A Royal Night Out

When World War II ended in Europe on May 8, 1945, a spontaneous city-wide street celebration erupted throughout London. As King George VI (Rupert Everett) prepares to address his loyal subjects, restless teenage Princesses Elizabeth (Sarah Gadon) and Margaret (Bel Powley) yearn to escape from Buckingham Palace for one madcap evening to mingle incognito among the jubilant crowd. Although the Queen Mother (Emily Watson) sternly objects, Elizabeth, nicknamed Lilibet by the Windsor family, persuades their weary father, egged on by P2 (as in Princess Two)—as fun-loving Margaret is known—to permit the siblings to spend the exciting evening at The Ritz. Dressed in pale pink chiffon evening gowns, the effervescent Princesses quickly manage to evade their dimwitted, easily distracted military escorts. Eager to explore the fabled Curzon Club in Mayfair, do the Lindy Hop, and attend an “all-nighter” at the Chelsea Barracks, mischievous Margaret hops on a bus to Trafalgar Square. Dutifully determined to find her exuberant, party-loving sister, loyal and responsible Lilibet follows, but has no money to pay the fare. Fortunately, naïve Lilibet is gallantly rescued by a cynical Royal Air Force pilot (Jack Reynor) who doubts that victory will change Britain's class-riddled society. Loosely based on a true incident, this is a frivolous fantasy from filmmaker Julian Jarrold, but one with some nostalgic charm. A strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD extras include a “making-of” featurette (11 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a reasonably entertaining period piece.] (S. Granger)