The White Queen (2013)

The White Queen - a miniseries in 10 parts - is a historical drama (based on a true story), which premiered on British television (BBC) and on US television (Starz) in 2013.

The story is set in England during the second half of the 15th century. The topic is the War of the Roses (ca 1450-ca 1500); a war between two powerful families, who both claimed the right to the throne of England: the House of York, whose logo was a white rose, and the House of Lancaster, whose logo was a red rose.

The drama is based on three books by Philippa Gregory (born 1954), who is the author of several historical novels. Many historical novels focus on male characters, often on a king and the men around him. Philippa Gregory’s novels are different. They focus on female characters, often on a queen and the women around her.

Here is some basic information about it:

** Time frame: The White Queen does not cover the War of the Roses from the beginning to the end. It covers a period of 21 years, the time from 1464 to 1485.

** Available on DVD and Amazon Prime Video

** Number of episodes: 10

** Run time: ca 580 minutes

What do reviewers say about this historical drama? Here are the results of two review aggregators:

** 78 per cent = IMDb

** 80 per cent = Rotten Tomatoes

On Amazon UK there are more than six hundred reviews of this product. The average rating is 4.6 stars. 

If you ask me, the latter rating (Amazon UK) is too high, while the first and the second ratings (IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes) are quite appropriate. Why? Let me explain:

The first half of the series is quite good. Almost every scene is based on real historical facts. But when we get to the second half, the series begins to go off track. The story is increasingly based on gossip and rumours. I have to remove one star because of this flaw. Therefore I think this drama deserves a rating of four stars.

PS # 1. There are two versions of this drama. The version shown in the UK is not exactly the same as the version shown in the US. Some scenes were recorded two times. The first time the characters were intimate, but they were still wearing their clothes. The second time the characters removed some of their clothes. The first take was for the BBC, while the second take was for Starz. The DVD offers the version that was shown on the BBC.

PS # 2. The White Princess, a sequel to The White Queen, premiered in 2017. This historical drama covers a period of 14 years, the time from 1485 to 1499.

*****

 

The White Queen (2009)

*****

 

The Red Queen (2010)

*****

 

 

The Kingmaker's Daughter (2012)

*****