The Favourite is a historical drama - with an occasional touch of comedy - which premiered in 2018.
The story is set in England in the beginning of the 18th century. The topic is the power struggle between three women:
Queen Anne and two women who both want to be her favourite:
** Sarah Churchill
** Abigail Masham
Here is some basic information about this drama:
** Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
** Writers: Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara
** Historical adviser: Hannah Greig
** Run time: 119 minutes
The cast includes the following:
The first group
** Olivia Colman as Queen Anne (1665-1714) – Queen 1702-1714
** Rachel Weisz as Sarah Churchill = the Duchess of Marlborough (1660-1744) (Whig)
** Emma Stone as Abigail Hill (after her marriage in 1707 she becomes Abigail Masham) (1670-1734) (Tory)
The second group
** Nicholas Hoult as Robert Harley = the Earl of Oxford (1661-1724) – a politician (Tory)
** Joe Alwynas as Samuel Masham (1678 or 1679-1758) – Abigail’s husband – they are married in 1707
** Mark Gatiss as John Churchill = the Duke of Marlborough (1650-1722) – Sarah’s husband – they are married in 1677 or 1678 (Whig)
** James Smith as Sidney Godolphin (1645-1712) – a politician (he is a Tory, but he works extensively with the Whigs)
While this drama is based on a true story, it is not a documentary film. It is a dramatized version of events. Not everything happened exactly as shown here.
Some details may have been added, altered or excluded for dramatic reasons or for practical purposes. But the basic story is true.
Since this drama is based on a true story, the basic facts are part of the public record. They are not a secret. This is why I feel free to mention some of them here.
When this drama takes place, English politics is beginning to follow party lines. There are basically two parties in Parliament. Here are the names and a brief attempt to define them:
** The Tories = The Tory party is festive, communal, and royal
** The Whigs = The Whig party is puritanical, capitalistic, and parliamentarian
Here is some useful background information:
Item # 1. Before becoming the queen in 1702, Anne is pregnant at least 17 times, but the result is not what she and her husband want: twelve miscarriages and five cases in which her children die as infants or very young.
Item # 2. Sarah helps Anne become queen. Once Anne is on the throne, Sarah is her favourite. Sarah is a Whig. By nature, Anne is a Tory, but under the influence of Sarah, she allows the Whigs to dominate.
Item # 3. Abigail, who is Sarah’s cousin, arrives at court in 1704. Abigail is a Tory. Anne can appreciate this fact. They understand each other. In 1707, when Abigail marries Samuel Masham, the queen is their witness.
As Abigail’s influence is growing, the queen tries to promote Tory politics, but Sarah cannot accept this. She fights back. And she has many resources at her disposal.
You can watch the drama to see how this power struggle between the three women ends and why it ends the way it does.
What do reviewers say about this historical drama?
Here are some results:
** 75 percent = IMDb
** 77 percent = Meta (the audience)
** 91 percent = Meta (the critics)
** 70 percent = Rotten Tomatoes (the audience)
** 93 percent = Rotten Tomatoes (the critics)
On Amazon there are at the moment more than 3,600 ratings of this product; more than 1,000 with reviews.
The average rating is 4.2 stars which corresponds to a rating of 84 percent.
As you can see, the ratings are quite good. When you look at Meta and Rotten Tomatoes, you can see that there is a clear difference between the general audience and the professional critics. The critics are more impressed by this product than the audience.
What about historical accuracy? In 2018, when the drama premiered in New York City, the director made the following statement about this issue:
“Some of the things in the film are accurate and a lot aren’t.”
He is right.
This movie does not focus on typical aspects of English history, such as domestic policy, foreign policy, and the burden of taxes.
This movie is not about the emerging political parties (the Tories and the Whigs), even though the typical aspects of English history are mentioned from time to time.
As stated above, this movie is focused on the power struggle between three women. And while this struggle is going on, the leading men of England can only stand back and wait for the final result.
The time frame is 1704-1711, although you do not learn this fact from watching the drama. There is no on-screen message to indicate where we are in time or place.
Apparently, historical accuracy is not a major concern for this director. Historical consultant Hannah Greig might point out some violation of historical truth, but the director would still follow his own ideas.
Historical truth is violated in several ways.
Here are a few examples:
# 1. Queen Anne’s husband Prince George of Denmark is still alive in 1704 when Abigail arrives at court, but he is completely eliminated from the story.
He is not seen. He is not even mentioned. He was born in 1653; he marries Anne in 1683; and he lives until 1708.
# 2. Queen Anne has 17 rabbits in small cages in her royal bedroom. Each rabbit is a symbol of a child she lost. It is a nice idea, but this never happened!
# 3. The Tory politician Robert Harley is related to Abigail, but this fact is never mentioned in the drama.
They are strangers to each other when they meet for the first time.
There is an additional problem in connection with this character:
In 1704, Harley is not a young man in his 20s, as he is in the drama. He is a mature man in his 40s. The actor who plays this role is much too young.
# 4. Many details are based on rumours or speculation or the director’s vivid imagination. Here is one example:
There is no evidence that Abigail offered Sarah a cup of poisoned tea. Not to kill her, but just to knock her out for a while.
I could mention other details, but I am not going to do this. I do not wish to spoil the viewing for anyone.
Obviously, historical accuracy is not the only way to judge a historical drama. But when a director picks a historical topic with real historical characters, I think there is a limit to how far he or she can stray from the truth.
Some details can be added, altered or excluded for dramatic reasons. I know that. I understand that. I do not have a problem with that.
But when details based on pure speculation begin to dominate the story, the director has crossed the line. And this is what happens here.
The director is simply using a real historical event - the rivalry between Sarah and Abigail - as an excuse to create a colourful and captivating drama.
This is, in my opinion, a flaw which cannot be ignored. I have to remove one star because of this flaw. This drama deserves a rating of four stars (80 percent).
PS # 1. Anne has two titles:
During the years 1702-1707, she is Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland.
In 1707, England and Scotland are united as a single state known as Great Britain.
During the years 1707-1714, she is Queen of Great Britain and Ireland.
PS # 2. I have to mention a mystery: on two occasions, an odd sound can be heard in the background:
DONG!
DONG!
DONG!
It continues for a long time. It is not music. It sounds like some kind of mechanism. I was waiting for the camera to show us where this awful sound comes from. And for one of the characters to comment on the sound. But it never happens. Suddenly it stops. Later it comes back:
DONG!
DONG!
DONG!
Again, for a long time. Again, there is no clue as to what is going on. Again, it has no connection to the story line. Suddenly it stops.
I searched the internet to find an explanation for this weird sound. No luck. If anybody knows what it is and what it means, I would like to hear about it.
REFERENCES
# 1. Items available online
Nate Jones, “Everything you need to know about the 18th century world of The Favourite,”
Vulture, 27 November 2018
Wilder Davis, “The true story behind The Favourite,”
Time Magazine, 7 December 2018
# 2. Books
The Life and Times of Queen Anne
By Gil Curtis
(1972)
Queen Anne
By Edward Gregg
(First edition 1980)
(Second edition 2001)
Sarah Churchill,
Duchess of Marlborough:
The Queen's Favourite
By Ophelia Field
(2003)
Queen Anne:
The Politics of Passion
By Anne Somerset
(2013 = Hardcover)
(2014 = Paperback)
Early Modern England 1485-1714
By Robert Bucholz and Newton Key
(Third edition 2019)
# 3. A documentary film
Queen Anne: The Mother of Great Britain
Hosted and presented by Lucy Worsley
Run time = 54 minutes
(2020)
*****
Anne
(1665-1714)
Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland
1702-1707
Queen of Great Britain and Ireland
1707-1714
*****
The Greek filmmaker
Yorgos Lanthimos
(born 1973)
*****
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