British Monarch who led his people during the trying time of WW2. For the most part, "Bertie and Elizabeth" delivers what one would expect from such a piece: a 105-minute portrait of a royal couple who as the Duke and Duchess of York expect to live the life of pomp and ceremony befitting their titles albeit without the harsh public glare of the royal spotlight reserved for the king.

When Albert's brother, David (crowned as Edward VIII) abdicates his throne "for the woman [he] loves," Bertie and his wife, commoner Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (the late Queen Mum to the present Elizabeth II) find themselves stunned like deer in the headlights of the public eye and the new technology of the radio broadcast utilized to bring the royals into the living rooms of their monarchy's constituency.

In Tom Hooper's "The King's Speech," Bertie suffers from a stutter that renders him unable to quickly and decisively engage his audiences. In this Giles Foster version--Bertie and Elizabeth meet with speech therapist Lionel Logue for an unorthodox exercise session and Logue (Michael Elwyn) accompanies the king as he makes radio broadcasts--the king's impediment although depicted as debilitating at times, is not nearly as limiting or revealing as that portrayed in the film starring Colin Firth. The Bertie (James Wilby) of this production seems more carefree--yes, he stutters and his brother and his harem of women--Wallis Simpson (Amber Sealey) included--do immaturely poke fun at him, but he is able to take over the reigns of kingship without so much as a Freudian hiccup. Firth's Bertie, apparently subjected to the psychological taunting of his father and older brother as he moved from childhood to adulthood, is much angrier; his frustration is palpable and presented with bursts of bad temper and studied reluctance to open up to Geoffrey Rush's Logue's paternal insights and surrogacy. The Bertie of this version is much more benign--happy with his wife, children and the ease and purpose with which he does his duty.

Performances in "Bertie and Elizabeth" are marked by the ability of the character actors to portray world figures and not disappoint with either an over-the-top caricature or off-the mark performance. Churchill, Chamberlain, Roosevelt, the Windsors and the little princesses, Elizabeth and Margaret all make adequate appearances. However, none stand out remarkably, rather they interject more of the sense of happy banality that Bertie and Elizabeth (Juliet Aubrey) imbue as they cheerfully carry on, keeping it all respectable while having a bit of jolly fun behind the scenes when they aren't poster children for the cult of royal celebrity.

Bottom line? "Bertie and Elizabeth" ambitiously follows the life of the royal couple from their courtship in 1923 to the king's demise in 1952 from lung cancer. Nevertheless, the catastrophic world events framing their personal story, at times, steal the show and Bertie and Elizabeth are what they are, pieces on a chessboard moved about by history. For a more psychological treatment of the portion of Bertie's life before, during and immediately after his brother Edward VIII renounced his crown for love, see the 2010 film "The King's Speech" for a thoroughly enjoyable entertainment. On the other hand, "Bertie and Elizabeth" delightfully whiles away over 100 minutes in a less intense and compelling manner with wonderful costumes and cameo appearances by the important personage of that time. Recommended for all royal watchers and Masterpiece Theatre (Classic) lovers.
Diana Faillace Von Behren
"reneofc"

The story opens in 1920, as the young Duke of York (James Wilby), known as "Bertie" to his family, meets Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (Juliet Aubrey) at a dance and is immediately infatuated with her. Though a royal prince hadn't married a commoner since Anne Boleyn, Bertie loved the charming and vivacious Elizabeth; they were married and had two daughters. Theirs was a true love match and Bertie spent happy times with his family, a luxury afforded him because he would never be King, or so he thought. Then his brother's abdication changed Bertie's life forever and he assumed the throne as King George VI.

This is a sweet love story with two very likable actors in the leads. Wilby and Aubrey are quite sympathetic and convincing as Bertie and Elizabeth and Robert Hardy is memorable in a small role as FDR. As the years pass, we see the abdication, WWII, their daughter's marriage, and a succession of Prime Ministers come and go; the one constant in their lives was their absolute devotion to each other and their personal strength and integrity. The story ends with his death at the age of 56; his wife would outlive him for fifty years.

This Masterpiece Theatre production is recommended for those who enjoy stories about the royals. Despite the opulent sets and costumes, it's a wonderfully intimate story of a couple who loved their country and each other until the end.