The Crown Season 3

Reviewed By Christian Waters at AFI 2019                                   Season three of The Crown opens up with Queen Elizabeth, now played by Academy Award winner, Olivia Colman, reviewing the new postage stamp bearing her image. With the earlier stamp in juxtaposition, a man cajoles her age “with young woman to…” Queen Elizabeth retorts, “old bat”! This sets the stage for a reassured, more confident woman. Colman plays “mother of four and settled sovereign” with the ease and grace of seasoned actor. I cannot say how much I like this new Queen. After all she has played the Queen before in 2012, Hyde Park on Hudson.
Helena Bonham Carter plays Queen Elizabeth’s sister Princess Margaret. Carter is superb in the role. She has a history of play royalty as well in, The King’s Speech and notoriously The Red Queen in Alice Through the Looking Glass directed by James Bobin. Season three focuses on the relationship between the two sisters though the good times and the bad. Carter is a excellent choice in this role as the Queens rebellious free spirited sibling. The dynamic sibling rivalry is palatable when portrayed by these to fine actors.
John Lithgow as Churchill is short lived but memorable. As director Caron joked at the screening “We kill him off right away.” The whole cast is a dream team of talent. Tobias Menzies as Prince Phillip, Jason Watkins as Prime Minister Harold Wilson, Josh O’Connor as a young Prince Charles the list goes on…
This season is a Grand Period piece, as are the others, with unreal cinematography and set design. The cast and crew of The Crown have you believing you have a front row seat to Windsor itself. According to Benjamin Caron, the elements of this production are a joy to work with, and it shows though in their final product. I highly recommend The Crown Season 3. If you haven’t seen the first two, give up your weekend plans, put on a comfy sweater, and start from the beginning.