“The national interests or Anthony Eden’s interests?” That line applies to so many situations. Who gets to decide what’s in the country’s best interests? Theron lies the eternal conundrum of government. How many well intentioned coups? How many benevolent dictators?
This is a great scene. This paved the way for the tug of war for Elizabeth where the winner must also be the crown. George also shows the piece of himself that demonstrates that Albert Windsor didn’t exactly die - though the hyperbole keeps him solid. But that his inner self is recognizing how he can help without interfering. Ugh. Love this show.
Scenes like this illustrate why it made so much sense to start this series before Elizabeth became queen. Even though the series mainly revolves around her time as monarch, these few episodes with George VI helped foreshadow for us what sort of decisions Elizabeth would have to face and how she would have to suppress her original self in order to fulfill her duties as sovereign. Aside from providing a good foundation for the emotional gut punch that comes with George's death later in the season, these first episodes also lay out the central thesis of the series by previewing the type of person Elizabeth would need to become.
Indeed, i haven't seen him in a single role where he was nothing less than fantastic. King George VI, Anderson Dawes, Valery Legasov, all fantastic portrayals
@@TheArrowedKneeeven lost in space, I just wish we could hear a cut with his audio. I often joke that the person who did his voiceover thought he was reading for the tv cartoon version to surely to follow! (Pretty sure it is it is William hurt).
There is so much irony here. Anthony Eden was Prime Minister during the Suez Crisis which from the UK’s perspective was a military disaster and hastened the impression that Britain’s status as a world power has passed. Also, he was to be betrayed by his underling who also wanted to be Prime Minister. Note: I am writing this from the perspective of The Crown. I am unsure if the historical narrative is similar to The Crown’s narrative.
@@MrBond249 As so many are. The Tet Offensive was, by all accounts, an utter military disaster for the VietCong. Something like 80% of their available manpower was depleted by it and they were on their last legs. However, the PR of that attack proved to be decisive in convincing Nixon to pull our forces out despite the fact that the North was on the brink of surrender when it happened.
@@MrBond249sometimes I feel pity for Britain. America wanted the empire to die and made sure that it did. Suez is the best example for that. British contribution to the Manhattan project was immense, but America tried it's best politically to prevent Britain acquiring the bomb. Despite all these incidents from the past, Britain remains a puppet of American foreign policy. SAD...
0:50 That aggressive shooting made me wonder would the King swing around and take a point blank shot at Eden. "He committed High Treason and I decided on the spur of the moment to deal with it myself ".
Albert "George" was more proactive when it came to titles, and while he did have some stipulations with strangers and acquaintances, he wasn't as strict as his workforce and government were when it came to using them. It showed to the elites how he wasn't like his ancestors, whom expected near God status in using titles
@@dan_38 George V had streamlined the royal family by cutting out a lot of princes and royal highnesses. Following the new rules, Princess Elizabeth's oldest two children would not have been prince or princess or even HRH before she became Queen. Charles would have just been a lord: probably Earl of Merioneth, as that was one of the Duke of Edinburgh's subsidiary titles. George VI cut through that by declaring what they would be called, since he had the same right as his father had had to grant titles.
Colin Firth: pre-war. Young, impulsive, overwhelmed by the burden of the throne. Ben Mendelsohn: wartime. Steadfast, Indomitable, stepped up to his duty Jared Harris: post-war. More relaxed, friendly, frail, aged and ailing health While all 3 were superb actors, I found Ben Mendelsohn had the identical complexion, tone of speech and aura as George VI. But first impression also mattered, because I watched Kingsman and Chernobyl before Firth's and Harris' portrayals of King George VI.
I can only imagine what it must be like to lose a lung and have the other compromised. Honestly, I would hang out in my death bed and just wait for it. But I guess that’s just as unhealthy.
As someone who went to bed one night in July 2021 and then 6 weeks later his brain fully turned on the first part of September and awoke in a hospital bed. So weak I could barely hold a pencil let alone get out of bed. It was another 2 weeks before they got me out of bed and it took a physical therapist and all my strength to stand for 3 seconds. Covid nearly killed me. My heart stopped twice. Being 42 years old and as weak as someone in their 90's... DON'T DO THAT! Don't stop moving. If you stop moving you'll never get up again. It was shear will and fortitude that got me out of bed and home again to my wife and sons. It took more than a year to be back where I was strength wise. Don't stop... your body will literally eat itself.
Does anyone wonder if truly wonder thats how george vi truly felt? His brother killed Albert Windsor and he was replaced with george vi? Makes you wonder
If this happened in real life, then it was no wonder Anthony Eden was an unpopular Prime Minister. Churchill was a national hero, he was practically royalty and King George VI respected him. Eden thought the King would tell Churchill to step down?
Jeremy Northam is a wonderful, handsome actor. Stalin was a monster. The life you lead leaves it mark on your countenance. They may share some faint moments of resemblance, but look alike? Nah, it’s just the mustache.
The one thing that first few episodes of "the Crown" failed to capture was how jarring this political jockeying was for most folks. It was only a few years ago that the same folks (Churchill, Attlee, Eden) were all serving in the Churchill War Cabinet and by nearly all accounts, they all had an excellent working relationship with bonds forged in fire. Attlee didn't even want to call an election in 1945 and actually personally agreed with Churchill for pushing it back to 1946 (or to the end of the war in Japan) but his party pushed him to leave the government in 45.
This scene takes place during Winston Churchill's second premiership, from 1951 to 1955. The man opposite of King George VI is Anthony Eden, Churchill's Deputy Prime Minister. Eden is trying to persuade the King to exercise undue influence to convince Churchill to resign. Eden would be the natural selection of the Conservative Party to become leader after his resignation, and thus he would become Prime Minister. TLDR: Anthony Eden wants Churchill gone so he can be the top dog.
Excuse me, im a yank, and I understood it quite well. Not all of us Yanks are red hat wearing idiots. Some of us actually paid attention to things like history.
@@IndependentConversations I do not have the red hat, as you wrote, but I wear it always in my heart. Stop pretending that you knew this obscure piece of English history. Ugh. haha. No,,,just no.
