Search - The Windsors - A Royal Family on DVD

A Classic of Royal History

John D. Cofield | 10/22/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This impressive video was originally shown on PBS in 1994, then updated and re-released in 2002 for The Queen's Golden Jubilee. It is a magnificent portrayal of the last hundred and fifty years or so of the British Royal Family. There are four episodes. The first documents the life and times of King George V, grandson of Queen Victoria and grandfather of the present Queen. He was the monarch who, during World War I, decided to shed his family's Germanic roots and rename the dynasty with a superbly English title: The House of Windsor. King George V and his consort Queen Mary were also instrumental in reinventing the Windsors as a Family on the Throne, giving them a solid middle class aura of respectibility which lasted until the 1990s.The second episode focusses first on the life of Edward VIII, who came close to destroying the Windosrs and the monarchy through his passion for the American divorcee Wallis Simpson. After his abdication, the Windsors were saved by his hitherto unappealing younger brother King George VI, who with his consort the late Queen Mother revived the monarchy's respectibility and led the nation triumphantly thorugh World War II.Episode 3 is primarily about the early reign of Queen Elizabeth II, when the monarchy was challenged by forces which "let too much daylight in upon the magic". This episode leaves the viewer with a deep admiration for The Queen, whose strong sense of duty has kept her soldiering on in the face of what must be enormous personal sorrows.Episode 4 was extensively revised in 2002 to include the death of Princess Diana and the rise of her son Prince William as a royal superstar. It is the least well done of the series, primarily because so much of its story is too recent for true historical analysis.Every episode of The Windsors contains fascinating video footage and interivews with many historians, reporters, and a few royals themselves. It is an invaluable chronicle for any royal aficionado."

Comprehensive history of the British royals

Donna Di Giacomo | Philadelphia, PA | 04/10/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm always up for a good royal video and I just had to borrow this one from the library the moment I laid eyes on it. Being a double video made it all the more appealing to me.This documentary is a thorough history of the British royal family that is now known as the House of Windsor. It starts off with video and audio pieces of King George V, mentioning that Queen Victoria was his grandmother (it doesn't go any further than that, genealogy-wise) and the fact that his German ancestry connected him to both the Kaiser of Germany and the tragic Czar Nicholas II of Russia, two relations that would haunt him for most of his reign (it would be his German blood that was the reason the name of the royal house was changed from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor, although even the royals themselves were not sure if Saxe-Coburg-Gotha was their real family name).The documentary goes into great detail about the relationship between King Edward VIII (later Duke of Windsor) and the "beloved" Wallis Simpson. It delved into everything about the reign of his brother, King George VI, Queen Elizabeth II's current reign and the soap operas that were the marriages of Lady Diana Spencer to Charles, Prince of Wales, and Sarah Ferguson to Andrew, Duke of York.On the topic of the IRA assassination of Lord Mountbatten: I give his two daughters credit for being able to talk about it, even though it greatly upset them.Although this documentary was comprehensive, it was biased. Extended members of the royal family (great-aunts and uncles and cousins) as well as royal advisers and biographers were given the last word on pretty much everything the show covered. For instance, they just about blasted Diana for not being the perfect wife and Sarah Ferguson for being "unsuitable for public life" (as one advisor put it). Even the Queen's sister, the late Princess Margaret, got it between the eyes for her escapades with Group Captain Peter Townsend in the 1950's (that people would yawn at today). It was interesting to hear straight from the horse's mouth what he was going through when that "scandal" happened.Despite that, this is definitely worth the few hours to watch. You'll come away with a truckload of knowledge on the Windsors."

An in depth view at the "magic" of monarchy

Jamar A. Billups | 05/05/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Monarchy is magical, and you can't let daylight in on all the magic..little by little the newspaper boys and wireless boys will be flashing their cameras and poking their microphones under your noses and one morning you'll wake up and there won't be any magic..there won't be any monarchy either." George V

The Windsors a Royal Family is a definitive production of the life of the royal family in Britain. The documentary reveals the magic and pageantry behind monarchy, and why it has survived for so long. The film instills hope that their may be a future for the monarchy with the ascension of Prince William as King.

After watching the film, the view will gain more respect for Queen Elizabeth II, who has in essence kept the monarchy alive and has proven to be the greatest asset the institution of monarchy has in Britain. However you finish watching wondering if the monarchy can survive in the 21st century under Prince Charles if he is to ever become King.

Brilliant, Well Made, Two Thumbs Up!"