"Charles II: The Power & the Passion" (2003) TV mini-series

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Joe Wright

Writer:

Adrian Hodges (writer)

Release Date:

21 March 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

The chronicle of Charles II's time on the throne, his 10 year exile from Oliver Cromwell's England, and his triumphant return.

Plot Keywords:

King | King Charles II | TV Mini-Series | British History | Character Name In Title

Awards:

Nominated for Primetime Emmy. Another 4 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

Martin Turner	...	Charles I
Rufus Sewell	...	King Charles II
Ian McDiarmid	...	Sir Edward Hyde
Rupert Graves	...	George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham
Michael Pober	...	Tutor
Ryan Nelson	...	Young Monmouth
Diana Rigg	...	Queen Henrietta Maria
Sean Biggerstaff	...	Henry, Duke of Gloucester
Helen McCrory	...	Barbara Villiers, Countess of Castlemaine
Richard Rowlands	...	Sir Roger Palmer
Charlie Creed-Miles	...	James, Duke of York
Peter Wight	...	Ormonde
Garry Cooper	...	General Monck
Martin Freeman	...	Lord Shaftesbury
Joel Sugerman	...	Antwerp Servant

Also Known As:

Charles II (UK) (short title)
Charles II: The Power and the Passion (UK) (DVD title)
The Last King (USA)
The Last King: The Power and the Passion of Charles II (USA) (DVD title)

Runtime:

235 min | USA:188 min

Country:

UK

Language:

Portuguese | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Netherlands:12 | Australia:MA | Finland:K-15 | Portugal:M/12 (DVD rating) | Singapore:M18 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Barrandov Studios, Krizeneckeho namesti, Prague, Czech Republic

Company:

A&E Television Networks

Trivia:

Shirley Henderson's elaborate hairstyle for Catherine's arrival initially took two hours to create.

Quotes:

King Charles II: It's all been for nothing, Nell. The cause that gave my life meaning, will die with me. I fought to restore everything that was lost when my father was murdered but James will destroy it all. I know that, I've always known that.
Nell Gwynn: Then why did you fight so hard for him?
King Charles II: Not for him, for the principle. For the rights of Kings. Parliament will have its victory in the end.
Nell Gwynn: You know what I think about politics; it's all a lot of foolish men scheming to ruin each other for no reason anyone can remember a few years later. If it was up to me, I'd give the throne to Monmouth. Because, in my opinion, a King should always be handsome.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Making of 'Charles II' (2003) (TV)

Worth a watch

First, those of you who watched this as a three-hour movie with 30 commercial breaks must have seen a royally butchered cut as the R2 DVD is four hour-long episodes.

Second, those who claim that the BBC are not as good as they used to be are, perhaps, not quite fair, but not totally wrong either. I imagine they are comparing Charles II to Elizabeth R; I, Claudius; or The Six Wives of Henry VIII, and yes, it's not as good as they were. But then, neither were the other series the BBC were making at that time.

But if such comparisons are not entirely fair, they are also inevitable. Elizabeth, Six Wives and Claudius were televised plays. They worked due to the interaction of great scripts and great acting. The costumes were icing on the cake; the direction and camera work were capable but never drew attention to themselves. These teleplays continued a dramatic tradition traceable back to Shakespeare. They were *plays*.

Charles II, on the other hand, as well as other historical dramas done by the BBC these days, has abandoned its dramatic lineage for cinematic aspirations, especially as technology becomes more affordable. I don't consider this a bad thing, though I do think it failed, just as many teleplays of the golden era failed in their attempts. There's nothing wrong with bringing direction, camerawork, production design, etc. to the fore. Unfortunately, the scripts suffer, at least in this case. The viewer is innundated with flashy techniques like handheld cameras which achieve nothing other than making the show look modern, or a seven-minute long single take near the end of the final episode which contained about three minutes of dialogue that actually advanced the plot or developed the character in meaningful ways.

Is it worth watching? Yes. But don't compare it the greatest costume dramas ever made. Take it for what is, and it's a fine drama.