Too much of everything

Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Isn't it refreshing to know that TV can still produce gems like this? I love history and this period (the 17th century) is my favourite era. When I discovered that the BBC were making a series about Charles ii I was intrigued, when I heard that Rufus Sewell and Shirley Henderson were to star, I was excited. My excitement was not misplaced. This TV show is one of the best costume dramas ever made. Charles, one of the most scandalous of England's kings, is brought vividly to life by Sewell's delicious performance. Helen McCrory is hypnotically obnoxious as Lady Castlemain, official prostitute to the court of King Charles and Shirley Henderson excels as the long suffering wife of the philandering king. There is so much history to be covered in the reign of Charles ii, fire, plague, wars, religious tumult not to mention the inexhaustible line of Charles's mistresses and this production packs it all in. We even learn of Charles's ill fated father and the austere rule of Oliver Cromwell. The only unfortunate thing about this production is that there weren't more episodes.

"The Last King" is a 3 hour, two part miniseries from the BBC which traces the life of King Charles II who ruled from 1649 until his death in 1685. The upside of this film includes its sumptuous appointments and excellent cast. Well directed and crafted, the film is engaging, passionate, and delivers a strong sense of Charles II, his Monarchy, and the period. On the downside, however, the film is very difficult to follow given the absence of any prologue or didactics, the mixing of sir names and titles, and the presumption of some knowledge of the history of the time. The film squanders time on the sexual intrigues and personal relationships of the womanizing King while largely ignoring the more historical and profound matters of state. The Dutch Wars, for example, are barley mentioned while much time is spent on the machinations of one of his mistresses, Barbara Villiers making the film a bit more of a soap opera than a historical chronicle. Nonetheless, this elegant film is a must see for anyone interested in King Charles II and a should see for those into stories of the history of England's monarchy. No one does English period films better than the Brits and this one has production value equal to any similar films from Hollywood. (Note - the DVD I watched has no CC's or Subtitles with much dialogue spoken in whispers or thick English, French, of Portuguese accents). B

Even for not-very-familiar-with-British-history beings, this movie is excellent! I liked Rufus Sewell very very much as Charles II. He was really very much "in" the historical person. Even in case you are not familiar with the time of Charles II, you get very interested to read more about it.I would liked this film to show some more persons and European "connections" from this time, appearing in the movie. Just to get a closer view of the time. But WOW this movie was excellent. I wish there were movies like this one in Germany.And I very much liked that all actors were able to speak very clear. I understood everything, no subtitles needed!!! Henry VIII was not talking that clear and understandable. The Specials on DVD2 could have been "more"!!!!

The film made its United States debut tonight on Arts and Entertainment Network with many commercials so I don't know if there were scenes cut from the BBC edition. The look of the film was beautiful and Rufus Sewell was the perfect Charles II. As an American, I found it very interesting about the Catholic vrs Protestant situation. As a student of English history, I found it gave a fair balance on both sides. I believe the Catholic band on those of the faith could not hold office until the 19th Century. Rupert Graves who I usually see in modern films looked a little out of place with all those wigs but I am just use to seeing him either on stage or in modern films.How can anyone forget those eyes of Mr. Sewell. This is his trade mark. I had put it on tape and so I could fast forward the commercals. Thank God for that. There must have been 30 commercals during the four hour telecast.