Produced for British television, this "spectacular film reveals the ceremonial calendar throughout a year of magnificent pageantry" according to the video jacket blurb, and depending on your position vis a vis Anglophilia, you will probably find Days of Majesty to be either richly detailed or excessively anal. Shifting between scenes of actual ceremonies that would send most kids (and many adults) into squirm city and interviews with the ladies and gents who perform functions at these ceremonies ("after the turn, I take three steps and..."), the program lumbers on from month to month. We're told that "many of the ceremonies featured have not been filmed before," and frankly, it's easy to see why: the "Closing of the Parliament" is rather short on character, plot, or story. The Order of the Garment ceremony (although it does involve the curious ritual of affixing a lady's garter to a gentleman's leg) is also no great shakes in the edge-of-your-seat-excitement category. Other sights include hoisting the Royal Standard, Trooping the Colours, and the Service of Royal Mornday, where Regina-worship hits a new high when one interviewee compares the Queen's recognition of good citizens to Christ's giving out blessings. To be fair, there are moments of interest here (and for devotees of all things British, these behind the scenes peeks, as it were, will surely provide conversation at tea and crumpets for months to come). Still, Days of Majesty reaches levels of mundane detail often overlooked in more meaty documentaries (like Elizabeth R; VL-12/92). Purchase according to demand (R. Pitman)
Days Of Majesty
(1993) 106 min. $69.95. PBS Video. PPR. Color cover. Vol. 9, Issue 4
Days Of Majesty
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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