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September 4, 2006

Lizzy Tudor in Film

Recently I watched two different two-part versions of the life of Elizabeth Tudor. The first was the 2005 HBO mini-series Elizabeth I, starring Helen Mirren and Jeremy Irons (both of whom I always like to watch), and the second was the 2005 Masterpiece Theatre mini-series The Virgin Queen, starring Anne-Marie Duff, a young Irish actress who was also in The Magdalene Sisters. Helen Mirren was WAY better. (I have every certainty that she deserved the Emmy she won for this role.) She is regal to begin with and the character as written for her was much wittier, wiser, more powerful. In the Duff version, there were scenes where the queen was mocked and ridiculed, and it was easily done because there was something ridiculous about her character, and something ridiculous about a 30-something woman playing a 60-something crone (and Duff's portrayal WAS a crone).

When I first moved to the town I live in now, I went to check out the public library and what it had to offer. A librarian tried really hard to sell me on their facilities for genealogical research. "I had a bunch of great aunts who traced the family way back," I said. "There's not much more to be done unless someone wants to go look at tombstones and read parish records in rural Germany or France."

"Oh," the librarian said, smiling. "Don't underestimate what we have to offer, especially now that libraries are link. You'd be surprised."

"No, you'd be surprised," I said. "Those great aunts of mine were hard-core Mormons."

The librarian lost her smile and nodded. She knew, as anyone who does genealogical research knows, that the Mormons are the most diligent and thorough genealogists in the world.

I mention this because it's one reason I have always had an interest in the British monarchy: those great aunts established that among my ancestors are Wicked King John (who signed the Magna Carta) and William the Conqueror (a.k.a. William the Bastard, Norman invader of England). It's not like I claimed an affinity for royalty or liked to imagine I could have been a princess; rather, I was fascinated to think of my ancestors living in drafty stone castles, galloping through dappled forest in hot pursuit of wild bore, begetting scores of illegitimate children and watching a guy in a hat with bells on it strum the lute. Starting in junior high I read about them a lot; among my royal ancestors, my favorite is Eleanor of Aquitaine (played by Katharine Hepburn in The Lion in Winter).

Elizabeth Tudor (who is neither my ancestor nor even my relative) is my favorite monarch and one of my favorite historical figures of all time, in large part because she was a fiery-tempered, strong-willed, intelligent spinster, and I have always claimed an affinity for those. I admit I could never understand how anyone could sympathize with that shallow milktoast Mary Queen of Scots, and my interest in Elizabeth made her mother, Anne Boleyn, sympathetic to me too. I was never a huge fan of Liz's father, Henry VIII--how could I be, given the way he treated his wives?--and I was always glad the Earl of Essex didn't succeed in fomenting a rebellion. I just wish the whole big story didn't involve so many people getting their heads chopped off.

I watch every version of Elizabeth's life I come across. I liked the Cate Blanchett movie Elizabeth because it had Cate Blanchett in it, and saw it a couple of times, but it took so many liberties with facts and accuracy that I couldn't really respect it. (Plus it has Geoffrey Rush in it, and he flat creeps me out.) It's been a while since I saw the 1971 BBC six-part mini-series starring Glenda Jackson, but as I remember, Jackson was awesome! I'm kind of sated as far as "The Life if Liz" goes, but maybe in a few months I'll watch it again and see how it compares to the Mirren version. (Especially since I just discovered that the actress who plays Mary of Scotland is named Vivian Pickles.)

So here are my recommendations: If you like elaborate costume dramas, all these versions of Elizabeth's life have their merits, but I'd start with Helen Mirren. Then Glenda, then Anne-Marie, then Cate, and if you really want to go all out, there's always the Bette Davis version, The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex. But I'd definitely save it for last.

Posted by holly at September 4, 2006 11:45 AM

7 Comments

By spike on September 5, 2006 3:41 AM

I have had the biggest crush on Helen Mirren for years! She's okay in the britcop "Prime Suspect" -- sometimes a good drama but sometimes the writers confuse histrionic conflict with character complexity. Helen can do both but she really shines in the latter. I don't know anyone else who actually likes Peter Greenaway films so, due to peer pressure, they have become a guilty pleasure for me. But even people who loathe Greenaway will admit that they loved watching Helen in The Cook, the Thief, his Wife and her Lover. Since you are enjoying the Royals, did you see her as Queen Charlotte in The Madness of King George? According to imdb, something I didn't know: she will soon appear in a Stephen Frears movie as HM Queen Elizabeth II. There really is something regal about her, though the "small r" republican in me would love to see her in a movie about the Diggers...

By Juti on September 5, 2006 2:04 PM

My ancestors were English wool merchants and probably groused about your ancestors and their laws. What a world!

QE1 is one of my guilty pleasures as well. When you're ready for "Elizabeth R" again you'll really enjoy it. Robert Hardy was wonderful as Robert Dudley.

Did you ever see Elizabeth George's novel, THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF HENRY VIII? Totally fictionalized, but still a whole lot of fun.

By Juti on September 5, 2006 5:43 PM

Um, oops, I meant Margaret George. Sorry.

By Holly on September 6, 2006 9:53 AM

Hi Spike--I'm one of those who hates Greenaway, and thought Mirren was the only thing that redeemed CTW&L. And I really liked "The Madness of King George," in particular because I research illness, and there's a line where George says, "I'm the king!" and his doctor responds, with blazing contempt, "You're not the king; you're the patient!"

Juti, I haven't read the Margaret George novel, but I'll look for it. Thanks for the recommendation.

By Dale on September 6, 2006 6:07 PM

I loved Elizabeth with Cate Blanchett and she deserved the big awards that they gave away on her that year. Helen is fantastic to watch in just about anything and I did see part 1 of the recent HBO film and I'm trying to fit part 2 in in the next while also. Ah, The Lion in Winter - one of my favourites as well. And I'm not even a royal watcher.

By Holly on September 7, 2006 1:33 AM

Cate Blanchett indeed deserved many awards for her performance in Elizabeth, but let's not forget that she lost the Oscar for best actress to Gwyneth Paltrow for "Skakespeare in Love"! The fact that Gwyneth robbed Cate of recognition she so richly deserved is only one reason I loathe that hideous little mall rat. Another is how dreadful she looked the next year when she showed up to present the award for best actor: her makeup, her dress, her posture all announced that she possessed an IQ well below normal and was not afraid to show it.

By Dale on September 8, 2006 7:59 AM

I forgot (or blocked) Gwyneth's triumphant pink win at the Oscars that year. And now her boozy blowzy mother's on every TV show on earth. We all know that Kathy G's the last authority on Gwyneth.

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