A ROYAL NIGHT OUT

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3 stars
A jolly good yarn!
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Set on the eve of May 8th 1945, V-E Day, the official end of World War II in Europe, the British director Julian Jarrold (Becoming Jane / Brideshead Revisited) takes us on a ‘what if’ bumpy ride with ‘P1’ and ‘P2’ (Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret of the House of Windsor) through the streets of London as the peace celebrations are in full swing. It is known that the young Princesses did indeed attend a party at the Ritz that night, after being holed up in Buck House for the duration of the war (when not secure in the countryside), but in this version of events the story takes off on a flight of fancy and into the streets with ‘one’s subjects.’ Unbelievable, yes, but a lot of fun all the same!

A Royal Night Out is a timely piece, in that currently there is a resurgence in the popularity of the British monarchy, particularly as the younger members appear frequently in the press, warts and all. And, of course, this year is the 70th anniversary of that very first V-E Day. Jarrod has used his premise to entertain us with the antics of ‘P1’ and ‘P2’ in a manner which makes them more human and covers a time when the need for top-level security was not as necessary as it is now. The film imagines the Princesses begging His Majesty King George VI (Rupert Everett - St Trinian’s / Wild Target) and Queen Elizabeth (Emily Watson - Testament Of Youth / The Theory Of Everything) to let them go out incognito to celebrate the end of their ‘incarceration’ and, grudgingly, the King agrees - on the proviso that they gauge the public’s reaction to his forthcoming speech. Remember, this is the King depicted in The King’s Speech, the one with the stutter.

The Canadian actress, Sarah Gadon (Belle / Maps To The Stars), is impeccably cast as the young Elizabeth, apparently having perfected her British accent by watching films of the period such as Brief Encounter and Roman Holiday. She is ably supported by Bel Powley (Side By Side / Diary Of A Teenage Girl) as Margaret, who brings a whimsical, dotty mood to the whole adventure, but still manages to make ‘P2’ a well-rounded character. After the sisters become separated in the crowd, Elizabeth meets a young airman Jack (Jack Reynor - Transformers: Age Of Distinction), who acts as her reluctant ‘chaperone’ through the streets of London as they search for her sibling. This allows the writers to explore some larger issues, such as the relationship between the working class and those born into a life of privilege; between those who serve and those who are served.

Credit must be given to the fabulous production values and particularly Christophe Beaucarne’s (Adore) cinematography, which authentically captures the essence of the crowd scenes and the joyous mayhem of the night. The principal street scenes were shot in Hull, where the whole city got behind the project and many of the locals were used as extras. The interior scenes of Buckingham Palace were created from the rooms at Chatsworth House in Derbyshire and Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire and, according to Everett, were the perfect atmospheric locations to film in, rather than on a set.

One of the film’s producers, Robert Bernstein, whose company Ecosse Films has a history of blending (or in this case ‘bending’) historical figures and events with fictional elements, states, “The key to this kind of filmmaking is to do it with integrity and fun. You can create the world, allow people to believe the characters are in that world and then take those characters on a journey.” And indeed, you certainly have to suspend your disbelief as the story gets more and more preposterous, but to get the most out of this tale it’s necessary to fasten one’s stiff upper lip and just go along for the ride. You’ll find it’s a jolly good yarn!

// SALT

Previewed at Paramount Theatre, Sydney, on 29 May 2015

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STARRING
Sarah Gadon
Bel Powley
Jack Reynor
Rupert Everett
Emily Watson

DIRECTOR
Julian Jarrold


SCREENWRITER
Trevor de Silva
Kevin Hood

COUNTRY
UK

CLASSIFICATION
M

RUNTIME
97 minutes

AUSTRALIAN
RELEASE DATE
May 14, 2015
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