| Elizabeth R: A Year in the Life of the Queen | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Title screen | |
| Genre | Documentary film |
| Written by | |
| Directed by | Edward Mirzoeff |
| Narrated by | Ian Holm |
| Composer | Rachel Portman |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Producer | Edward Mirzoeff |
| Running time | 110 minutes |
| Production company | BBC |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC One |
| Release | 6 February 1992 (1992-02-06) |
| Related | |
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Elizabeth R is a 1992 television documentary film aboutQueen Elizabeth II. It was produced by theBBC and directed byEdward Mirzoeff. It was the first officially approved documentary about the British monarchy sinceRoyal Family (1969) andRoyal Heritage (1977).[1][2]Elizabeth R was followed by the BBC-RDF documentaryMonarchy: The Royal Family at Work in 2007.[3]
The film was made by BBC to mark the Queen'sRuby Jubilee.[4] It was directed and produced byEdward Mirzoeff.[5] Mirzoeff co-wrote the script withAntony Jay, who had also written the script for theRoyal Family (1969).[3] The programme was narrated byIan Holm, andRachel Portman composed the music.[6]
Filming took place over 18 months.[7] Theroyal family watched and approved of the documentary before it was broadcast on television.[8] AVHS video was released in 1992.[7]
The script of the programme was later published as a book with the same title.[3][9]
The film aired on 6 February 1992, the 40thAccession Day of the Queen, and it was also broadcast in more than 25 countries around the world.[10] It aired onPBS in the United States on 16 November 1992.[8]
It contains a wide range of royal activities by the Queen from 1990 to 1991 and provides various firsts such as voiceover commentary by the Queen.[11] It shows royal family gatherings, her state visit to the United States, a pony ride with her grandchildren atBalmoral Castle and the preparations for a banquet atWindsor Castle among the others. It also displays meetings of the Queen with a number of significant political figures, includingFrancesco Cossiga,Edward Heath,Ronald Reagan andLech Wałęsa.[8][11] The Queen is also shown with her mother,Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, at theEpsom Derby.[8]
The film mostly received positive reviews, including those from the Queen herself.[8] The Queen organized a party for the crew atBuckingham Palace after watching the film before its public broadcast.[8] It gained the largest audience for a documentary in the history of British television and was watched by more than half of the British population in 1992.[7][8] The film won an award.[12]Robert Hardman ofthe Spectator argued that Antony Jay, the script writer, redefined the function of the British Monarch through this documentary.[12] However, Jeff Silverman ofVariety said that the film did not refer to any familial troubles and added "God save the queen; the BBC couldn't."[4]
Its VHS copy became one of the fastest selling videos in the United Kingdom.[7]