Movie: The Last King

I didn’t know what to expect from this movie, and I admit I don’t know much about King Charles II, but since I love all things monarchy, I rented this one. It also helps that Rufus Sewell played Charles – he’s hot.

I watched the A&E version, which has been cut and edited for American audiences from the original BBC version, which is longer and more tawdry. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the A&E version despite any cutting room antics that removed stuff. The version I saw was still over three hours long and chockfull of great writing and acting.

From Amazon.com:

Pressed to forgive the enemies who killed his father, Charles II takes the throne and finds himself squeezed from all sides by vicious power brokers, his vengeful mother, a manipulative mistress, dubious advisers, a contrarian best friend, and his bewildered Portuguese wife. Problems with the Plague and Charles’s own, restless libido further complicate family and political dramas, but beneath the king’s operatic tenure are visible strains of progressive government: Charles, after all, ushered in an early era of democracy in England.

Fortunately, the mini-series doesn’t just focus on his wine, women and song (which would have been easy given that he is said to have had 14+ mistresses), but also goes into great detail about his attempt to keep England as a country of religious tolerance even as those around him strive to get rid of Catholicism altogether and persecute those who insist on remaining Catholic. But with a Catholic wife and a Catholic brother, Charles strives all the more to unite England while allowing freedom of religious choice.

If you have a block of time available and are interested in historical British monarchies, then I recommend this miniseries.

3 1/2 plagues out of five.