WillSushyMedia This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

Catangro After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

Murphy Howard I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Kien Navarro Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

George Wright Timothy West was excellent in the role of a king who had a short but very successful reign. The man was King Edward VII, formerly the playboy Prince of Wales, who became the grandfather of Europe. He was a sophisticated man who enjoyed wine, women and a good cigar. West gives him that gravitas that he must have nurtured offstage until the death of his mother Queen Victoria, when he was 61. Monarchy seemed to fit him like a glove and so it seems with West. Although his domineering mother kept him off centre stage as Prince of Wales, he did blossom as king. Victoria, as a charming monarch with a cold determination, is played superbly by a Annette Crosbie and the Princess of Wales/Queen Alexandra is Helen Ryan, who had a copyright on roles as the elegant consort representing the best of Edwardian England. There are excellent actors appearing in the movie: Michael Hordern (Willam Gladstone), John Gielgud (Benjamin Disraeli), Felicity Kendall (the Princess Royal), Charles Dance (Prince Edward), Francesca Annis (Lilly Langtry), etc. I was greatly impressed with this series. Movies like this fine one are a great way to stimulate interest in history. It is one of many home-grown, British television shows that have done just that for me.

cluciano63 But I am obsessed with the Victorian and Edwardian monarchies. Most of the acting was excellent, although I have to say, most of the portrayals of Victoria's daughters were extra flattering, physically. They even had Vicki as slim as a girl with Willie full-grown, when in fact she had assumed a rather massive size at a rather young age, just like her mother. Victoria too appeared far slimmer than she actually became at a much younger age.I thought the actor playing Bertie was especially good. As well of course the role of the Queen. I think Willie was portrayed as a little more lucid than he actually was. Alex was well portrayed and was indeed fierce and fiery on the subject of Prussia, nearly causing international crises more than once.Such a shame how Victoria put Bertie in such an untenable position for decades. What a crazy old bat she turned out to be, no matter if she retained some wisdom.It is so sad in retrospect to see now blind they all were to the dangers of Germany for so long. Sometimes, when I am feeling especially cruel, I almost wish Victoria had lived to see what horrors her beloved Willie wrought.Overall from everything I have read, this series is very true to actual events and attitudes.

roxannemyers6218 I watched the series when it was first broadcast, but I greatly enjoyed seeing it again, especially not having to wait a week between episodes. The work is extremely well-done as a drama and is also historically accurate. Seeing it for a second time made me more aware of all the sets and set dressings; the makers went to extraordinary means to insure that all the pictures on the walls and all the items on the desks were accurate. Because there are pictures available of the royal family through these decades, they could make sure of wallpaper, furniture, and costumes, and they took the trouble, even if the scene was short and the viewer would scarcely have time to notice. The only thing I noticed that was not historical was the aggressive behavior of Wilhelm II of Germany, but I can imagine that he appeared that way to the English.Edward VII was an excellent subject for a detailed 13-episode series. Even though he was neither king, nor allowed duties that would prepare him to one day assume the throne through most of the episodes, his life reveals things about the Victorian era. During his years in waiting, Europe was changing. Democratic revolutions were taking place. Though not dwelt upon, the British monarchy's fear of these revolutions is mentioned fairly often. Nationalism swept through even countries that were politically stable and would ultimately upset the empire. "Bertie's" father Albert hoped to unite Europe with marriage alliances, but Albert's early death and Bertie's brief reign allowed nations to arm to the teeth, preparing for war. Bertie's life is echoed in the current situation of Prince Charles, who will be even older when (and if) he ascends the throne. Finally, the life and times of this king are not well-known even in the U.K. and especially not in the U.S. Both the drama in the life of Edward VIII and the short reign of Edward VII leave him neatly tucked in a corner and forgotten. If the series were done today, I suspect that there would be more details on the affairs Bertie had with married women during the time he was the Prince of Wales. The way the director portrays them is essentially the Victorian way. The Prince's actions were by no means unique, and yet the solution at the time was to pretend the affairs did not exist. When scandal reached the ears of Queen Victoria, her biggest concern is how the news will affect the monarchy. The actors in the series deserve the last and greatest accolades. Not only did they portray important world figures through 30 to 50 years, but they, in large measure, closely resemble the historical personage and have mastered their mannerisms.

masonx He was known as Bertie in the family and he was the eldest son and heir of Queen Victoria, probably the whitest woman, not to mention the most morally pure to ever sit on the english throne. To everyone else he was the prince of wales. Later he was to be known as King Edward VII, of Great Britain & Ireland, defender of the faith etc etc. This BBC series is a re-enactment of his life and has tried to keep to historical accuracy as much as possible, although anglophile purists may find much to criticise. Due in part to his position poor Bertie was singled out early from his four brothers & four sisters for special treatment. His stern lutheran father Albert the prince consort had arranged a strictly academic upbringing for his eldest son which was totally unsuited to his personality. Albert however neglected to imbue his son with what he needed most at that time, fatherly affection. His mother as she so often did took her cues from her husband and was happy to leave their childrens education in his hands. Consequently following the early death of his father from typhoid Bertie turned his back on academia and swore he would never read another text book. At 20 he married the beautiful danish princess Alexandra of Denmark and was to father 5 children by her. Initially it was a happy marriage but soon Berties short attention span and wandering eye caused him to seek respite in the arms of other woman. Most notably among them Lily Langtry, Agnes Keyser, Alice Keppel and Daisy Brook. What his wife thought of these friendships can only be guessed at and she can not have been unaware of these liaisons. The prince of wales for reasons of decency and protocol made a point of only aligning himself with married women most of whom he would introduce to his wife. Divorced ladies were out of bounds and forbidden even in the royal presence. It was to say the least an ambiguous set of rules. His liaisons were an open secret and discretion was the watchword for members of his household. Royalty then was treated with more respect than it is now. Bertie was as immoral in many respects as his mother was amoral to the whole of the british empire. But despite these major flaws in his character he proved a hardworking and popular monarch for the short period that he reigned. At a time when relations with France & England were at their lowest ebb he toured there and his presence in Paris at such a turbulent time helped to initiate the diplomatic accords known as "the entente cordiale". Following death in 1911 he was sincerely mourned by his subjects and as his private secretary Frederick Ponsonby eulogised at his funeral,,,"we will all miss this wayward popular and in the end humane sovereign"For me a thoroughly absorbing biographical portrayal of this very interesting personality. Timothy West, despite a close resemblance to Edward failed to capture his jovial character and avuncular personality so often remarked about in the contemporary diaries of the time. A shame really because then the series would have been doubly watchable. Helen Ryan although not quite capturing the famous beauty of Queen Alexandra does an adequate job as Bertie's long suffering wife. At Bertie's deathbed it was Alexandra who in a gracious gesture summoned several of the kings closest friends to say their final farewells to him. Francesca Annis also stands out here in her role as Lily Langtry a part she was to repeat in another tv series depicting one of the most famous of english courtesans of the time. Overall I give this a 7/10. Unfortunately not out on video or DVD.