The Crown: Season 5 is now streaming on Netflix.

The popular behind-the-scenes examination of Britain’s royal family during the reign of Elizabeth II (1952-2022) began in 2016, running for two years before taking a break for one, returning with different actors for two more, then taking another year off before returning yet again with a different set of actors for the final two seasons.

We were first introduced to the series with Claire Foy as Elizabeth, Matt Smith as Prince Philip from the late 1940s through the 1960s, with Vanessa Kirby as Princess Margaret, and John Lithgow as Winston Churchill beginning in 2016. They were succeeded by Olivia Coleman, Tobias Menzies, and Helena Bonham Carter as Elizabeth, Philip, and Margaret, respectively in the 1970s and 80s, beginning in 2019. That series was dominated by John O’Connor as Prince Charles, Emma Corrin as Princess Diana, and Emerald Fennell as Camilla Parker-Bowles with Gillian Anderson as Margaret Thatcher making the strongest impression of a British prime minster since Lithgow’s Winston Churchill.

Imelda Staunton takes Elizabeth into the 1990s, with Jonathan Price the new Philip, Leslie Manville the new Margaret, Dominic West the new Charles, Elizabeth Debicki the new Diana, and Olivia Williams the new Camilla. Johnny Lee Miller and Bertie Carvel are prime ministers John Major and Tony Blair, respectively. Khalid Abdalla is Dodi Fayad. Senan West, who plays Prince William at 13, is Dominic West’s son.

Foy, Smith, and Kirby were a revelation in the first series holding off the larger-than-life presence of John Lithgow. Colman, Menzies, and even Bonham-Carter had a more difficult time holding their own in the presence of the charismatic O’Connor and Corrin and the enigmatic Anderson. Happily, Staunton and Pryce are more in tune with the compelling work of Foy and Smith in the original series, but acting honors go to Debicki who absolutely nails it as Diana. That wasn’t an easy task given how many portrayals of the late princess have been done in the last few years, yet DeBecki manages to keep all eyes on her in every scene she’s in.

Also making a big impression this time around are Williams, who imbues Camilla with a compassion lacking in most portrayals of her; Abdalla, who brings an unexpected sweetness to his portrayal of the doomed Fayad; and West the younger as a respectful if confused William.

Also streaming on Netflix is the fourth season of Manifest, the highly addictive series that began on NBC in 2018 with the expectation that it would run six years during which the mystery of a passenger jet that returned five years after it disappeared would play out. Three years into the series, NBC abruptly cancelled it. Netflix, at the time, was already streaming the first two seasons. The third, which initially streamed on another service, is now also available on Netflix.

Fans of the series, whether in its original broadcast or via streaming, were furious. The show’s originator, Jeff Rake, negotiated with Netflix to give the show a proper ending. He gave them the choice of a two-hour movie, a six-episode windup or a full 20-episode season. They chose the latter, of which the first ten episodes are now streaming, the remainder to be streamed early next year.

Melissa Roxburgh is top billed as the sister and aunt of two passengers, her brother (second billed Josh Dallas) and his son. The son is a twin. Upon their return, we learn that his twin sister has aged five years while he remains the age he was when the plane left. Other characters emerge, mysteries are introduced, some of which are solved, some of which are not. The cancellation by NBC at the end of season 3 was infuriating because it ended with the death of a major character and other unresolved situations.

Season 4 occurs two years after the events in season 3 which fittingly aired two years ago. It resolves some of the unanswered questions from season 3 while introducing more mystery into the mix. The boy played by Jack Messina in the first three seasons has been given back his five missing years and is now played by former child actor Ty Doran who becomes the multi-character drama’s central figure.

In typical fashion, the show’s half-season cliffhanger ends with another major death and uncertainty as the story’s meanest villain gains footing. The yet-to-be-seen final ten episodes can’t come soon enough for the show’s ever expanding fanbase.

Although the release of new films on DVD and Blu-ray has declined, there are still plenty of older films being made available.

Warner Archive has released an 80th anniversary 4K UHD edition of the enduring classic, Casablanca.

As with most Warner Archive releases, there is no new material here, but what we get is a pristine edition of the film on the 4K UHD disc with introduction by Lauren Bacall and competing audio commentaries from Roger Ebert and Rudy Behlmer from a previous release. We also get numerous extras on the accompanying Blu-ray disc including a documentary on director Michael Curtiz, deleted scenes, and outtakes.

Criterion has released a 4K UHD edition of last year’s multi-award-winning The Power of the Dog, a rare release of a Netflix-produced film on home video.

The film looks and sounds better on disc than it did in streaming. The 4K UHD is the film only, but the accompanying Blu-ray features numerous extras including interviews with director Jane Campion and actress Kirsten Dunst.

Imprint has released Blu-rays of two 1950s films featuring Oscar-winning Best Actress performances by Shirley Booth and Anna Magnani. Both actresses were directed by the same director with same co-star, Daniel Mann and Burt Lancaster, respectively.

Lancaster plays the alcoholic husband of homebody Booth in 1952’s Come Back, Little Sheba in which the actress reprises her Tony award-winning role. Terry Moore, in an Oscar-nominated performance, plays the sexy boarder who awakens long repressed feelings in Lancaster. It’s worth seeing for the performances but the material is extremely dated.

Extras include audio commentary by film historian Scott Harrison and the same documentary on Lancaster that accompanies Kino Lorber’s release of The Rainmaker.

Magnani is the whole show in 1955’s The Rose Tattoo in which Lancaster plays the truck driver attempting to take the place of her late husband even down to getting the same tattoo. The film is one of the least interesting ones from playwright Tennessee Williams and Magnani, a force of nature in her Italian films, is not in my opinion, used to best advantage in this even though the part was written for her. Of her handful of American films, I prefer her in 1957’s Wild Is the Wind for which she received a second Oscar nomination.

Extras include commentary by film historian Alan K. Rode and a rhapsodic tribute to Magnani.