A Queen Is Crowned (1953)

A lavish documentary film of Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation in 1953.

Writer:

Christopher Fry (narrative)

Stars:

Laurence Olivier, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 5 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Laurence Olivier	...	Narrator (voice)
Queen Elizabeth II	...	Herself
Prince Philip	...	Himself - Duke of Edinburgh
Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother	...	Herself - The Queen Mother
Prince Charles	...	Himself
Duke of Gloucester	...	Himself
Louis Mountbatten	...	Himself (as Admiral the Earl Mountbatten of Burma)
Duke of Kent	...	Himself
Bernard Fitzalan-Howard 16th Duke of Norfolk	...	Himself (as The Earl Marshal of England)
Basil Brooke 1st Viscount Brookeborough	...	Himself (as The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland)
Godfrey Huggins	...	Himself (as The Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia)
Dudley Shelton Senanayake	...	Himself (as The Prime Minister of Ceylon)
Muhammad Ali Bogra	...	Himself (as The Prime Minister of Pakistan)
Jawaharlal Nehru	...	Himself (as The Prime Minister of India)
Daniel François Malan	...	Himself (as The Prime Minister of South Africa)

Storyline

A lavish documentary film of Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation in 1953.

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Plot Keywords:

coronation | queen | queen elizabeth ii | queen of england | cathedral | 

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Taglines:

The only full length Technicolor film of the coronation

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Genres:

Documentary | History

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

1953 (Austria)

Also Known As:

Eine Königin wird gekrönt

Filming Locations:

Westminster Abbey, Westminster, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rank Organisation, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

79 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Gaumont Kalee Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sir Laurence Olivier prerecorded the narration in May 1953 since the coronation rituals were known prior to the actual event. This allowed the footage of the coronation to be released almost immediately after it was shot on 2 June 1953.

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Connections

Referenced in A Personal History of British Cinema by Stephen Frears (1997)

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Soundtracks

"National Anthem (God Save the Queen)"
(uncredited)
Traditional
Arranged by Gordon Jacob

User Reviews

A spectacular and moving event..

With Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee almost upon us the film of her coronation in 1953 has been restored and given a limited cinema release.

I had the opportunity to see "A Queen is Crowned" in a cinema.

It jaw dropping. The brilliance of the ceremony at Westminster Abbey is shown in its full glory.

Never have I seen such extraordinary images on screen.

The sheer power of Great Britain's history is on show. But the star must be Technicolor at the very end of the Technicolor era.

The beauty of the young Queen, the deep reds, gold, blues and greens that only Technicolor can offer are contrasted with grey exterior shots of a cold and wet London warmed by huge crowds and a massive military parade, perhaps the last flickering of an imperial Britian.

This not a film for everyone and as others have noted the slightly over the top commentary is jarring to modern ears but nothing can take away from the immense power of the event.

This is a film to be seen on a huge screen. The colour and detail is simply not visible on DVD even on a large television.