Rent Edward the Seventh (1975)
4.2 of 5 from 51 ratings
11h 14min
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- Synopsis:
This is the story of one man's life; its dramas, romances, tragedies, achievements, frustrations. But it is more than the story of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, eldest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, a man born to be King. The intimate pattern of his personal experiences, feelings and development is interwoven into the broad canvas of national and international events and people covering his sixty-nine years, in particular Queen Victoria and his bride Princess Alexandra of Denmark. Throughout his life can be seen his relationships with such famous figures as Sir Robert Peel, Benjamin Disraeli, W. E. Gladstone, the Duke of Wellington, Lord Carrington, Colonel Bruce, Nathaniel Rothschild, Lord Randolph Churchill, Lili Langtry, Marie Lloyd and many others. Against his love of pomp and pageantry there is always drama from a near-fatal illness to an attempted assassination, but finally a triumphant though sadly short-lived reign lasting less than a decade but leaving behind memories of a richly coloured life, shaped perhaps because of his frustrations, and a beloved monarch.
1. The Boy
A future king is born but nearly sixty years are to elapse before lie ascends to the throne.
2. Experiment in Education
The young Prince of Wales is subjected to a very strict and arduous plan of education completely unsuited to his temperament.
3. The New World
Edward is growing up and, although restricted to the severe discipline of being prepared for future kingship, has his first tastes of freedom.
4. Alix
A "romance" is planned but Edward is still unwilling to consider marriage. On the contrary, he is enjoying an illicit romance with a music hall dancer. P's father's death is to have a profound effect on his future.
5. A Hundred Thousand Welcomes
Edward marries but his relationship with his mother is still affected by her belief that he is to blame for her husband's death.
6. The Invisible Queen
Queen Victoria's insistence on keeping the Prince of Wales away from public duties contributes to the frivolous life he is leading and which threatens the happiness of his marriage.
7. Dearest Prince
Edward in again involved in a scandal and challenges Lord Randolph to a duel but Alexandra remains loyal to him.
8. The Royal Quadrille
Foreign affairs, particularly those involving the family, occupy a great deal of Edward's time - hut also an affair with a very beautiful actress.
9. Scandal
The strength of the monarchy is threatened by several scandals in which Edward is involved but these worries are dwarfed by the tragedy of his eldest son's death.
10. The Years of Waiting
The turn of the century is a momentous period for Edward. The years cover Britain's involvement in the Boer War, Edward's disillusionment with his mistress Daisy, an assassination attempt and his own lack of confidence in his ability.
11. King at Last
Queen Victoria is dead. The Prince of Wales is now Edward the Seventh. He is now in his 60th year. Can he handle the responsibilities of being a sovereign?
12. The Peacemaker
Edward ascends to the throne at a time when England's popularity abroad in at a low ebb. His determination to improve foreign relationships wins him the title "The Peacemaker".
13. Good Old Teddy
Edward the Seventh's final years are marked by his struggle against illness and his refusal to allow his failing health to impede his efforts to safeguard the peace of Europe.- Actors:
- Annette Crosbie, Timothy West, Helen Ryan, Felicity Kendal, Guy Slater, Jane Lapotaire, Michael Osborne, Michael Hordern, Christopher Neame, Peter Howell, Michael Byrne, Judy Loe, Ian Gelder, Madeleine Cannon, Barbara Laurenson, Robert Hardy, André Morell, Moira Redmond, Shirley Steedman, Deborah Makepeace
- Directors:
- John Gorrie
- Producers:
- Cecil Clarke, Lorna Mason
- Writers:
- David Butler, John Gorrie, Philip Magnus
- Aka:
- Edward the King
- Studio:
- Network
- Genres:
- British TV, TV Classics, TV Dramas, TV Military & War Dramas, TV Political
- Collections:
- A Brief History of Coronations on Screen, A History of British Queens in Film, Cinema Paradiso's 2024 Centenary Club: Part 2, Cinema Paradiso's 2025 Centenary Club: October - December: Part 1, People of the Pictures, Remembering Timothy West, A Brief History of Film..., Top 10 Films and Shows About British Princes, Top Films
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Reviews (1) of Edward the Seventh
Magnificent Classic - Edward the Seventh review by CV
This is a great document of British history starting with the reign of Queen Victoria and the Prince Consort, ending with the rumblings of World War I and the death of Edward VII. Edward's long wait for kingship has been a common theme for many other royalty, including our own Charles III, and the question of monarchy, their function and relationship with political government, and the peculiarity and uniqueness of their public-private lives is a well analyzed general theme in this magnificent series of 14 episodes.
The pairing of Annette Crosbie and Robert Hardy as Victoria and Albert is amazing: at times you feel you are looking at a coloured film of the real queen and consort, so convincing is the casting. Victoria is portrayed as obstinate and relenting by turns, and Albert as a domineering and exacting parent who all but ruins the character of the young Edward. Thereafter Victoria keeps Edward hidden away at home where she can keep her eye on him as she never trusts him. Her parliamentary characters are marvellously portrayed: Disraeli and Gladstone and her relationship with each of these; frostry with the dithering Gladstone yet cordial with the unctuous Disraeli.
The aging make-up is very well done and one actor plays the same character from youth to old age (Charles Carrington.) Christopher Neames as the young Wilhelm (King of Germany) is a little overdone as an obsessive strutting Prussian. There are so many other characters well done, various European nationalities as the matching monarchs for each of the children of Queen Victoria. There is genuine pathos as certain characters die and the drama has you gripped in its dialogue. A great way to show history.
Despite Edward's various affairs, political and otherwise, he was apparently a popular monarch and genuinely aimed to do the best for all citizens of his country. He died as a result of his excesses of eating and smoking and it is claimed that if he had lived longer, his influence over the rest of his family, in particular King Wilhelm, could have prevented World War I.
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