Netflix’s ‘The Crown’ brings history to the screen
January 10, 2020
The Crown is a Netflix Original Series about Queen Elizabeth II who is still the queen of England today. The series does not tell just the story about the queen herself or the throne, but it also tells the story of England during the time of the 1940s, including the royal family and the British government. The series helps grasp the understanding of monarchy in England.
“Netflix’s lavish production ticks all the boxes of a royal awards contender craftsmanship, sterling performances and a historical story,” junior Veronica Riddle said.
The story mainly follows Elizabeth as she ascends to the throne and the challenges she has to face. “The Crown” also includes her sister Princess Margret, her husband Philip and Prime Minister Winston. The show manages to make family issue interesting, talking about political matters as well to foreign relations.
“It’s the type of show that describes some of the stories and some of the things that go on, but sounds boring, but its not,” junior Mishell Cortez said.
The establishment of the monarchy in England is represented as preserving and anachronistic, as if they are holding the country back. Each character is shown in with a different way of looking at the world with viewers gravitating towards the cast.
Netflix’s lavish production ticks all the boxes of a royal awards contender craftsmanship, sterling performances and a historical story.
— Veronica Riddle
“There’s not many shows that focus really on the past, and just stay with the past,” Riddle said.
The Queen of England took the throne in 1950, the dark ages as far as gender equality in marriage is concerned. It was commonly held motion that a man was the ‘master’ of his home, out ranking his wife. The series presented this conundrum, and it’s a difficult one for Prince Philip to reconcile.
Weegee said he prefers to bring in skills that students learn that are not necessarily something they would think of as a historical or outdated today.
Some seasons are undeniably sympathetic to Prince Charles and his position within the royal family, essentially waiting for his mother to die to fully realize his role.
“Each episode feels isolated from the ones around it, to the point where no storylines really truly flow through and as a viewer you feel unmoored in time and you’re like,’Wait, where did this come from?,'” Cortez added.
The story’s visual promotes the early days of the queen’s life. While, delicately imaging what fills in the blanks through drama to a story with no shortage of the facts to create a realistic and modern day connection.
“I really like to try and make everything as applicable as possible to students’ real lives,” history teacher Mitchell Weege said.
Deep research went into the production including the set, costumes and cast. Giving “The Crown” the title as ‘Netflix’s crown jewel,” according to TIME Magazine. The show plays off of real-life events sticking reasonably close to the truth.
“Like I’m not even British but I wish, because all the characters are so sophisticated. Their costumes and everything it’s like onpoint and it’s like whoa like this is like a $1 million,” Cortez said.
“It’s interesting to see what royalty does to a person,” Riddle added. “They are all historical figures and some are still alive today, so that’s what keeps me interested.”
Lucas Polucha • Feb 6, 2020 at 1:33 am
I appreciate how you explain the themes and messaging behind the show, “shows” a lot a either firsthand knowledge or research. However, there are a few moments where a comma is desperately needed, and your who lead, while containing interesting facts, isn’t effective at captivating the reader. Also you just have Prime Minister Winston, you need to add Churchill.
Jaynie Diaz • Feb 5, 2020 at 7:36 pm
The entirety of the article really had me hooked onto the show. I personally thought they would try to create the show to be a utopic version of the royal family and censor somethings, but the fact that they always wanted to stay true to the events made me want to watch the show even more!