One of the better BBC costume dramas of recent years, 2003's Charles II: The Power and the Passion depends very strongly on its central performance. Fortunately, Rufus Sewell is admirable throughout as the saturnine, witty monarch who has retained popular fondness down the centuries in spite of his conscientious adherence to the bad and losing cause of absolute monarchy. Adrian Hodge's intelligent script dramatises the issue in quick sound bites--many politicians accepted the Restoration to avoid chaos and were determined to bring Charles to heel, whereas he was determined to defend the position for which his father had been martyred. If that meant handing the throne to his Catholic brother in default of a legitimate son of his own, so be it.
The four hour-long episodes cover the Restoration, the Plague and the Fire of London, the secret treaties with France and the Popish Plot, as well as giving us a fair bit of Charles's moderately happy marriage to Catherine (Shirley Henderson in the most hideously accurate historical hairdos ever) and his affairs with various mistresses. Among a number of fine supporting performances, Rupert Graves stands out as Buckingham, the friend who betrayed Charles. This sort of costume drama only ever works if the acting is as good as it is here.
On the DVD:Charles II on disc comes with a making-of documentary and a commentary on the first episode from writer Adrian Hodge and the director and producer. It also includes an extended documentary on Charles's back story--his education, his attempt to fight Cromwell's forces, his period on the run in England and his long exile--in which a number of eminent historians, including Richard Holmes and Ronald Hutton, talk about how he became the king he was. --Roz Kaveney
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
the best historical mini-drama i've ever seen this is a brilliant historical mini-drama. i watch loads of this sort of genre, so I would know.
it seems to stick to the facts, which are fascinating and intriguing and compelling all on their own.
acting is great, especailly rufus sewell, who is exactly what the title says: mega powerful, mega passionate. incredible presence.
each episode is exciting, sexy, has you on the edge of your seat aching for more :)
buy it now :)
Fabulous Restoration Drama Having just watched this DVD again, I've been capitvated anew by how good it is. Everything, from the music to the costumes to the acting, is magnificent. Rufus Sewell skillfully portrays the character of Charles II - cynical, witty, essentially good natured but determined not to go on his 'travels' again. The supporting cast are wonderful too, especially Shirley Henderson as Catherine of Braganza, Helen McCrory as Lady Castlemaine and Rupert Graves as the Duke of Buckingham. The spirit of Restoration times... more info
History comes alive I very much enjoyed this four-episode drama about Charles II life. I think a perfect balance was found between the private and political sphere of the king: both was portrayed excitingly and vividly depicting his personality both as man and king with strengths and weaknesses as well. The Restoration Age, as its king, is shown in detail with its splendour and decadence. A superb cast is empolyed including Rufus Sewell, Rupert Graves and the excellent Shirley Henderson among others. The music is... more info
Merry Monarch, Unhappy Queen I enormously enjoyed this production ! I've always liked king Charles, in spite of Catarina de Bragança's poor destiny. I agree that, by the standards of the time, he was as friendly a husband as possible. Congratulations to Shirley Henderson, who asks for a tea in perfect Portuguese ( was her voice dubbed or did she have to practise herself, I wonder ?:) By the way, Catarina was NOT that plain ... A very nice group of supporting actors, specially Rupert Graves, the man whose face is not easy to... more info
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