Trying on The Crown: David Thomson Master Class

Description

Legendary film scholar David Thomson returns to SFFILM Festival with his unique take on film and popular culture.

Elizabeth Windsor, Lilibet, HRH, Queen Elizabeth II, Herself – not just figures on our screens but an entire genre. She may not be as alluring as Claire Foy, nor as grim as Helen Mirren, and she’s far from the diva strut of Bette Davis—but she seems to have magic. David Thomson is not as old as the Queen, but her coronation was the first thing he ever saw on TV (1953). Now he reflects on the complicated feelings in watching and falling into The Crown. How do long-form television series change us as viewers? How have the media kept the monarchy starry in allegedly egalitarian times? In this presentation, with film clips, jokes, and moments of reverence, he tries to convey the moods of respect and rebellion that come with trying on The Crown. – David Thomson