The film was made by BBC to mark the Queen's Ruby Jubilee.[4] It was directed and produced by Edward Mirzoeff.[5] Mirzoeff co-wrote the script with Antony Jay, who had also written the script for the Royal Family (1969).[3] The programme was narrated by Ian Holm, and Rachel Portman composed the music.[6]
Filming took place over 18 months.[7] The royal family watched and approved of the documentary before it was broadcast on television.[8] A VHS video was released in 1992.[7]
The script of the programme was later published as a book with the same title.[3][9]
Broadcast and synopsis
The film aired on 6 February 1992, the 40th Accession Day of the Queen, and it was also broadcast in more than 25 countries around the world.[10] It aired on PBS in the United States on 16 November 1992.[8]
It contains a wide range of royal activities by the Queen from 1990 to 1991 and provides various firsts such as voiceover commentary by the Queen.[11] It shows royal family gatherings, her state visit to the United States, a pony ride with her grandchildren at Balmoral Castle and the preparations for a banquet at Windsor Castle among the others. It also displays meetings of the Queen with a number of significant political figures, including Francesco Cossiga, Edward Heath, Ronald Reagan and Lech Wałęsa.[8][11] The Queen is also shown with her mother, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, at the Epsom Derby.[8]
Reception
The film mostly received positive reviews, including those from the Queen herself.[8] The Queen organized a party for the crew at Buckingham Palace after watching the film before its public broadcast.[8] It gained the largest audience for a documentary in the history of British television and was watched by more than half of the British population in 1992.[7][8] The film won an award.[12]Robert Hardman of the Spectator argued that Antony Jay, the script writer, redefined the function of the British Monarch through this documentary.[12] However, Jeff Silverman of Variety said that the film did not refer to any familial troubles and added "God save the queen; the BBC couldn't."[4]
Its VHS copy became one of the fastest selling videos in the United Kingdom.[7]
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