08.01.04
Charles
II - The Pride and the Passion
The
reign of Charles II (1660-1685) is considered one of the most extraordinary
in history. With a string of mistresses, a legion of illegitimate
children and a series of cataclysmic events ravaging his country,
Charles II was a dynamic personality in a decadent Royal Court.
Now his fascinating exploits are brought to life in a powerful drama,
with a thoroughly modern twist.
Starring
Rufus Sewell as Charles II with Rupert Graves (Duke of Buckingham),
Diana Rigg (Henrietta Maria, Charles' volatile mother), Ian McDiarmid
(Sir Edward Hyde) and Martin Freeman (Shaftesbury), Charles II was
screened on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ ONE as a four-part drama series, and is out to buy
on DVD and video from Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Worldwide on 16th February 2004.
Charles
II was finally restored to the throne after a decade in exile from
Cromwell's Republican England, bringing order to a nation weary
after years of bloody war. Deeply traumatised by the execution of
his father, Charles trusted no one, but once on the thrown he quickly
established himself as a vivacious, popular Monarch, even though
London had to endure the decimating Plague and Great Fire.
Throughout
these traumas, Charles kept himself entertained with an array of
glamorous mistresses, from sex addict Barbara Villiers (Helen McCrory)
to the French spy Louise De Keroualle (MΓ©lanie Thierry),
not forgetting sparky, streetwise actress Nell Gwynn (Emma Pierson)
and fathered a staggering fourteen illegitimate children! Despite
his obvious virility, Charles II refused to divorce his devoted
but barren Queen (Shirley Henderson) and left no heirs.
The
DVD features a commentary from the Director Joe Wright (Nature Boy,
Bob and Rose), Producer Kate Harwood (The Lost World, David Copperfield,
Daniel Deronda) and Writer Adrian Hodges (The Lost World, Lorna
Doone, David Copperfield), as well as a sixty-minute documentary
about Charles' early life entitled 'The Boy Who Would Be King'.
Release
date: 16th February 2004
Certificate: 15
Duration: 233 mins
Genre: Drama
DVD Cat. Number:Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔDVD1359 DVD
DVD Price: Β£19.99
VHS Cat. Number:Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔV7513
VHS Price: Β£14.99
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