Bertie and Elizabeth (2002)

The duke of York, nicknamed Bertie, was born as royal 'spare heir', younger brother to the prince of Wales, and thus expected to spend a relatively private life with his Scottish wife ... See full summary »

Director:

Giles Foster

Writer:

Nigel Williams

Stars:

James Wilby, Alan Bates, Eileen Atkins

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Wilby	...	King George VI, aka 'Bertie'
Alan Bates	...	King George V
Eileen Atkins	...	Queen Mary
Dolly Wells	...	Princess Mary
William Mickleburgh	...	James Stuart
Juliet Aubrey	...	Queen Elizabeth
Barbara Leigh-Hunt	...	Lady Mabel Airlie
Rupert Wickham	...	Equerry
Charles Edwards	...	David - Edward VIII
Alexandra Staden	...	Young Woman
Nicholas Pritchard	...	J.C. Davidson
Oliver Ford Davies	...	Archbishop Lang
Geoffrey Beevers	...	Earl of Strathmore
Deborah Cornelius	...	Thelma Furness
Michael Elwyn	...	Lionel Logue

Storyline

The duke of York, nicknamed Bertie, was born as royal 'spare heir', younger brother to the prince of Wales, and thus expected to spend a relatively private life with his Scottish wife Elisabeth Bowes-Lyon and their daughters, in the shadow of their reigning father, George V, and next that of his elder brother who succeeded to the British throne as Edward VIII. However Edward decides to put his love for a divorced American, Wallis Simpson, above dynastic duty, and ends up abdicating the throne, which now falls to Bertie, who reigns as George VI. Now he expects to be, as constitutional monarch, little more then a figure head, but again faith has more in store for him: Nazi Germany proves such a formidable war challenger to the British Empire that the nearly desperate nation looks to its royal couple as comforting symbol of the unbroken spirit, a part they play with great success, while hosting chased monarchs and governments from continental Europe. After victory, life returns to normal...

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Plot Keywords:

queen | archbishop of canterbury | world war two | bagpipes | 1930s | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

PBS [United States]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 June 2002 (UK)

Also Known As:

Bertie e Elizabeth

Filming Locations:

Sion Hill Place, Bath, Somerset, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Carlton Television, WGBH, Whitehall Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Denis Lill (Clement Attlee) previously played King George VI in The Gathering Storm and his paternal grandfather King Edward VII in Lillie.

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Goofs

A British Movietone Newsreel, complete with commentary, shows the Duke of York attending the Empire Exhibition at Wembley. This visit took place in October 1925 - not only is this four years before Movietone News began in Britain, but it is two years before sound film was invented. The Exhibition was covered by British Pathe News but the film is of course silent.

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Quotes

Lady Mabel Airlie: Surely, she'd be the first commoner to marry into the royal family since, umm...
Queen Mary: Anne Boleyn
Lady Mabel Airlie: Well, that didn't work out, did it?
Queen Mary: Well, my understanding is that until he had her beheaded, the whole thing was a resounding success.

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Connections

Featured in The Story of the Costume Drama: The Stars (2008)

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Soundtracks

"If You Were the Only Girl (In the World)"
(uncredited)
Music by Nat D. Ayer
Lyrics by Clifford Grey

User Reviews

Charming, historically inaccurate romance

If you want historical accuracy, look elsewhere. Fact, distortion, omission, and plain fiction are so interwoven in this picture that I almost wanted to see a disclaimer at the start of the film.

However! If you can chuck all that aside and just focus on the film itself, it's a charming, sweet, no-brainer movie with uplifting moments tossed in.

The portrayal of the struggles between David and Bertie, who'd always been close, after the arrival of Wallis, is the most "poison pill" version I've seen. David is portrayed as a flat-out cad, while Wallis is a scheming, grasping "rhymes-with-'itch.'" The devastation of Bertie and the poise of Elizabeth are in sharp contrast to the "bad couple."

This is just one example of how the writers used elements to highlight the tremendous tension between public and private royal life in the 20th century, and how personal feelings *must* be sacrificed to duty. Obviously, this dynamic still plays out in the 21st century.

What shines through above all in this picture is the love between Bertie and Elizabeth. As such, it is a charming romance film with some lovely costumes and sets, and some moving historical references thrown in. The steadfastness of B & E's relationship, and how it allowed both of them to survive some of the most crushing episodes of their lives, is inspiring to watch.

And then one wants to grab a book to find out what *really* happened. :-)