‘Bertie & Elizabeth’ in Love and War

“Bertie & Elizabeth” is a royal portrait--occasionally vivid, but more often formal and stiff--of the late King George VI and his wife, the woman who would come to be known as the queen mother.

“Masterpiece Theatre” is presenting the two-hour film tonight (at 9 on KCET) as part of PBS’ programming to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II, the first-born daughter of the title couple.

Although it opens in 1920 as a love story between Albert, the duke of York (James Wilby), and commoner Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (Juliet Aubrey), “Bertie & Elizabeth” is quickly enveloped by historical events, which form the framework of this dramatization. The first of these is the death of Bertie’s father, King George V, which means that Bertie’s older brother, David, will become King Edward VIII.

But, in what some have called the love story of the 20th century, King Edward VIII (Charles Edwards) abdicates to marry the woman he loves, American divorcee Wallis Simpson (Amber Rose Sealey). And that thrusts Bertie and Elizabeth into a spotlight they never expected, as king and queen of England.

The first half of the film could just as easily be called “Bertie & Elizabeth & David & Wallis,” for it spends a lot of time tracing the latter pair’s affair and its effects on the younger couple. It also portrays Simpson and her lover in a rather harsh light, certainly not with the romantic glow this story has been given in the past.

The rest of the film concerns itself largely with how Elizabeth helps Bertie overcome his stuttering and, more important, how she helps him and the rest of England persevere through World War II. But there is little insight into the couple’s personal life as they deal with wartime events.

It’s also not clear, from the film or its introduction by series host Russell Baker, what historical references the drama is based on, only that its script was written by Nigel Williams. That, along with a minor misquote of FDR’s famous speech about Pearl Harbor and some unconvincing accents for the American characters, makes “Bertie & Elizabeth” something less than a masterpiece.