Britain's Bloody Crown (2015)

Britain’s Bloody Crown - a miniseries in four parts – is a television program about the War of the Roses, an English civil war that lasted for several decades (ca 1450-ca 1500). Here is some basic information about this program which premiered on British television (Channel 5) in 2015:

** Directed by Nick Green
** Written and presented by Dan Jones
** Released on DVD in 2016
** Run time: 4 x ca. 45 minutes = approximately 180 minutes

As stated above, there are four episodes. Here are the headlines:

# 1. The Mad King - Henry VI, 1421-1471
# 2. The Kingmaker Must Die - Edward IV, 1442-1483
# 3. The Princes Must Die - Richard III, 1452-1485
# 4. A Mother’s Love - Lady Margaret Beaufort, 1443-1509

This program is not a traditional documentary film where we see old footage in black-and-white, because there is no footage from the 15th century. Nor is it a historical movie (a dramatized version of events). This program is a combination of two elements:

# 1. Some historical scenes are re-enacted by modern actors
# 2. Dan Jones visits different locations which are associated with the story that he wants to tell us

What do reviewers say about it? On IMDb it has a rating of 80 per cent, which corresponds to four stars on Amazon. If you ask me, this average rating is too low.

On Amazon UK there are more than twenty reviews of this product. The average rating is 4.4 stars. If you ask me, this rating is more appropriate. I want to go all the way to the top with this product. I think it deserves a rating of five stars.

It is a bloody story, but we cannot be surprised about that; we cannot complain about that. There is a warning: the word “bloody” is used in the title. But the story about the bloody civil war is told very well.

Dan Jones has a good approach. He has something to say; and something to show us. He tells us what happened; but not only that: he also tries to explain why it happened.

If you are interested in the history of Europe - in particular the history of England in the 15th century - then this program is definitely something for you.

PS # 1. Richard III: The King in the Carpark is a documentary film (in two parts) about the recent discovery of the place where Richard III was buried. It was released on DVD in 2013.

PS # 2. Secrets of Great British Castles is a television series presented by Dan Jones. Season 1 (6 episodes) was shown on British television (Channel 5) in 2015. Season 2 (6 episodes) was shown in 2016. Both seasons are available on DVD.

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Dan Jones (born 1981)

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