Commentary
The Regency Era of England was named thus because it was when the future King George IV ruled as Prince Regent of the United Kingdom while his father, King George III, suffered declining sanity. Although this period only officially lasted from 1811 to 1820, the Regency Era is often categorized as the longer period of approximately 1795 to 1837, when Queen Victoria took the throne. This period was immortalized by Jane Austen’s novels and has recently been popularized by the trendy series “Bridgerton.”
While “Bridgerton” has generated a lot of interest in the Regency Era, its historical accuracy leaves as much to be desired as its low moral tone. A natural alternative for those who appreciate clean entertainment would be classic movies set in the Regency Era. These are surprisingly rare, however, since most novels originally written during the early 18th century were set in other periods when adapted into Golden Era movies. This is because filmmakers from the 1930s-50s didn’t think the high-waisted Regency gowns with straight silhouettes were flattering to actresses. Instead, they opted for the hour-glass styles of the Victorian Era, a far more popular setting whose costumes could be reused for many other movies….