Bertie & Elizabeth: The Story of King George VI & Queen Elizabeth

Two genres collide in this workmanlike Masterpiece Theatre entry: the Stolid, Plodding Historical Drama 7th Graders Will Be Forced to Watch in Social Studies Class, and Simplistic Valentines to Complicated Real-Life People. James Wilby stars as Albert, the Duke of York (who ascended to the throne of England when his older brother, Edward VIII, abdicated in 1936), with Juliet Aubrey as his wife, Scottish aristocrat Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. Bertie rules well amidst the (entirely offscreen) excitement of World War II, the happily married royal couple's daughters are well-adjusted, and the family is beloved by the entire nation. In fact, the greatest dramatic to-do revolves around Bertie's stutter, which the love of his good and virtuous queen helps him to overcome. One longs for some of the titillation that might been provided by greater focus on brother Edward and his naughty affair with American divorcée Wallis Simpson, but that all happens mostly offscreen, too. Those who think the Queen Mum (that's Bertie's Elizabeth, of course) is the greatest thing since clotted cream and scones will enjoy this reverential biopic; others will be less impressed by this rather insipid portrait. Optional. (M. Johanson)