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Charles II: The Power and the Passion

January 13, 2023

Charles II: The Power and the Passion is a British television film in four episodes, broadcast on BBC One in 2003, and produced by the BBC in association with the A&E Network in the United States, which also released it in North America with heavy edits. It was produced by Kate Harwood, directed by Joe Wright and written by screenwriter Adrian Hodges, whose credits include David Copperfield and The Lost World.

Charles II: The Power and The Passion
DVD cover
Directed byJoe Wright
Written byAdrian Hodges
Produced byKate Harwood
StarringRufus Sewell
Helen McCrory
Martin Turner
Ian McDiarmid
CinematographyRyszard Lenczewski
Edited byPaul Tothill
Music byRobert Lane
Distributed byBritish Broadcasting Corporation
Release date
16 November – 7 December 2003
Running time
235 min
LanguageEnglish

Synopsis

The film covers the life of Charles II – beginning just before his Restoration to the throne in 1660. He was deeply traumatized by the execution of his father in 1649, after the former's defeat in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms; it begins, however, with his penurious exile in Antwerp in 1658. The film's emphasis is on his court, and his conflicts with Parliament – essentially the same issues which led to the Civil War between his father Charles I and the House of Commons, the politics of who would succeed him – and his relationships with his family, his mistresses and his illegitimate son James, Duke of Monmouth.

The film dramatizes both Charles's laziness and frivolous diversion, leaving political issues to his chancellor Sir Edward Hyde, but becoming increasingly irritated by the paternalistic way which Hyde behaves towards him. Dismissing Hyde, he takes the reins of power himself, determined that his brother should succeed him in the event of his not having any legitimate children (despite opposition to James's Catholicism), and that Royal Power not be challenged by Parliament.

The production won the British Academy Television Award for Best Drama Serial in 2004. Composer Rob Lane received an nomination for Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special (Dramatic Underscore) at the 32nd International Emmy Awards.[1]

Summary of differences between American & UK versions

It was shown in the United States under the title The Last King: The Power and the Passion of King Charles II. This version, however, was heavily edited. The original British version is a four part series. For American broadcast, over an hour was edited out, and it was shown in two 90 min (with commercials, 2 hour) installments.

The edits often make little regard for either the script's continuity or coherence. Unless otherwise stated, items said to have been left out refer to the version shown in America and the DVD version available.

Many things are left out including the full details of the Treaty of Dover which contained a secret clause wherein Charles promised Louis XIV, his first cousin, to convert to Catholicism for an enormous sum of money. Louis also promised six thousand French troops if Charles needed them.

The edited American version also leaves out Charles's trickery of George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham (played by Rupert Graves) regarding the treaty's secret provision. Thus, Buckingham's later opposition to Charles's insistence that his brother James (later James II played by Charlie Creed-Miles) inherit the throne appears to be motivated by merely spite and jealousy rather than a feeling of betrayal.

James's marriage to Anne, daughter of Sir Edward Hyde, made Earl of Clarendon by Charles in 1661, is also unexplained in the American version. Played by Tabitha Wady, Anne is only in two scenes, when Charles meets Catherine of Braganza and later, in conversation with Lady Castlemaine as the Queen "took the waters" at Tunbridge Wells, where many noble and wealthy women went to seek treatment for infertility.

The part where James and Charles are discussing James divorcing Anne was also removed, further confusing viewers not familiar with the history.

The conversations between "Minette" (Charles' sister Henrietta-Anne) and Louise de Kéroualle with Louis XIV (played by Anne-Marie Duff, Perkins Thierry, and Mélanie Thierry, respectively) are all in French with English subtitles in the British version. In the American version, only the conversation between Minette and Louis, where Louis asks Minette to act as his envoy to Charles is in English (perhaps because of the perception that American audiences dislike subtitles).

Another scene edited out shows "Minette"'s husband, the Duke of Orléans, called "Monsieur" (the traditional appellation for the King's eldest brother), a notorious homosexual libertine, battering and raping her after insulting her.

All in all, the cuts made by A&E distort the picture of Charles II's personality and political maneuvers whereas the version shown in Britain displays much more fully Charles II's "shifty insincerity" (as Will & Ariel Durant put in it The Age of Louis XIV) and his willingness to sacrifice loyal servants at need. Indeed, the cuts seem to have been made with little regard for continuity or narrative coherence in the American version.

The American version presents Charles as the last "absolute" monarch of England. This does not dovetail with the historical reality (see the Durants and Fraser). In fact, Charles maintained his independence of Parliament in his last years only by taking French money. He also ensured his brother's succession to the throne not through royal command but through Parliamentary manoeuvres the nation's reluctance to see another civil war so soon after the First and Second English Civil Wars in the 1640s.

The full BBC version gives a more detailed, coherent presentation of the story of Charles' life and (temporary) victory over his opponents in Parliament.

Three scenes of brief nudity were also removed.

The only version available on DVD in the US & Canada is the one broadcast on A&E. The British DVD retains the full BBC version. Due to technical reasons, the most important impediment being the different television formats used in the two countries, see PAL and NTSC; also (see DVD article for further details on controversial "copy protection" measures), the British version cannot be readily viewed with the vast majority of American set-top DVD players. The aforementioned television format differences also make viewing a VHS copy of the British version difficult on US and Canadian TVs.

Historical veracity

The production team and the writer made an attempt to make this version as close to history as the constraints of squeezing 27 years of history into 4 hours allow. The script appears to be heavily influenced by Antonia Fraser's bestselling 1979 biography Charles II. In the "Making of Charles II" Rufus Sewell states that he used Fraser's book as guide to his portrayal of the penultimate Stuart king.

There are some issues of fact which are altered or omitted in the script.

  • The script implies, in a statement by George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, that both his and Charles' father had died fighting for the Royalist cause. In fact, George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, was assassinated by a disgruntled, perhaps mentally unbalanced, navy officer named John Felton.[2]
  • Before arriving in England, at Parliament's invitation, to take up his throne, Charles II promised an amnesty "for all [his enemies] except those exempted by Parliament." After much debate, Parliament decided that all of the enemies of Charles I should be amnestied except for those who had signed the death warrant. The series portrays Charles as pardoning some of his father's "murderers" after the brutal execution of a number (in fact 15). In fact, the thirteen not executed were not pardoned, but sentenced to life imprisonment.[3]
  • In one scene, shown in the British version only, Charles is seen to cast a piece of paper into a fire, in a context that heavily implies it was a marriage contract between himself and Lucy Walter, mother of his favourite, and ill-fated, natural son, James, Duke of Monmouth. Charles's alleged marriage to Lucy Walter is heavily contested by historians.
  • Above, Charles kept his friend and adviser, the Duke of Buckingham, in the dark about the secret provisions of the Treaty of Dover. Buckingham was later sent to Paris to sign a sham treaty with Louis XIV. This is left out of the mini-series altogether.[4]
  • In one scene, Charles visits his mistress Lady Castlemaine in her apartments at Whitehall palace, only to find her in bed with a young John Churchill, future Duke of Marlborough, who would become one of England's most famous military commanders and play an important part in the War of the Spanish Succession. A brief conversation ensues between the King and Churchill. In reality, Lady Castlemaine was at one of her houses and Churchill leapt from a window to avoid a scene with the King.[5]
  • Sir Edward Hyde is so addressed throughout the mini-series even though he had been made Earl of Clarendon by the King in 1661. Thus he is, from that time, properly called Clarendon as he is by historians. In the same manner, Anthony Ashley Cooper, Lord Ashley, is referred to as the Earl of Shaftesbury even though he did not obtain the title until 1674. Presumably, both names were used constantly to avoid confusing viewers unfamiliar with the period.

There are also certain omissions in the script.

  • While the mini-series begins with Charles I's execution, shown in a nightmare of Charles II, the real beginning of the latter's story is in his exile in the Antwerp in 1658. In fact, this was the last of many places to which Charles wandered in the 15 years of his exile, including the Scilly Isles, the Channel Island of Jersey, France, and, briefly, Scotland. The only reference to these wanderings is in the reconciliation scene between Charles and the Duke of Buckingham, when Charles says, responding to Buckingham's statement that, "It's amazing what [Parliament] will do when they feel guilty." Charles' answer, "They think money will make me forget the last twenty years. Well, they will find I have a very good memory."
  • Charles tells his nephew, William of Orange, that "both of his sisters" are dead. Charles had three sisters: Mary, Elizabeth and "Minette" (Henrietta Anne). Mary, the mother of William of Orange, died in 1660. Elizabeth died during her captivity by the Parliamentarians (see Roundheads), but she is never mentioned in either version.

Cast

References

  1. ^ "Rob Lane". Television Academy Emmys. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  2. ^ Britannica.com
  3. ^ Durants, The Age of Louis XIV
  4. ^ Durants, The Age of Louis XIV
  5. ^ Durants, The Age of Louis XIV

External links

  • Charles II: The Power and the Passion at BBC Online  
  • BBC: Official site 4 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  • Charles II: The Power and the Passion at IMDb
  • Charles II Encyclopædia Britannica. 2006. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 29 Sept. 2006

January 13, 2023
charles, power, passion, british, television, film, four, episodes, broadcast, 2003, produced, association, with, network, united, states, which, also, released, north, america, with, heavy, edits, produced, kate, harwood, directed, wright, written, screenwrit. Charles II The Power and the Passion is a British television film in four episodes broadcast on BBC One in 2003 and produced by the BBC in association with the A amp E Network in the United States which also released it in North America with heavy edits It was produced by Kate Harwood directed by Joe Wright and written by screenwriter Adrian Hodges whose credits include David Copperfield and The Lost World Charles II The Power and The PassionDVD coverDirected byJoe WrightWritten byAdrian HodgesProduced byKate HarwoodStarringRufus SewellHelen McCroryMartin TurnerIan McDiarmidCinematographyRyszard LenczewskiEdited byPaul TothillMusic byRobert LaneDistributed byBritish Broadcasting CorporationRelease date16 November 7 December 2003Running time235 minLanguageEnglish Contents 1 Synopsis 2 Summary of differences between American amp UK versions 3 Historical veracity 4 Cast 5 References 6 External linksSynopsis EditThe film covers the life of Charles II beginning just before his Restoration to the throne in 1660 He was deeply traumatized by the execution of his father in 1649 after the former s defeat in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms it begins however with his penurious exile in Antwerp in 1658 The film s emphasis is on his court and his conflicts with Parliament essentially the same issues which led to the Civil War between his father Charles I and the House of Commons the politics of who would succeed him and his relationships with his family his mistresses and his illegitimate son James Duke of Monmouth The film dramatizes both Charles s laziness and frivolous diversion leaving political issues to his chancellor Sir Edward Hyde but becoming increasingly irritated by the paternalistic way which Hyde behaves towards him Dismissing Hyde he takes the reins of power himself determined that his brother should succeed him in the event of his not having any legitimate children despite opposition to James s Catholicism and that Royal Power not be challenged by Parliament The production won the British Academy Television Award for Best Drama Serial in 2004 Composer Rob Lane received an nomination for Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries Movie or a Special Dramatic Underscore at the 32nd International Emmy Awards 1 Summary of differences between American amp UK versions EditIt was shown in the United States under the title The Last King The Power and the Passion of King Charles II This version however was heavily edited The original British version is a four part series For American broadcast over an hour was edited out and it was shown in two 90 min with commercials 2 hour installments The edits often make little regard for either the script s continuity or coherence Unless otherwise stated items said to have been left out refer to the version shown in America and the DVD version available Many things are left out including the full details of the Treaty of Dover which contained a secret clause wherein Charles promised Louis XIV his first cousin to convert to Catholicism for an enormous sum of money Louis also promised six thousand French troops if Charles needed them The edited American version also leaves out Charles s trickery of George Villiers Duke of Buckingham played by Rupert Graves regarding the treaty s secret provision Thus Buckingham s later opposition to Charles s insistence that his brother James later James II played by Charlie Creed Miles inherit the throne appears to be motivated by merely spite and jealousy rather than a feeling of betrayal James s marriage to Anne daughter of Sir Edward Hyde made Earl of Clarendon by Charles in 1661 is also unexplained in the American version Played by Tabitha Wady Anne is only in two scenes when Charles meets Catherine of Braganza and later in conversation with Lady Castlemaine as the Queen took the waters at Tunbridge Wells where many noble and wealthy women went to seek treatment for infertility The part where James and Charles are discussing James divorcing Anne was also removed further confusing viewers not familiar with the history The conversations between Minette Charles sister Henrietta Anne and Louise de Keroualle with Louis XIV played by Anne Marie Duff Perkins Thierry and Melanie Thierry respectively are all in French with English subtitles in the British version In the American version only the conversation between Minette and Louis where Louis asks Minette to act as his envoy to Charles is in English perhaps because of the perception that American audiences dislike subtitles Another scene edited out shows Minette s husband the Duke of Orleans called Monsieur the traditional appellation for the King s eldest brother a notorious homosexual libertine battering and raping her after insulting her All in all the cuts made by A amp E distort the picture of Charles II s personality and political maneuvers whereas the version shown in Britain displays much more fully Charles II s shifty insincerity as Will amp Ariel Durant put in it The Age of Louis XIV and his willingness to sacrifice loyal servants at need Indeed the cuts seem to have been made with little regard for continuity or narrative coherence in the American version The American version presents Charles as the last absolute monarch of England This does not dovetail with the historical reality see the Durants and Fraser In fact Charles maintained his independence of Parliament in his last years only by taking French money He also ensured his brother s succession to the throne not through royal command but through Parliamentary manoeuvres the nation s reluctance to see another civil war so soon after the First and Second English Civil Wars in the 1640s The full BBC version gives a more detailed coherent presentation of the story of Charles life and temporary victory over his opponents in Parliament Three scenes of brief nudity were also removed The only version available on DVD in the US amp Canada is the one broadcast on A amp E The British DVD retains the full BBC version Due to technical reasons the most important impediment being the different television formats used in the two countries see PAL and NTSC also see DVD article for further details on controversial copy protection measures the British version cannot be readily viewed with the vast majority of American set top DVD players The aforementioned television format differences also make viewing a VHS copy of the British version difficult on US and Canadian TVs Historical veracity EditThe production team and the writer made an attempt to make this version as close to history as the constraints of squeezing 27 years of history into 4 hours allow The script appears to be heavily influenced by Antonia Fraser s bestselling 1979 biography Charles II In the Making of Charles II Rufus Sewell states that he used Fraser s book as guide to his portrayal of the penultimate Stuart king There are some issues of fact which are altered or omitted in the script The script implies in a statement by George Villiers Duke of Buckingham that both his and Charles father had died fighting for the Royalist cause In fact George Villiers 1st Duke of Buckingham was assassinated by a disgruntled perhaps mentally unbalanced navy officer named John Felton 2 Before arriving in England at Parliament s invitation to take up his throne Charles II promised an amnesty for all his enemies except those exempted by Parliament After much debate Parliament decided that all of the enemies of Charles I should be amnestied except for those who had signed the death warrant The series portrays Charles as pardoning some of his father s murderers after the brutal execution of a number in fact 15 In fact the thirteen not executed were not pardoned but sentenced to life imprisonment 3 In one scene shown in the British version only Charles is seen to cast a piece of paper into a fire in a context that heavily implies it was a marriage contract between himself and Lucy Walter mother of his favourite and ill fated natural son James Duke of Monmouth Charles s alleged marriage to Lucy Walter is heavily contested by historians Above Charles kept his friend and adviser the Duke of Buckingham in the dark about the secret provisions of the Treaty of Dover Buckingham was later sent to Paris to sign a sham treaty with Louis XIV This is left out of the mini series altogether 4 In one scene Charles visits his mistress Lady Castlemaine in her apartments at Whitehall palace only to find her in bed with a young John Churchill future Duke of Marlborough who would become one of England s most famous military commanders and play an important part in the War of the Spanish Succession A brief conversation ensues between the King and Churchill In reality Lady Castlemaine was at one of her houses and Churchill leapt from a window to avoid a scene with the King 5 Sir Edward Hyde is so addressed throughout the mini series even though he had been made Earl of Clarendon by the King in 1661 Thus he is from that time properly called Clarendon as he is by historians In the same manner Anthony Ashley Cooper Lord Ashley is referred to as the Earl of Shaftesbury even though he did not obtain the title until 1674 Presumably both names were used constantly to avoid confusing viewers unfamiliar with the period There are also certain omissions in the script While the mini series begins with Charles I s execution shown in a nightmare of Charles II the real beginning of the latter s story is in his exile in the Antwerp in 1658 In fact this was the last of many places to which Charles wandered in the 15 years of his exile including the Scilly Isles the Channel Island of Jersey France and briefly Scotland The only reference to these wanderings is in the reconciliation scene between Charles and the Duke of Buckingham when Charles says responding to Buckingham s statement that It s amazing what Parliament will do when they feel guilty Charles answer They think money will make me forget the last twenty years Well they will find I have a very good memory Charles tells his nephew William of Orange that both of his sisters are dead Charles had three sisters Mary Elizabeth and Minette Henrietta Anne Mary the mother of William of Orange died in 1660 Elizabeth died during her captivity by the Parliamentarians see Roundheads but she is never mentioned in either version Cast EditRufus Sewell King Charles II Rupert Graves George Villiers Duke of Buckingham Helen McCrory Barbara Villiers Countess of Castlemaine Christian Coulson James Duke of Monmouth Ian McDiarmid Sir Edward Hyde Shirley Henderson Catherine of Braganza Martin Freeman Lord Shaftesbury Charlie Creed Miles James Duke of York Anne Marie Duff Minette Henrietta Anne of England Shaun Dingwall The Earl of Danby Emma Pierson Nell Gwynn David Bradley Sir Edmund Berry Godfrey Diana Rigg Queen Henrietta Maria Alice Patten Lady Frances Stewart Garry Cooper General Monck Thierry Perkins Lyautey King Louis XIV Cyrille Thouvenin Monsieur Martin Turner Charles I Nick Bagnall Hopkins Sean Biggerstaff Henry Duke of Gloucester Predrag Bjelac Portuguese Courtier as Pedja Bjelac Vitezslav Bouchner Victim 3 Sarah Cameron Young girl Brian Caspe Doctor 2 Robert East The Earl of Arlington Minja Filipovic Anne of Braganza Zuzana Hodkova Lady in Waiting to Queen Henrietta Maria Dorian Lough Clifford Eddie Marsan Titus Oates Curtis Mathew Victim 2 Ryan Nelson Young Monmouth Jan Nemesovsky Victim 1 Michael Pober Tutor Richard Rowlands Sir Roger Palmer Joel Sugerman Antwerp servant Jochum ten Haaf William of Orange Melanie Thierry Louise de Keroualle Simon Treves M P Peter Wight The Duke of Ormonde Andrew Woodall The Earl of Essex Simon Woods Captain ChurchillReferences Edit Rob Lane Television Academy Emmys Retrieved 25 October 2021 Britannica com Durants The Age of Louis XIV Durants The Age of Louis XIV Durants The Age of Louis XIVExternal links EditCharles II The Power and the Passion at BBC Online BBC Official site Archived 4 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine Charles II The Power and the Passion at IMDb Charles II Encyclopaedia Britannica 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica Online 29 Sept 2006 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Charles II The Power and the Passion amp oldid 1114916873, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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