Once I saw the Gainsborough lady, I knew I had traveled back into 1940's when films like "The Man in Grey" and "The Wicked Lady" were commonplace in the cinema, great escapism and lots of fun. But add in Barbara Cartland to the mix, and I knew I wasn't getting Shakespeare. What I am getting however is a historical drama with lots of fiction attached, romanticized with a bit of cliff note style detail. At least Michael York is there to portray the real Charles II, coming out of seclusion after the Cromwell era, and just as merry as I remember him from George Sanders' portrayal in "Forever Amber". Not exactly accurate history here, but definitely a fun soap opera with period costumes and classic settings added.
Stories like this always have some sort of pattern with the long suffering heroin married to someone she hates, the hero either in an iron mask because he has an evil twin who has claimed the throne, or in case of the Margaret Lockwood films, a seemingly sweet woman who is dastardly and willing to stoop to murder to gain power and position. Lysette Anthony is the fragile heroine protected by none other than Hugh Grant from her scheming cousin (Emma Samms), the mistress of King Charles. If this story had been made in the 40s, Lockwood definitely have played the Samms role. It's nice to see her playing against type as a villainess.
Veteran actors Oliver Reed, John Mills, Claire Bloom, Ian Bannen and Robert Morley have juicy supporting roles, and at 90 minutes, this film does not overstay it's welcome. Yes, the print is poor, but because the sound was decent, I tolerated it. I found it campy fun. Samms' character, Barbara Castlemaine, is apparently the only character outside of Charles based on a real person, although others can possibly be pinpointed to others from this era of British history. Lots of action and adventure, although it's a shame that for a film that isn't really that old there's not a decent print around.
Stories like this always have some sort of pattern with the long suffering heroin married to someone she hates, the hero either in an iron mask because he has an evil twin who has claimed the throne, or in case of the Margaret Lockwood films, a seemingly sweet woman who is dastardly and willing to stoop to murder to gain power and position. Lysette Anthony is the fragile heroine protected by none other than Hugh Grant from her scheming cousin (Emma Samms), the mistress of King Charles. If this story had been made in the 40s, Lockwood definitely have played the Samms role. It's nice to see her playing against type as a villainess.
Veteran actors Oliver Reed, John Mills, Claire Bloom, Ian Bannen and Robert Morley have juicy supporting roles, and at 90 minutes, this film does not overstay it's welcome. Yes, the print is poor, but because the sound was decent, I tolerated it. I found it campy fun. Samms' character, Barbara Castlemaine, is apparently the only character outside of Charles based on a real person, although others can possibly be pinpointed to others from this era of British history. Lots of action and adventure, although it's a shame that for a film that isn't really that old there's not a decent print around.