The Crown Was a Gem
The Crown, Netflix (2016–2023).
The Crown got it mostly right.
I’ve been binge watching The Crown for the last month or so. I had always heard great things about the show, and I’ve been mildly interested in the Royal Family since high school, so I decided it was time to give it a go.
Something that I liked and didn’t like was the rotating cast. Every two seasons, they switch out the actors playing the different roles. I can understand the point of this since the reign of Queen Elizabeth was from her late 20s all the way through her 90s. I read that the decision to switch out cast members was largely in part because they didn’t want to have to do heavy makeup on a majority of the cast to show signs of aging. The trouble with this is that it confused me for the first couple of episodes when season four hit. I had to figure out who was playing which person, except for the actors that played the major roles.
I also didn’t agree with some of the casting choices after season two. I always think it’s important to cast actors that resemble the real life people they are portraying. Some of the performers, like Dominic West who played the last version of then Prince Charles, were completely off! He looks nothing like Charles in those years, and even though he’s a great actor, he just didn’t look the part.
The three actresses that played the Queen during different eras of her reign (Claire Foy, Olivia Colman, and Imelda Staunton) all did a fabulous job of portraying the mostly icy monarch. It must’ve taken them months to get the distinct accent and mannerisms of this well-known figure perfected, but each actress was able to pull it off. When the two season run was up for one Elizabeth to switch to the next Elizabeth, the transition between actresses was seamless.
I was also totally impressed by the sets! From Buckingham Palace, to Windsor Castle, and Saint Paul’s Cathedral, every location was spot on. It’s fascinating to think about the craftsmanship that goes into making large scale sets or finding the perfect shooting location. Along with sets and locations comes the need to make sure that the furnishings and other items are as close to the real thing as possible; it’s part of the magic that sweeps viewers away, and the team behind the sets should be commended.
It was rumored that the Royal Family watched the show while it was on, but this can’t be substantiated. If it’s true, I wonder what their thoughts were as they saw their lives and secrets televised. Rules and regulations as to who they can marry, how to properly address one another, and how unaffectionate they are (to name a few) got me thinking about how fucked up it must be to live in that family. As fucked up as it was, and still is, it made for an entertaining watch.