A Royal Night Out (4½ Stars)

When an actor or actress dies, I watch one or more films in which he/she appears. Three days ago my beloved monarch Queen Elizabeth II died. She's not an actress, so I don't have any films in which she appears, but I do own one film about her: "A Royal Night Out". It's a film that treads a fine line. Any fictional film about the Queen could be insulting and irreverent, but "A Royal Night Out" has been filmed so carefully and respectfully that it avoids any pitfalls.

The film begins on VE Day, 8th May 1945, and continues into the morning of the following day. It was the day the War in Europe ended. It was a time of great rejoicing for all of Britain, but the film concentrates on the rejoicing in London. King George VI was due to hold a speech at midnight to be broadcast on the radio. His daughters Elizabeth (19) and Margaret (14) wanted to witness the celebrations from the other side of the palace walls. Margaret in particular wanted to visit nightclubs where she could enjoy the latest dances, especially the Lindy Hop. I wonder how she knew it in the days before television. Maybe newsreels were shown in the palace?

The girls are allowed to go to the Ritz, accompanied by army officers as their chaperones. Margaret doesn't like being controlled, so she slips away as soon as possible. Elizabeth is slightly more sensible, but she also leaves the Ritz to look for her sister. The soldiers guarding them are laughably incompetent. The streets of London are a confusing world to young Elizabeth, but she makes contact with an airman called Jack who guides her around.

The film shows Elizabeth's sorrow as not being able to lead a normal life. She's forced to carry out official duties, and unknown to her she'd have to carry out ever increasing duties for the next 77 years. The film shows a romance develop between Elizabeth and Jack, but she's wise enough to know that it could never be. At the end of the film they go different ways, never to see one another again.

The actress Sarah Gadon has been in several films that I've watched, but I've never noticed her. Maybe that's a good thing. A good actor shouldn't stand out, he should disappear into his role. Nevertheless, I'll watch out for her in future.

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