firebrand
Catherine Parr

Review: Firebrand

*Spoilers* Catherine Parr was the sixth and final wife of King Henry VIII of England. She had been married and widowed twice before marrying the King. Their wedding took place on 12 July 1543 at Hampton Court. Catherine gained two stepdaughters (and a stepson) by her marriage to Henry, but she and Mary were more [read more]

jeanne du barry
Reviews

Review: Jeanne du Barry (2023)

Jeanne du Barry is a brand-new film about Madame du Barry, the last maîtresse-en-titre of King Louis XV of France, starring Maïwenn as Madame du Barry and Johnny Depp as King Louis XV. Jeanne du Barry begins chronologically and swiftly walks the viewer through a simplified version of her early life as the illegitimate daughter of [read more]

sisi and I film poster
Elisabeth in Bavaria

Review: Sisi & I

Sisi & I (original title Sisi & Ich) is a German-language historical black comedy starring Susanne Wolff as Empress Elisabeth of Austria and Sandra Hüller as Countess Irma Sztáray. Although Irma really did serve as Elizabeth’s lady-in-waiting, the film is largely fiction. It begins as the 42-year-old spinster Irma is presented in a bright pink [read more]

kristen stewart diana
Reviews

Film Review: Spencer

A fable from a true tragedy. The new Spencer film sums itself up quite nicely before it has even begun. It centres around three days of Christmas at Sandringham with the royal family and during which Diana decides to leave Charles. I went in with quite negative expectations, based on other people’s experiences of seeing [read more]

The Royal Women

Victoria & Abdul Movie Review

Victoria & Abdul is the story of the unlikely friendship between the elderly Queen Victoria and Abdul Karim, an Indian attendant who quickly rose through the ranks and eventually became her “Munshi” or spiritual teacher. The story begins as Abdul is selected to present Queen Victoria with a Mohur coin in her Golden Jubilee year [read more]