A chronicle of the life of George VI, who was forced to become King following the abdication of his brother Edward VIII, and his relationship with his wife, Elizabeth.A chronicle of the life of George VI, who was forced to become King following the abdication of his brother Edward VIII, and his relationship with his wife, Elizabeth.A chronicle of the life of George VI, who was forced to become King following the abdication of his brother Edward VIII, and his relationship with his wife, Elizabeth.
- Wallis Simpson
- (as Amber Rose Sealey)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaTommy Lascelles (Paul Brooke) is depicted as the Private Secretary to Bertie from the start of his reign, and certainly from the beginning of the war. In fact, though he had been an Assistant Private Secretary since shortly before King George V's death, he was only promoted to the full role (directly dealing with the King and his boxes, for example) as late in the War as 1943. He remained at post for the rest of the King's reign, several years after retirement age, and into Elizabeth II's first year as Queen. It's best to think of the role as combining two real-life people (Sir Alec Hardinge and Sir Alan "Tommy" Lascelles) into one.
- GoofsThe Duchess of York is shown as being pregnant at the time of her and the Duke's first visit to Lionel Logue. In fact, the visit took place in October of 1926 when the infant Princess Elizabeth was already six months old.
- Quotes
[Queen Mary and Lady Mabell Airlie notice that Bertie is taking an interest in Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon]
Queen Mary: I think my son is rather keen on the Strathmore girl.
Lady Mabell Airlie: I formed that impression too.
Queen Mary: We could do worse than marry Bertie to a member of the British aristocracy. I mean, *some* of them are quite respectable - yourself, for example.
Lady Mabell Airlie: Has it ever been done? Isn't royal blood supposed to be a unique asset? Surely she'd be the first commoner to marry into the royal family since, umm...
Queen Mary: Anne Boleyn.
Lady Mabell 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.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Story of the Costume Drama: The Stars (2008)
- SoundtracksIf You Were the Only Girl (In the World)
(uncredited)
Music by Nat Ayer (as Nat D. Ayer)
Lyrics by Clifford Grey
Giles Foster's production celebrates Bertie/ King George for his selfless devotion to duty. Despite his character flaws, he accepts the job of being King and undertakes it to the best of his ability. His loyalty is contrasted with his brother's fecklessness; despite an obvious surface attractiveness, David is too self-interested to become an effective monarch. He would rather spend his time cavorting with Wallis Simpson (Amber Rose Sealey) and exchanging malicious gossip about his brother's shortcomings.
Inevitably this ninety-minute production telescopes historical events, especially towards the end of Bertie's life (the seven years between the end of World War II and his death in 1952 are perfunctorily dealt with). Yet this does not really matter: what is more important is to note the way Bertie learns how to deal with events - especially the privations of the London Blitz. The scene where he and Elizabeth visit London's East End in the wake of an air-raid is particularly effectively done, showing the way in which social divisions no longer mattered at that time: everyone shared similar experiences of suffering.
Aubrey's Queen Elizabeth comes across as an eminently practical personality with a pathological hatred of her brother-in-law. On the other hand she, like her husband, are loving parents, providing a safe and secure environment for Lillibet (Naomi Martin) and Margaret (Jenna Molloy) to grow up in.
BERTIE AND ELIZABETH might not be historically very exact, but it nonetheless celebrates those particularly British virtues of understatement and stoicism.
- l_rawjalaurence
- Nov 22, 2015
Details
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- Also known as
- Берти и Элизабет
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- Runtime1 hour 39 minutes
- Color
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![Juliet Aubrey and James Wilby in Bertie and Elizabeth (2002)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNjcyMTk5MDg1Ml5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNzkyOTcyMQ@@._V1_QL75_UY133_CR2,0,90,133_.jpg)