After Mary Queen of Scots, I was so anxious to see The Favourite staring Queen Anne  of England. Her reign was 1702-1714,  She was the last of the Stuarts making her a descendant of Mary Queen  of Scots.  (1540-1567 ).

This is not an historical movie but the story of a tragic and eccentric queen. She keeps 17 bunnies in her bedroom to remember the 17 babies she lost before or after birth. There is  a duck race in the palace which gives Anne much joy as well.

The film is hard to categorize whether comedy or drama. It seems to me that it is mainly about changing power and relationships between three woman, Anne, Abigail, and Sarah. In their struggle for dominance nothing is neglected in the telling  but sometimes shocking to the audience.

When the director Lanthimos was questioned about the historical accuracy  of the film, he  replied, “Some things in the film are accurate but a lot aren’t.”

I came away from the film with some understanding of the personal pain of  mad Queen Anne and gratitude to my ancestors for having fought for our freedom from Britain !

Oh yes, the music is magnificent Baroque of Handle,Vivaldi, Bach, Purcell, and even Sir Elton John on harpsichord.  You can’t miss it as the volume won’t let you  !