May 21 - Charles II: The Power and the Passion

Today’s movie is a period drama with a scene that happens on May 21. I hope you will enjoy this film and watch it tonight.

CHARLES II: THE POWER AND THE PASSION      

Charles Stuart, living in exile has a nightmare about the execution of his father, King Charles I of England.   His friend, George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham wants him to compromise with Cromwell to regain the throne while his mother wants him to become a Catholic so France will put him back on the throne. He meets and begins an affair with the married Lady Barbara Villiers (Lady Castlemaine). News is received that Oliver Cromwell has died. General Monck takes power and offers the throne to Charles. He accepts and returns to England and is crowned king. He resists attempts by parliament to control him. Many of those who killed Charles I are executed.  There is a row when Lady Castlemaine bears the King a son and he does not instantly acknowledge him. Even though some of his advisors oppose the marriage, Charles weds Catherine of Braganza on May 21, 1662 [32:22 to 37:33], but spends most of the wedding night with Lady Castlemaine. His brother Henry dies. Some of his advisors promote a war with Holland in order to make the crown rich. The Queen is angry when Charles appoints Lady Castlemaine to her household and his brother James is upset when Charles refuses to let him divorce his wife. When Charles throws her over,  Lady Castlemaine seduces Charles’ illegitimate son James Scott. Parliament insists on a Test Act to exclude Catholics from government office. The queen miscarries and the plague strikes London.  Lady Castlemaine tries to find proof that Charles was married to James Scott’s mother, Lucy Walter. Charles’s brother James converts to Catholicism. Catherine offers to let Charles have an annulment, but he declines.   Lady Castlemaine’s efforts to promote Lady Francis Stewart end when Lady Stewart elopes with the Duke of Richmond. The English navy suffers a series of defeats by the Dutch. Even though Sir Edward Hyde opposed the Dutch war, he gets blamed for these reverses.  Charles again refuses to end his marriage to Catherine or to make James Scott his heir. The great fire of London breaks out, destroying much of the city. The King’ s mother dies in France. Charles acquires a new mistress in Nell Gwynn. Lady Castlemaine tries to get the King to acknowledge her youngest child, but he refuses. Charles discovers John Churchill in bed with Lady Castlemaine and the king finally ends it with her. Charles’s sister  Henrietta comes with an offer from King Louis XIV of France, her brother-in-law. He will pay Charles money to join a new war against Holland. Charles also proposes to become Catholic in return for further sums. Henrietta dies. Charles takes a new mistress, Louise de Kerouaille, one of his sister’s ladies in waiting. The King’s brother James marries Mary of Modena, a Catholic. In anger Parliament forces all Catholic ministers out of office. Titus Oates falsely suggested that there was a Catholic plot to kill the King, involving the Queen’s household, leading to rioting. Parliament proposes a bill to exclude Charles’s brother James from the throne. Charles has to arrest his treasurer, Lord Danby to save him from impeachment, when Charles’s secret treaty with France came to light. Charles allows Lord Stafford to be executed for treason. James Scott is exiled. Charles has a stroke and dies, just after converting to Catholicism.

If you think politicians today have poor morals, just watch this film. Today’s leaders just continue a long line of greed and self-interest that has existed for centuries. This film does have excellent costumes and make-up.

The Life and Times of Charles II by Christopher Folkus (Abbeville Press, New York, 1992) at page 90 gives the date of the wedding

Producer - Kate Harwood

Director - Joe Wright

Screenplay - Adrian Hodges

Awards - Nominated for Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries, Movie or a
                  Special (Dramatic Underscore) Emmy at the 56^th Primetime Emmys.

Released -  March  21, 2004

Runtime - 3 hours 55 minutes

Starring -

Rufus Sewell as Charles II of England

Rupert Graves as George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham

Helen McCrory as Barbara Palmer, Countess of Castlemaine

Christian Coulson as James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth

Ian McDiarmid as Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon

Shirley Henderson as Catherine of Braganza

Martin Freeman as Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury

Charlie Creed-Miles as James, Duke of York

Anne-Marie Duff as Henrietta Anne of England

Shaun Dingwall as The Earl of Danby

Emma Pierson as Nell Gwynn

David Bradley as Sir Edmund Berry Godfrey

Diana Rigg as Queen Henrietta Maria

Alice Patten as Lady Frances Stewart

Garry Cooper as General Monck

Thierry Perkins-Lyautey as Louis XIV of France

Cyrille Thouvenin as Philippe I, Duke of Orléans

Martin Turner as Charles I of England

Sean Biggerstaff as Henry Stuart, Duke of Gloucester

Predrag Bjelac as Portuguese Courtier

Robert East  as The Earl of Arlington

Dorian Lough as Clifford

Eddie Marsan as Titus Oates

Ryan Nelson as Young Monmouth

Jochum ten Haaf as William of Orange

Mélanie Thierry as Louise de Kérouaille

Simon Treves as Member of Parliament

Peter Wight  as The Duke of Ormonde

Copyright by Ivan Walters 2014.