22 Best Films About Murderous Colonies – I Mean British Royals
We have a love / hate relationship with the monarchy. In practice, of course, autocratic rule is generally bad (not that democracy is inherently an easy walk, but at least it doesn’t leave us to blame), while modern, weakened versions of royalty may seem a little pointless. – as if it’s all for show. But this is what we like: the show. Monarchy is a place where the personal and the political meet, where family drama can have global consequences, played out against a lavish backdrop of fashionable clothing and luxurious spaces. Divorce may be juicy, but a divorce with consequences destined to be reflected over the course of five centuries? It’s a goddamn fairy tale. The charm of these stories is the fuel that truly sustains the monarchy in Britain – royal tourism revenues are said to exceed the costs of keeping a queen on the throne and provide seemingly endless food for storytellers.
Spanning nearly a millennium of the English and British monarchies, here are 22 of the best and most interesting films dedicated to specific reigning kings and queens. Some scandalous, some intense, many generous, and some even approximate.
(A short terminology note for fellow pedants: before 1707 – about the middle of Queen Anne’s reign – we are talking about English kings and queens; when England and Scotland united, they became British .)