Britain in Color

The Royal Family is one of Britain’s best-loved institutions, but throughout the 20th century, they had to overcome scandals, wars, and abdication in order to preserve their monarchy. Revisit the British royals of the early 1900s, from the reclusive Queen Victoria to her son Edward VII, and from the reluctant George VI to the young Elizabeth II. Through rarely seen, colorized footage of weddings, wars, coronations, and funerals, this is a unique look at how the House of Windsor bounced back from the brink of disaster.

At the end of World War I, the British territory expanded to its greatest size, controlling over a quarter of the earth’s land and almost 500 million people, but by 1970 it had all but disappeared. Through rare home movies and archival newsreel footage—all remastered and colorized—we examine Britain’s expansion in South Africa, Hong Kong, and India. See how the luxurious lifestyle of the colonial elite contrasted with the suffering of the colonized, leading to growing resentment and demands of freedom from imperial rule.

In a career that spanned 54 years, Winston Churchill served as Home Secretary, First Lord of the Admiralty, Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Prime Minister of Britain. Over the decades, he made catastrophic blunders, but in England’s moment of deepest need, he boosted morale, led them to victory, and cemented his place in the nation’s heart. Through colorized movies and never-before-seen archival footage, we present an intimate portrait of this military tactician, maverick politician, and revered global statesman.