Uma Noite Real

On VE Night 1945, the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose were allowed to leave Buckingham Palace, mingle incognito with the crowd to watch their parents accept acclaim from the balcony, then return to their cloistered world. That's it. Nothing more. But it happened.

Undoubtedly, that sure wouldn't make an interesting film. So A Royal Night Out concocts an entire fiction of the princesses slipping their chaperones from the stuffy ball they had been allowed to attend and escape into the celebrating crowds to find excitement amongst their subjects.

If you can allow yourself to believe that the army officers, charged personally by The King to look after the heir presumptive and her younger sister would abandon their duty to engage in carnal pursuits; if you can believe that the 14 year old Margaret Rose could end up in a knocking shop and lose consciousness after being given a Mickey Finn; if you can believe the coincidences allowing Princess Elizabeth to continually find her airman minder Jack amidst the throbbing thousands; if you can believe that both princesses went back to a working class house in Battersea to clean up and have a cup of tea before returning to the Palace, then you might just get some enjoyment from this lightweight piece of nonsense. If, on the other hand, you find it all too tiring and ridiculous, then it is a film to be given a wide berth.

The film's one redeeming feature was Jack Reynor as the RAF corporal, Jack, who most reluctantly finds himself looking after Princess Elizabeth. He has seen the horrors of the war and having been busted down for seeking compassionate leave after witnessing the slow death of a mate on return from a mission, sees no reason to celebrate; he has no time for the Royal Family and has no idea the young woman who has attached herself limpet-like to him is heir to a dynasty he does not support. Despite the paucity of good material, his screen presence and charisma shine through, and he gives a depth of character performance out of kilter with the rest of the film. He is a young actor to watch.

Oh, and a note to the film-makers. A Pink Gin consists of a slug of gin with just a dash of Angostura bitters giving it the slightest blush of pink. It is not a garishly opaque quarter pint drink looking like Barbara Cartland's face.

Princess Elisabeth and Princess Margert convince the King and Queen to let them celebrate VE day with a night out on the town among the people which turns out to be a crazy ride all over London, or at least that was the point.

But the ride couldn't get too crazy now could it. After all, this might be a fictional tale, but it's about the future Queen.

This movie tries too hard to keep the subject matter upscale. I never seen anything so uppity.

Don't get me wrong, A Royal Night Out definitely has it's charm and fun, but it all moved along to dull to convince me that they really had that good of a time on their night out.

Was not sure at first about seeing A Royal Night Out, despite having some talented people involved it did seem like it will have slightly tired concept too stretched out. Seeing it with Mum and Dad, this viewer is glad that she gave it a chance, for it is an enjoyable film once you accept that it does play loose with the truth and is almost like a 'what if?' (yes suspension of disbelief is needed here).

There is an awful lot good with A Royal Night Out. The period detail is not just evocative but it looks splendid too, the costumes are so beautifully tailored, the hair and make-up handsomely rendered and the sets and scenery so meticulous that it does feel like one is there in London just after World War II. The film is beautifully shot too. The soundtrack also captures the period brilliantly too, some great period favourites lovingly arranged and it's nicely scored too. On the most part, A Royal Night Out is very nicely scripted, with some poignant drama (like the king preparing and giving the speech) and great lightweight humour with the lion's share of the best lines coming from Margaret.

A Royal Night Out's story moves along at a good pace and is on the most part interesting and entertaining, there is great fun to be had in Margaret's oblivious association with criminals (again once you don't take things seriously and take it as meaning to be totally accurate) and throughout there is a quite believable (if occasionally a little too quaint in the middle act) sense of time and place. It is solidly directed, and very well played by a more than game cast, headed by the very charming and sensitive Sarah Gadon and the scene-stealing Bel Powley.

Jack Reynor is dashing and sympathetic, sharing a lovely rapport with Gadon, while Rupert Everett brings a touching vulnerability that is both surprising and delightful and Emily Watson is firm but compassionate as the Queen Mother. Roger Allam is also fun to spot, but sadly with little screen time.

For all its worthwhile things, A Royal Night Out's script occasionally feels a tad patronising and some of the humour a little awkward. The story does entertain for what it is, but by the last act it does start to feel rather stretched with the pacing getting a bit draggy and the storytelling on the thin side.

Overall, however, entertaining and nicely done film if taken for what it is. 7/10 Bethany Cox

16 May 2015 Film of Choice at The Plaza Dorchester Tonight - A Royal Night Out. On 8 May 1945 all of Britain was celebration Victory in Europe and behind the doors of Buckingham Palace two daughters were asking their parents if they might be allowed to join in. The two daughters were Princess Elizabeth, heir to the Throne and her sister Princess Margaret. This store is rumoured to be based partly on fact and I would very much like to have heard it was all true. With Rupert Everett starring as King George and Emily Watson playing his wife Queen Elizabeth this film is a rather jolly jape depicting what could have happened if the two princesses had been allowed out on the town for the whole night. Everett and Watson were uncanny as the King and Queen, and the girls bore more than a little resemblance to the Princesses ....although costume, deportment and hairstyle helped enormously. The plot was a little like I imagine that day to be, uproariously out of control but most joyful. My favourite line in the whole film was when Lilibet was asking Jack the airman to assist her to make the most of 'an opportunity to be ordinary on the most extraordinary day of her life'. I wonder if the Queen has seen this and if so, was she a little wistful.

This period piece is about one magical night in the lives of Princesses Elizabeth (Sarah Gadon) and Margaret (Bel Powley). It is a fantasy that really captures the imagination. The two royals surely must have been overly protected---from danger, from scandal, from their own teenage whims. But "A Royal Night Out" imagines an adventure on VE Day, when all of London was celebrating and the girls might have yearned to be common enough to join in.

The era is certainly captured by costumes, manners and scenery, allowing the viewer to indulge freely in the illusion. The two young women are delightful. And the general tone of the scenes carries the emotions along, feeling exactly like the overwhelming release that came with victory after years of sacrifice, fear, and stiff upper lips. The scene when the king appears at Buckingham Palace is stirring.

Recommended for history buffs, fans of period pieces and those who might find romance in a childish fantasy that--though it is only about one night--is also a coming of age story. I saw this film before its general release with no knowledge of its subject, and I was pleasantly surprised.