TBT: The First Churchills (1969)

Some of you keep pestering us to review these big British miniseries from the late 1960s through 1970s. I get it, they were formative in our frock flick memories for many good reasons! That’s where a number of excellent actors came to fame, how many costume designers and several costume production houses rose to prominence, and in general, it’s how the period drama genre made its mark on TV in the U.K. and the U.S. as a valid entertainment option.

That said, there’s a couple reasons we don’t review all of these classics. The biggest is that they aren’t available on streaming right now! I’ve said it before and apparently I have to say it again: shows on streaming in the U.S. are infinitely easier for us to watch, review, and screencap for this here blog. Hunting down a show on DVD isn’t helpful because not all of us have DVD players anymore (don’t even talk to us about VHS, this is the 21st century, folks). That leaves nefariously sketchy download sites and highly unreliable YouTube versions, which, sure, we sometimes make use of, but it’s not a valid everyday resource.

Then you have prejudices on the part of certain of your Frock Flick writers. As a certified old-timer, I do have fond memories of a lot of these classic miniseries, but then you have someone a little younger who complains about “stagey sets and bad videography!” just because it’s not in modern HD.

This is all to say that I finally found and watched a copy of The First Churchills (1969), and OMG I LOVED IT. The sets are not stagey nor is the videography bad (WTFrock was Kendra trying to watch, I wonder?). It’s gorgeous and chock filled with fantastic costumes. More importantly, the writing and acting is excellent, and I was fully engaged throughout the 12 hours. There’s history, romance, politics, battles, family drama, religion, court drama, you name it, all wonderfully characterized. And the history doesn’t have to be juiced up because this is such a wild and weird era, with complicated things going on. The storytelling is nuanced and shows each figure as full individuals, not caricatures or one-note. It’s a real pity this series isn’t readily available to watch because this shows how a historical drama should be — realistic without being boring, dramatic without being a fanciful soap opera.

Do you want to read all of this review (with about 4,000 words and over 105 images) of The First Churchills (1969)? The full post is available on Patreon for our subscribers! Check it out here. We’ll make this post available to everyone one year from today. Until then, only Patreon subscribers can view it!

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