At 5.30pm the UK was paralyzed. Queen Elizabeth II died at the age of 96. A monarch who, already in life, made history and who, of course, her reign served as an inspiration for art and which includes cinema and televisionwho went through different stages in her life, as well as proposing different approaches to the longest-serving head of state Britain has had since the emblematic Queen Victoria. And it is that 70 years of dynasty have come a long way, with feature films that have become essential titles of the seventh artwith the Oscars included, or television series that delved into the life of a unique woman.
From her marriage to Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later known as Philip of Edinburgh, it was possible to see that Elizabeth’s reign would be linked to the audiovisual. The link was the first to be broadcast by the BBC and marked, forever, what the different events of the Royal House would be like., also showing the importance of public participation in these events. Beyond the documentary part, there was also an extensive reportage in which the Windsors opened the doors of Buckingham Palace, what attracted the most attention was how the narrative approached the reign of Elizabeth II.
Although there were attempts in the 1990s, Stephen Frears opened the season with the magnificent ‘The Queen’, which gave Helen Mirren the Oscar for Best Actress and was a feature film nominated for five other statuettes, including nominations for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. Written by Peter Morgan, author of the famous comedy ‘The Audience’, a highly prestigious work that laid the foundation for other titles that made the monarch a staple of television, the series ‘The Crown’, one of Netflix’s most prestigious dramas, which gave the Emmy to both Claire Foy and Olivia Colman.
Elizabeth II in cinema and on television
1 Helen Mirren in “The Queen” (2006)
It is the best known portrait of Elizabeth II in fiction. Directed by Stephen Frears and starring Peter Morgan as screenwriter, “The Queen” was the film that elevated the monarch to posterity on the big screen. Helen Mirren embodies one of the most contentious episodes of the Windsor House, the tragic death of Diana of Wales. The film centers on the days when the UK head of state had to give in to the audience’s desire to mourn the so-called “people’s princess”. A crucial moment in the recent history of the British monarchy that Frears was able to capture on celluloid.
‘The Queen’ was nominated for six Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay, taking the Best Actress statuette for Mirrenthus joining in the collective memory the famous actress with the longest-lived monarch of Great Britain.
Helen Mirren from eCartelera
Two Claire Foy in “The Crown” (2016 – 2017)
From the hand of Peter Morgan came ‘The Crown’Netflix’s most acclaimed series and in which the screenwriter transformed his famous play “The Audience” into a series that seeks to portray three ages of Elizabeth II. The first two seasons had Claire Foy as the monarchwhich recounts from her marriage to the Duke of Edinburgh (Matt Smith) in 1947 to the birth of Prince Edward in 1964.
In these two seasons The actress was challenged to show Elizabeth II’s early historical events as head of state, such as the return from the death of her father, George VI (Jared Harris).as well as Winston Churchill’s return to office as Prime Minister, his subsequent resignation in 1955 or the failed courtship of his sister, Princess Margaret (Vanessa Kirby) with Peter Townsend (Ben Miles). The Suez Crisis of 1956 or the scandal of the Perfume Case were also shown. The first two seasons garnered widespread acclaim, both earning three Emmy Awards, including Best Actress for Foy.
Claire Foy at eCartelera
3 Olivia Colman in “The Crown” (2019 – 2020)
With two seasons that have served to position “The Crown” as one of the most prestigious dramas on Netflix, Olivia Colman has taken over from Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth II for the next two batches of episodes. In the third season, set between 1964 and 1977, the fiction covered the election victories of Harold Wilosn and Edward Heath, as well as the monarch’s Silver Jubilee. The fourth lot, set between 1979 and 1990, It focused on Margaret Thatcher’s time as Prime Minister and Diana’s irruption of Wales into Prince Charles’s love life.
The fourth season is, to date, the most successful, having won seven Emmy Awardsincluding Best Drama Series, Best Actress for Colman, Best Actor for Josh O’Connor, Best Supporting Actress for Gillian Anderson, as well as Best Screenplay and Best Director.
Olivia Colman on eCartelera
4 Imelda Staunton in ‘The Crown’ (2022 -)
Already an Emmy award, a “The Crown” still has two seasons to air. The fifth batch is expected to premiere in the fall of this 2022 and will be with which Imelda Staunton will pick up the baton from Olivia Colman as monarch. The Oscar nominee for “Vera Drake’s Secret” is challenged to embody Elizabeth II in the 1990s and 00s, which means she will have to face the infamous Annus Horribilis, 1992, as well as the tragic death of Diana of Wales, succeeded in 1997.
Despite the pending release, Given that the previous four seasons have enjoyed incredible prestige, the fifth and sixth seasons are expected to continue on that path. On the other hand, Peter Morgan has already made it clear that the last season will not delve into the final years of Elizabeth II’s reign, which leaves the intrigue as to what historical moment Netflix fiction will narrate.
Imelda Staunton on eCartelera
5 Prunella Scales in “A Spy with Art” (1991)
Telefilm which is part of the famous British series ‘Screen One’ and adapting the play ‘A Question of Attribution’, written by Alan Bennett and released in 1988. Applauded TV film focusing on the case of Sir Anthony Blunt, Buckingham Palace art restorer who was a spy for the USSR. An individual who played both sides, presumably also collaborating with MI5. Prunella Scales plays Elizabeth II in this production, where the connection he had with Blunt is shown and this leaves the question of whether the monarch really knew who the spy really was. The production won the BAFTA for Best TV Show.
Prunella Scale on eCartelera
6 Rachel Wallis in “Her Majesty Elizabeth” (2001)
Directed and written by Mark J. Gordon, “Her Majesty Elizabeth” really tells little Elizabeth Wakefield (Sally Andrews) dreams of meeting Queen Elizabeth IIwho plans to visit his country of New Zealand. Rachel Wallis embodies this dreamy vision of the monarchwho, finally, seems to show his power, as head of state, to create harmony, since the film, of a family nature, narrates the internal conflicts that the people of the child had with the Maori people and how the raid of the queen helped in a peaceful resolution.
The film won the Audience Award at the Florida Film Festival and the Naples Film Festival. On the other hand, Sally Andrews won the Best Actress award at the San Diego Film Festival in 2004.
7 Freya Wilson in “The King’s Speech” (2010)
Although “The King’s Speech” narrates the accession to the throne of George VI, father of Elizabeth II, and gave the Oscar to Colin Firth, It was impossible for Tom Hooper’s film not to play the monarch’s eldest daughter, a very young Elizabeth, played by Freya Wilson. It is one of the few portraits made in the queen’s childhood cinema.
8 Sarah Gadon in “The Royal Night” (2015)
Julian Jarrold decided to bring to the cinema one of the lesser known historical episodes of Elizabeth II, when, together with other young women of her age, He went out to celebrate the end of the Second World War and the victory of the Allies together with his sister Margarita in the “Royal Night”. Sarah Gadon embodies this teenage version of the monarchprincess again A film that reinvents that night and that uses the genre of romantic comedy to show the more fascinating side of the future queen.
Sarah Gadon on eCartelera
9 Julie Walters in ‘Corgi: The Queen’s Animals’ (2019)
One of the more irreverent incarnations of the queen is the one in the Belgian animated film ‘Corgi: The Queen’s Pets’, from the nWave Pictures factory. In her original English dub, it was Julie Walters, Oscar nominated for ‘Educating Rita’ and ‘Billy Elliot’ and recognized by the public for being Molly Weasley in the ‘Harry Potter’ saga, who commissioned her to voice her as Isabella II. . One of the most eye-catching portraits of the monarch, as the film featured one of her adorable Corgi dogs.
An adventure reminiscent of other animation classics such as “Oliver and his gang” and which shows the monarch as a true pop icon.
Julie Walters on eCartelera
10 Stella Gonet in “Spencer” (2021)
Not all portraits of Elizabeth II have been kind to her image. Chilean Pablo Larraín directed ‘Spencer’ in 2021, which chronicles the existential crisis that Diana of Wales experienced in Christmas 1991, when she decided to divorce Prince Charles and leave the royal family. Although the film is an interpretive waste of Kristen Stewart, who was nominated for an Oscar, it was inevitable to see with expectation who she would play her mother-in-law in the film.
It was Stella Gonet who brought the monarch to life in “Spencer”. Her appearance in the film is tremendously short, but pivotal, being part of the film’s key moments. In the film, Isabel II is resigned to her daughter-in-law’s attitude, even if that doesn’t stop her from looking ahead.
a unique queen
But not only Peter Morgan has interpreted the life of Elizabeth II and not only Helen Mirren or Olivia Colman have had the challenge of playing one of the most important women in recent history. Like this, here are ten portraits of the queen in film and on television.
Source: E Cartelera
Elizabeth Cabrera is an author and journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a talent for staying up-to-date on the latest news and trends, Elizabeth is dedicated to delivering informative and engaging articles that keep readers informed on the latest developments.
