Restoration

A film set in seventeenth-century England. Robert Merivel is a medical student who does not take his work seriously; he likes pleasure and comfort. When he cures the king's dog he is brought to court and becomes a wealthy man overnight. Then the king asks something of him: to marry one of his mistresses. The marriage is to be a formality and Merivel is not to touch her. He agrees. But he falls in love and is thrown out of court. What follows is a fall and a rebuilding. Merivel goes to the asylum where an old friend works and starts practising medicine for real. Then he returns to London; the plague is in the city and the great fire follows. The idea is that the man only learns his profession after losing everything. The source is Rose Tremain's novel. Robert Downey Jr. plays Merivel and Sam Neill the king. Meg Ryan, Ian McKellen, Hugh Grant and David Thewlis are in the cast. Michael Hoffman directed. The film won Oscars for art direction and costume design. A visually rich example for anyone who likes historical drama and period productions. Before you watch, know this: the plague and fire sections contain hard scenes.