Since the advent of cinematography there have been a number of films made on the life of the Virgin Queen.  The story of the unwanted girl who grew up to be one of the world's best loved monarchs continues to capture the hearts and imaginations of each new generation.  Her life was a life of triumph, of success,  and yet behind the glory there was also a life of  loneliness and loss.  Her complicated, glittering, yet always inspiring, life, provides a wealth of material from which writers and actors can draw, and the enigma that was Elizabeth means that no two portrayals of her are ever the same.  The dramatic fascination with the life of Queen Elizabeth I began very soon after her death.  Perhaps the first mention of her in a dramatic play was the christening of Princess Elizabeth in Shakespeare's Henry VIII.  Over the course of the next three centuries, Elizabeth continued to be dramatically represented in a number of works. Below are some of the actresses who have played the great Queen over the last century, some now legends themselves.

Unfortunately, not all films made on the life of Elizabeth I are available for purchase today. 


 

The first screen portrayal of the Tudor Queen was made by the legendary Victorian actress Sarah Bernhardt in the silent film of 1911 known by both the titles The Loves of Queen Elizabeth, or simply Queen Elizabeth. It tells the story of Queen Elizabeth's relationship with Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex.  It was originally a French production known as Elisabeth, Reine d'Angleterre, and was the most successful film of Bernhardt's career.

It is also the only Bernhardt film available on video today, although obtaining it can be difficult. The online company Grapevine supply the film for $16.95.
 

Links:
From Stage to Screen: The Film Career of Sarah Bernhardt

Sarah Bernhardt

 

The role was adopted by Flora Robson in two films, Fire Over England (1937) and  The Sea Hawk (1940) .

Fire Over England
This film has an impressive cast, including Vivien Leigh as a maid of honour and Laurence Olivier as the hero, Michael Ingolby, who is sent by the Queen on a voyage to Spain. A fictitious tale, but entertaining.

The Sea Hawk is the fictitious tale of a Captain Geoffrey Thorpe, a gallant adventurer, who engages in a mission to destroy Spainsh resources at Panama in the hope of delaying the Armada. It was adapted from the book by Rafael Sabatini. An entertaining swashbuckler that has a strong cast including Errol Flynn and Claude Reins. The film won 3 Oscar Nominations.

More information on The Sea Hawk

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Bette Davis also played the Tudor Queen twice. She played her first in the film The Private Lives of Elizabeth Essex (1939). Errol Flynn once again plays the courtier,  this time Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, whose love for the Queen is not enough to prevent him seeking power.  A convincing portrayal of Elizabeth from this great actress and the real life tension between Flynn and Davis adds chemistry to their on screen performances.

Bette Davis played the Queen secondly in The Virgin Queen (1955), which is the story of Sir Walter Raleigh, played by Richard Rodd. A young Joan Collins stars as Raleigh's wife, Bess Throckmorton.

More information on: 
The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex
 


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Jean Simmons stars as the teenage Elizabeth in Young Bess (1953), adapted from the novel of the same name by Margaret Irwin.  Her husband, Stewart Granger, stars as the impetuous Thomas Seymour, Lord High Admiral, and Deborah Kerr as Catherine Parr.  Jean Simmons plays a feisty young Elizabeth in an unashamedly romantic interpretation of the controversial relationship between Elizabeth and Seymour.

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Glenda Jackson perhaps proves herself the greatest of the screen queens in the six part BBC series on the life of Elizabeth, Elizabeth R (1971). Her performance is powerful, and captures all the facets of Elizabeth's complex personality. Strong performances also from Robert Hardy as Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester,  Ronald Hines as William Cecil, and Robert Ellis as Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex. To play the part of Elizabeth, Glenda Jackson not only learnt how to play the virginals, but also shaved her head to mirror Elizabeth's high forehead. The series also excels in costume and settings, and is the only production that accurately recreates the Elizabethan age. Glenda Jackson repeated her performance as Elizabeth in the  film Mary Queen of Scots (1971), which stars Vanessa Redgrave in the title role. Not as historically accurate, but well acted and produced. 

When Elizabeth R was first broadcast the scripts were published in a single volume, edited by  J. C. Trewin,
Plays of the year special, Elizabeth R. It is now out of print, but copies are sometimes available from used books shops.
 


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Dame Judi Dench excelled as Elizabeth in the oscar winning film Shakespeare in Love. Set in the 1590's, the comedy tells the tale of how life may well have been for the young William Shakespeare struggling to make a name for himself in the theatrical world. Joseph Fiennes stars as Shakespeare, Gwyneth Paltrow as his muse, and Colin Firth as her husband to be, the dastardly Earl of Wessex. Soundtrack and book also available. 
 


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Australian Cate Blanchett played Queen Elizabeth in a feature film based on her extraordinary life. She played the young Elizabeth in the 1998 film, simply titled Elizabeth, which follows Elizabeth from her troubled time in the reign of Mary, to her accession of the throne and establishing of her regime. The film is well produced and acted, but as with the earlier films on the Queen's life, lacks historical accuracy. Joseph Fiennes plays the young Robert Dudley, Geoffrey Rush plays Francis Walsingham, and Richard Attenborough stars as William Cecil. 

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Anne Marie Duff starred as Queen Elizabeth in the highly acclaimed Elizabeth I: The Virgin Queen television drama. Follows Elizabeth's life from the troubled years before her accession to her death, and is a far more faithful presentation of the Queen's life than many other productions. Duff is considered by many to be a serious rival to Glenda Jackson (Elizabeth R) as the greatest Screen Queen.

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Helen Mirren starred as the Queen, alongside Jeremy Irons as Robert Dudley, in the award-winning Elizabeth I. This production looks at the Queen's personal life in the later years of her reign, focussing on her relationship with Dudley and his step-son, Robert Devreux, Earl of Essex. Mirren gives a strong and convincing performance.
 
 

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Ellen Compton played Elizabeth in the 1923 silent movie Loves of Mary Queen of Scots, Fay Compton playing the ill-fated Scottish Queen.

Florence Eldridge played Elizabeth opposite Katherine Hepburn's Mary Queen of Scots in Mary of Scotland (1936). As the film looks favourably on Mary, the character of Elizabeth suffers substantially, and is more of a caricature than a convincing portrayal of the Queen.

Athene Seyler played Elizabeth in the 1935 film, Drake of England.  Matheson Lang played Sir Francis Drake.

Irene Worth played Elizabeth  in Seven Seas to Calais (1962), a not so well known film set in the Armada years. The main character is Rod Taylor as Sir Francis Drake, who not only succeeds in conquering the seas, but winning the heart of the Virgin Queen herself. Also known as Dominatore dei sette mari, Il

Among other actresses to play Queen Elizabeth, either on film or on television, are:

Judith Anderson in the American series Elizabeth The Queen (1968).

Imogen Slaughter in  the recent Channel 4 series Elizabeth.

Helen Baxendale in the documentary In Suspicious Circumstances which looked at the mystery surrounding Amy Robsart's death.

Quentin Crispen stars as the Queen in Orlando (1992) based on the novel by Virginia Wolf.
 
 


 
 

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Miranda Richardson starred as Elizabeth in the superb comedy Blackadder (1986). Series II  is set in Elizabethan England


 
 

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Dame Josephine Barstow starred as Queen Elizabeth in a BBC production of Benjamin Britten'sGloriana, which once again tells the story of Elizabeth's tragic last favourite, Robert Deverex, Earl of Essex. Unfortunately this particular production has not been released on video or as a soundtrack.

More information
Gloriana : Elizabeth and Essex

There is another version of Gloriana starring Sarak Walker.

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There is also a biography of the Queen available on DVD/Video : Elizabeth I: The Virgin Queen

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For more images of the Screen Queens visit this link:
http://members.tripod.com/ ~llwyd/period/elizabeths.htm
 

For more Tudor movies see:

Lara Eakin's lisitng at Tudor History
http://www.tudorhistory.org/movies/

Medieval history in the movies:
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/medf ilms.html
 
 



 
 


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