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