With this Sunday having been Queen Victoria’s birthday, it seems fitting that we celebrate the rich and famous, the blue bloods, the monarchy. From King Richard the Lion Hearted to the Sun King Louis XIV, from Queen Elizabeth to Marie Antoinette, history is rife with rotten royalty and majestic monarchs. These movies keep set decorators, costume designers and accent coaches employed and allows stage actors to segue over to the big screen.
Our selections sample a range of countries and eras, as well as fact and fiction. We’ll look at monarchs from Europe, Asia, and Africa. We’ll look at the modern era, Victorian Era, and more. Here are your contenders:
The King’s Speech (2010) – 118 mins
The story of King George VI of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, his impromptu ascension to the throne and the speech therapist who helped the unsure monarch become worthy of it.
The Queen (2006) – 103 mins
After the death of Princess Diana, HM Queen Elizabeth II struggles with her reaction to a sequence of events nobody could have predicted.
The Man In The Iron Mask (1998) – 132 mins
The cruel King Louis XIV of France has a secret twin brother who he keeps imprisoned. Can the twin be substituted for the real king?
The King and I (1956) – 133 mins
A widow accepts a job as a live-in governess to the King of Siam’s children.
Anastasia (1956) – 105 mins
An opportunistic Russian businessman tries to pass a mysterious impostor as the Grand Duchess Anastasia. But she is so convincing in her performance that even the biggest skeptics believe her.
Excalibur (1981) – 140 mins
Merlin the magician helps Arthur Pendragon unite the Britons around the round table of Camelot even as forces conspire to tear it apart
Throne of Blood (1957) – 110 mins
A war-hardened general, egged on by his ambitious wife, works to fulfill a prophecy that he would become lord of Spider’s Web Castle.
Coming to America (1988) – 116 mins
An African prince goes to Queens, New York City to find a wife whom he can respect for her intelligence and will.