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The Crown (Netflix)

Posted: November 20th, 2020, 4:21 pm
by zico
Having watched all the first 3 series, have recently started watching 4th series (starting with death of Mountbatten and rise of Thatcher).
Despite not being a monarchist, I really enjoyed the first and second series, starring Claire Foy as a young queen and John Lithgow as Churchill. Prince Philip and Princess Margaret were also well portrayed.

Third & fourth series have been less good, but still interesting. Olivia Colman is just wrong as the queen. Gillian Anderson does a somewhat over-the-top caricature of Margaret Thatcher. Last one I watched was the lead up to Charles & Diana wedding, and only just managed to stop myself shouting to the fictional TV Diana "Run, girl. Run as fast as you can. Run for the hills and don't look back".

All episodes justapose the queen's (and monarchy's) point of view with real events at the time. The first series was particularly interesting about great events of the 50's. The storylines of events are often simplified to fit into a single episode, but understandably so.

Re: The Crown (Netflix)

Posted: November 20th, 2020, 4:54 pm
by bluedonkey
I think it's best to enjoy The Crown as a glitzy soap opera very, very loosely based on real life but a million miles from factual history. Once I stopped saying "He/she would never have done that!", it became easier to watch.

Re: The Crown (Netflix)

Posted: November 20th, 2020, 5:04 pm
by AsleepInYorkshire
bluedonkey wrote:I think it's best to enjoy The Crown as a glitzy soap opera very, very loosely based on real life but a million miles from factual history. Once I stopped saying "He/she would never have done that!", it became easier to watch.

I watched "Diana in Her Own Words" on Netflix. If you have time it may interest you too.

AiY

Re: The Crown (Netflix)

Posted: November 20th, 2020, 5:06 pm
by Itsallaguess
bluedonkey wrote:
Once I stopped saying "He/she would never have done that!", it became easier to watch.


For everyone in the room, or just you?

:O)

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

Re: The Crown (Netflix)

Posted: November 20th, 2020, 6:17 pm
by Alaric
bluedonkey wrote:I think it's best to enjoy The Crown as a glitzy soap opera very, very loosely based on real life but a million miles from factual history.


They had a good lookalike for John Major in the final episode, dealing with the resignation of Thatcher. It wasn't a speaking part, so presumably that's not until series 5 if they recast the same actor. There would be plenty of material from 1990 to 1997, so unlikely they will leap straight to Blair even if they did leave out Callaghan and jump from Wilson to Maggie.

Re: The Crown (Netflix)

Posted: November 25th, 2020, 5:31 pm
by Lootman
bluedonkey wrote:I think it's best to enjoy The Crown as a glitzy soap opera very, very loosely based on real life but a million miles from factual history. Once I stopped saying "He/she would never have done that!", it became easier to watch.

Held off commenting on this because I had not finished watching the series.

I agree a fair amount of it is not factual BUT I did find it realistic in the sense that I could imagine the main characters acting as they were portrayed. it may not be literally true but it was believable, for me anyway.

Now I am no royal expert. But the difference with series four is that it covers events that I personally remember as an adult. And the idea that Charles was distant and aloof, Diana was bored and lonely, Anne was, well, horsey, Margaret was an addictive basketcase, Andrew was randy, Edward was clueless and so on, resonated.

So for me, not factually impeccable, but realistic.

Re: The Crown (Netflix)

Posted: November 25th, 2020, 6:41 pm
by bluedonkey
Itsallaguess wrote:
bluedonkey wrote:
Once I stopped saying "He/she would never have done that!", it became easier to watch.


For everyone in the room, or just you?

:O)

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

For everyone in the room, except the men in white coats. They're bastards.

Re: The Crown (Netflix)

Posted: November 26th, 2020, 1:44 pm
by Gerry557
Watched this because the other half wanted too mainly.

The last series seemed a lot more "made up" Those of a younger generation would be thinking the Iron Lady should be the crying lady. I even wondered if Argentina would win the Falklands war. Did Randy Andy even go??

Yes I know it has artistic licence but being so off the mark spoilt it for me. One does not approve!

Re: The Crown (Netflix)

Posted: November 26th, 2020, 11:25 pm
by didds
Alaric wrote: There would be plenty of material from 1990 to 1997, so unlikely they will leap straight to Blair even if they did leave out Callaghan and jump from Wilson to Maggie.


Queens Jubilee was 1977 - Callaghan was PM, Wade won Wimbledon, England regained the Ashes.

Did they really not cover the jubilee? I could see they might not bother with the other three above in 1977 :-)

didds

Re: The Crown (Netflix)

Posted: November 27th, 2020, 12:08 pm
by Alaric
didds wrote:Did they really not cover the jubilee?


I Think the third series ended with Wilson's resignation, Margaret's separation/divorce and the Jubilee. Wilson and Margaret had been major characters. They didn't bother with Callaghan as PM given his relatively short period of office. The story picks up in early 1979 with the assassination of Mountbatten.

Re: The Crown (Netflix)

Posted: November 29th, 2020, 7:13 pm
by terminal7
"I fear a generation of viewers who did not live through these events may mistake fiction for fact,"


states the culture secretary Oliver Dowden and goes on to say:

he intended to write to Netflix this week to express his concerns.


Now there's a busy man.

T7