The Catholic Weekly 14 June 2020

catholicweekly.com.au 21 14, June, 2020 VISTA WILL BE TAKING A SHORT BREAK ... But watch this page for more interesting news locally and from around the world A rare masterpiece to meditate upon ON THE shoulders of a young woman unprepared for the task, the weight of the high- est position in her country falls prematurely: she is Queen of England. This is the starting point of The Crown, which invites us to immerse ourselves in the biography of Elizabeth II since 1947, five years before her cor- onation. It poses the question: will a girl whom life is offering the joys of bride and mother suc- ceed in becoming the leader of an entire nation, or rather, of an empire? How much will she have to sacrifice of herself in order not to betray the sacred mandate that fate has handed her? The answer is an ambitious story that goes beyond the boundaries of mere biography to become a historical fresco, as each season of the series spans a decade of Elizabeth’s reign. At the same time it is a fam- ily drama, not avoiding turbu- lence in the Royal Family; it’s a political study of the ambitions of successive prime ministers called to an interview with the queen; a romantic saga dealing with Elizabeth’s difficult mar- riage to Philip and the impossi- ble loves of Princess Margaret. It is also a psychological study: from Churchill to Jac- queline Kennedy, from the pri- vate secretary to the tutor, no character escapes a penetrat- ing look at their secret weak- nesses and illusions, but also the resources hidden in each. In all this screenwriter Peter Morgan focuses on a central dilemma: the conflict between public and private in the heart of an individual; between the Queen’s duty to the institu- tion of the Crown and what it represents for many, and, for her and others, their personal desires for freedom and hap- piness. The Netflix production stands out in the world of tele- vision series because it focuses on a seemingly outdated idea. In the era of Breaking Bad and themany titles with anti-heroic characters stuck in their private existential ruts, the Peter Mor- gan series highlights the idea that there are goods, member- ships, public responsibilities that ask the ego to take a back seat. In this it is similar to another British production, Downton Abbey , but more sophisticated, with greater sensitivity in regis- tering the chiaroscuro tones of the soul, of characters who are disposed to duty, and of those who escape it. The Crown goes against the current by reminding today’s public that alternatives to post- modern narcissism exist, and it is not afraid to show the per- sonal cost of such alternatives. Elizabeth, like her father, George VI, before her, is cast in an unwanted role, which disrupts her life and forces her to become another person, al- tering relationships with her husband, her sister andher son Charles. Olivia Colman is outstanding as Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown . PHOTO: SOPHIE MUTEVELIAN/NETFLIX ENTERTAINMENT THE PROBLEMS are manage- able and the characters gener- ally sympathetic in the pleas- antly enjoyable, though slightly bland, series Sweet Magnolias . Ten hour-long episodes of the drama, created by Sheryl An- derson, are currently stream- ing on Netflix. As adapted from a series of romance novels by Sherryl Woods, the unsteamy soap op- era revolves around the friend- ship shared by a trio of women in fictional, picturesque and aptly named Serenity, South Carolina. Facing divorce after her doctor husband, Bill (Chris Klein), is unfaithful, Maddie Townsend (JoAnna Garcia Swisher) is looking for a fresh start both personally and pro- fessionally. Her split with Bill also has roiled the lives of their two high school-age sons. Maddie gets support from childhood pals Helen Decatur (Heather Headley), a no-non- sense lawyer, and chef Dana Sue Sullivan (Brooke Elliott), the owner of an eponymous local restaurant. Both of them, however, have challenges of their own. Helen is still in searchofMr. Right and yearns to be a mother. Dana Sue has a mildly rebellious teen daughter, Annie (Anne- liese Judge). On the upside, the friends have a plan to go into business together. The show is thor- oughly congenial fare. Regular churchgoing, for instance, is portrayed as an accepted as- pect of life. Based on the three episodes reviewed, the pro- gram’s underlying values are also in good order. - CNS ¾ ¾ John Mulderig Friends amid life’s hurts When Elizabeth castigates the passion between her sis- ter Margaret and Captain Townsend, amarriedman (the narrative line that in the first season carries the theme of the series), the Queen suffers in making those whom she loves suffer, despite her awareness that the Crown demands it. In this she is like her father and all the other characters along the series who come to a crossroads where they can choose whether to follow themselves or higher reasons: Churchill who, out of pride, does not want to surrender to age and leave; Prince Philip who resents the court appara- tus; above all Prince Edward, who, having followed his heart andmarried the divorcedWal- lis Simpson, has abdicated, but who carries the worm of regret for what he could and “should” be (see the beautiful episode in the third season that tells of his death and the honour he gives to his niece – unlike him, a monarch of character). How does the series man- age to engage viewers with a story so remote from today’s sensibilities – to remove the shadow of anachronism from the doings of the aristocracy, the royal family, the court eti- quette? The growth of Elizabeth is important, her becoming more and more a statesman capable of making decisions that are good for Britain (the visit to Ghana, in the second season, to keep the country in the Commonwealth). So are the arguments of that grim champion of institutional rigidity, the Queen’s secretary “Tommy” Lascelles (proposed as the villain of the series), who observes that it is from small, individualistic freedoms that the crumbling of the institu- tion begins (so true). And above all, the delicate scenes portraying the close- ness of subjects to their sover- eign. All this is supported by superb writing, actors of ad- mirable skill from first to last, and very rich staging which is a pleasure for the eyes. The Crown is a masterpiece. - MERCATORNET.COM ¾ ¾ Paolo Braga THE CROWN STREAMING ON NETFLIX The growth of Elizabeth is important, her becoming more and more a statesman capable of making decisions that are good for Britain (the visit to Ghana, in the second season, to keep the country in the Commonwealth).” SWEET MAGNOLIAS STREAMING ON NETFLIX