It legitimately baffles me when screenwriters write stories like this, where they try and make history more dramatic…I mean, it’s pretty dramatic already. Similarly, we see Elizabeth successfully get the Act of Uniformity through Parliament, but her role in this accomplishment is under cut by Walsingham, who locked up six bishops, and only releases them after the vote, telling them uniformity passed by five votes. This culminates in a purge of her political opponents where his men troop through the castle and kill all those implicated in the major plot against her. Although his support for her was kept in secret, he did not need to meet with her clandestinely as he had a legitimate reason to meet with her as the administrator of her lands. The Duke of Norfolk keeps Lettice as a mistress and she keeps him supplied with information about the Queen. When she falls pregnant, everyone knows that this is impossible and they start preparing for her death. Presenting history on film in a way that is both historically accurate and dramatically satisfying can be a difficult task. Mary, Queen of Scots had initially laid claim to the throne of England but then found herself in Elizabeth’s custody, during which time she became the focus of plans her on the throne in Elizabeth’s place, one of which did involve the Duke of Norfolk. But one of the film's greatest failings is that it does not present an accurate portrait of its title character. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. In the end, she was crowned by the Bishop of Carlisle who had already angered her by elevating the host at the Christmas mass. Dudley’s marriage was also not a secret as portrayed, and his wedding had been a fairly significant event given the power of his father, the Duke of Northumberland and the presence of King Edward VI. But less than two years into the reign Amy, instead of dying peaceably in bed, was found dead at the bottom of some stairs with her neck broken. If, as the film suggests, she died with Robert's name on her lips, is it saying the cost for being successful was too high? The film's violent nature is evident from the beginning, as it begins with the burning of a heretic as ordered by Mary I. Toward the end of the film (in complete variance with historical fact) Elizabeth sends Cecil into retirement, telling him that she has listened to him but now will listen only to herself. He embroils himself in numerous plots against Elizabeth, aligning himself with every faction that has an interest in displacing her. … Certainly the long and emotionally complex relationship between Elizabeth and Dudley could be a potentially effective hook. In History: As a natural claimant to the throne, the Duke of Norfolk was a potential rival to Elizabeth, but as her cousin and the premier Duke he held great public office. Also the poisoned dress was ridiculous. She could have been truly excellent with a better script and better direction. The film starts historically with Elizabeth rewarding Essex’s colleagues over him after his activities at Cadiz and their subsequent fallout. Please read our commenting and letters policy before submitting. He accepted the invitation to preside at her coronation, but elevated the host again, causing the queen to walk out of her own coronation. He visits her again after she is released where he warns her to trust nobody but him as no one else has her best interests at heart. The Film: Kat Ashley is Elizabeth’s chief lady in waiting, supervising the other ladies and helping Elizabeth conduct her affair with Dudley by hiding his presence in her chambers from Cecil. In one of her rare disagreements with Walsingham, Elizabeth refuses to have Robert executed, but asks him why he betrayed her. Her husband is obviously disinterested in her and everyone knows it. Throughout the film, Robert's motivation is difficult to follow. From heretic burning to queen, the loss of hair represents a loss of one part of the self. Anyone who knows 16th-century history well realizes the film is filled with inaccuracies—for those who don't, much of it is incomprehensible, as it really does not explain the political issues that faced Elizabeth at the beginning of her reign. Three pages in length, one source is cited. She walked a very thin tightrope during her reign. The 2005 series, The Virgin Queen with Tom Hardy is a much better piece. Henry V works as both modern film and historical drama. Dear Lord, if she were to be here today, the once beautiful towns and cities of England would still make us proud. Mary of Guise appears on the battlefield in person, wearing armour and apparently having engaged in the fighting herself. In History: There were numerous plots against Elizabeth throughout her reign, which came from a number of parties abroad and at home, most of which were condensed in the film to make it seem as though they occurred around the same time. She thanks as well Rohana Kenin, Bill Shields, and Robert Polito for their helpful ideas and Jo Margaret Mano for all her help and support. Walsingham responds that all men must have something to look up to, to touch the divine here on earth. ( Log Out /  Historical Accuracy of Elizabeth: The Golden Age This film review pertains to "Elizabeth: The Golden Age," which premiered in 2007 and portrays events from the reign of Elizabeth I. Whether Elizabeth could ever have brought herself to marry is unclear. She is weak and indecisive through much of the film, and though she claims to be "no man's Elizabeth," she seems dependent on Francis Walsingham (her master of spies) even at the end. Her second false pregnancy was later revealed to be a tumour of some kind but that was with the benefit of hindsight and contemporaries were not preparing for her imminent death. On one hand, it could be that the ravages of illness and age combined with her natural vanity served her to fall into presenting a pre-conceived image of ‘the virgin queen’ to the nation, in order to disguise her emerging physical flaws. The rumours themselves were damaging enough and almost cost Elizabeth her throne, had she actually conducted a public affair with Dudley she likely would have lost her position in the ensuing scandal. The Film As the title insinuates, the film is centered on Elizabeth, the woman and the Queen. Wash your hands and stay indoors! Also, no one died of a poisoned dress. To be a successful queen, she must give up her emotional range and sensuality. Elizabeth, all too often, does not. She is accused of involvement in Thomas Wyatt's Protestant rebellionagainst the Catholic Mary. Yet for all too much of the film Elizabeth is not the one mistress, which hardly suggests being self-confident and in control. In one scene, we see Mary on the battlefield in armor sending a young boy back to Elizabeth; his English blood stains her French colors. On the other, it could be that she slept with Robert Dudley, regretted it and then endeavoured to “reclaim her lost virginity from a man who wasn’t worthy of it.” Yup, I’m not making that up – that’s a quote from the director. I was very surprised by the favorable reviews being Elizabeth the film was grossly inaccurate. In 1585 Elizabeth was 52, having been born in 1533. He continually proposes to her, which seems to please Elizabeth, even though as the young queen enjoying all the perks of queenship she cannot quite make up her mind to marry him. The woman about to be burned is shown having all her hair cut off first. The exiles did not return until Elizabeth was safely on the throne and neither was Philip making overtures to Elizabeth, though he did offer his hand after she acceded to continue the alliance began in Mary’s reign. Elizabeth refuses to execute him, instead, she keeps him as a member of her court as a living reminder at how close treason is to her. In his entry for Elizabeth I in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Patrick Collinsondescribed the film "as if the known facts of the reign, plus many hitherto unknown, were shaken up like pieces of a jigsaw and scattered on the table at rando… Later, he introduces her to tobacco, a potato and two Native Americans brought back from his transatlantic expedition. We see his concern that once Elizabeth is queen she will be less close to him. Early in the film there are powerful moments of Elizabeth in the Tower of London saying to her women companions, "tonight I think I am going to die." The Pope and all Catholics oppose Elizabeth with Jesuit priests arriving to assassinate her. The film in effect telescopes a historical period, placing crucial events within a narrative that allows us to follow Elizabeth down a specific path, from Princess to Gloriania, the Virgin Queen. Later he is implicated in the Catholic plot, having converted for Spanish support. Mary, Queen of Scots declares herself Queen of England after Mary I’s death and conspires with the Duke of Norfolk to remove Elizabeth. But, alas, this is a historical drama that is neither historical nor dramatic. All this is more or less true, but it's hard to notice the history because the queen is wearing a giant chrysanthemum on her head. The Film: William Cecil is an elderly man who supports Elizabeth even under Mary’s reign. She sends an injured boy back with a message, “tell that bastard queen not to send children to fight Mary of Guise,” suggesting a long tradition of battle. Stay safe people! Most probable the religious factions remained a contest thorn in her side. Robert replies that he loves only "his" Elizabeth. As in the first film, some of the historical facts and dates have been changed by the scriptwriters for artistic purposes. She sleeps with Dudley where all her ladies-in-waiting could see her; later they have a lover's spat in front of her court and the French ambassador. But that’s getting ahead of this story, which begins in 1585 when Queen Elizabeth hit 52, though the In fact, she is dependent on the machinations of Walsingham throughout the film. After one of the ladies dies during their assignations, succumbing to the poison lining Elizabeth’s gown, Robert joins with the Spanish ambassador in a plot to marry the King of Spain. The Golden Age was also not something that came about until about thirty years into Elizabeth’s reign with the defeat of the Spanish Armada. Is the message that a woman cannot be successful both politically and emotionally? Queen Elizabeth I was probably the most patriotic monarch we have ever been blessed with. Whatever Dudley's shortcomings, he would never have been involved in a plot of treason against her. He was made Secretary of State upon Elizabeth’s accession, but though he proved to be one of her most faithful advisors Elizabeth was far from ignorant of the ways of court. The Duke of Norfolk marches into her bedchamber to wake her up and inform her she had better get to the council meeting as there is a war with Scotland going on. Last year's Elizabeth, directed by Shekhar Kapur and starring Cate Blanchett, is the most recent attempt to dramatize the life of one of history's most interesting characters. The film’s story actually gives a rather accurate account of history, breaking up Cleopatra’s involvement with Caesar and her rise to the throne in the first half of the film, and then her involvement with Mark Anthony following Caesar’s death and … Bishop Gardiner died before Elizabeth came to the throne and the Spanish ambassador died after he had been recalled but before he reached Spain (likely of the plague). The character of Lettice Howard was invented for the film; the Duke of Norfolk did not keep a mistress at court and prominent ladies at Mary’s court did not generally transfer into the same position under Elizabeth. Queen not amused by 'inaccuracies' in The Young Victoria film . Her Catholicism brought her into conflict with the heavily Protestant lords of Scotland, and eventually, there was open rebellion against her. The England of the first Elizabeth is a dark and sensuous place; the court lives intimately with treachery, and cloaks itself in shadows and rude luxury. At the time shown in the film, Sidney would have been an infant of four, and so probably not up to composing great works of poetry. Carole Levin is professor of history at the University of Nebraska and the author of The Heart and Stomach of a King: Elizabeth I and the Politics of Sex and Power. He was possibly bisexual, keeping a number of mistresses but having rumoured affairs with some of his male friends. Elizabeth knew that Robert was married to Amy and did not care. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. A third lady is Lettice Howard, who is one of Queen Mary’s chief ladies and remains at court under Elizabeth. Produced in 1963, this movie is a one of a kind as it portrays the Roman Republic transition. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. But throughout the film the threat is never very clear—was the threat from France, from Scotland, from Spain, or from the Pope? As seen through the fresh eyes of an Indian director, Shekhar Kapur, "Elizabeth" is not a light "Masterpiece Theater" production, but one steeped in rich, saturated colors and emotions. Young Princess Elizabeth (Cate Blanchett) is dragged away from a sunny afternoon at Hatfield, dancing around in fields and snogging hunky Robert Dudley (Joseph Fiennes), and sent to the Tower of London. Though she states her concern for her people, we do not have scenes with Elizabeth beyond the court that would emphasize this. She did not cover up Elizabeth’s affair with Dudley and went as far as to beg the Queen to put him aside when rumours of an affair began to circulate. Elizabeth decides to keep him alive "to remind me how close I came to danger.". If she had married a French prince or a Spanish prince,they would have been Catholic. The Film: Almost every major player in Europe is conspiring to have Elizabeth removed from the throne. Unbeknownst to Philip (officially at least), the Pope has also approved of Norfolk’s secret arrangement with Mary, Queen of Scots, to marry her in order to further legitimise his claim to the throne. The cast is impressive, especially its star; Cate Blanchett looks just right as the young Elizabeth and has tremendous presence. A long, long time ago, I wrote that it would take too long to detail the very many The texture of the In History: Mary’s marriage was an unhappy one, as her husband viewed it as a little more than a political arrangement. Walsingham responds suggestively, "They've found nothing to replace her." Beautifully photographed, with an impressive cast, the film Elizabeth can be compelling to watch but felt like a missed opportunity. That it plays fast and loose with historical fact would be less egregious if it was at least good drama. Indeed, Kapur admitted that the plot was so complex even "he was occasionally unsure who was doing what to whom (or why)" (see Gemma Files, "Like a virgin: Shekhar Kapur's Elizabeth, wooden teeth and all," Eye (November 5, 1998) at http://www.eye.net/eye/issue/issue_11.05.98/film/elizabeth.html). While the first Elizabeth movie faithfully reproduced Elizabeth's outfits from courtly portraits, The Golden Age kits her … The film thus ends with Elizabeth reclaiming her virginity and turning herself into stone, painted white, a living statue of the Virgin to replace the Virgin Mary. Sometimes dramatic films must sacrifice historical accuracy to present the greater "truth" about a person or a time period or simply to make a satisfying story. I admire your stamina. When Elizabeth agrees to the Privy Council’s demands that they meet this declaration of war head-on, she orders the army North. The Film: Mary of Guise is living in Scotland and has garrisoned the Scottish border with French troops to antagonise the English. As a portrait of Elizabeth's reign and Britain's war with Spain, it is grossly inaccurate. Along with the Ruy Lopez, the Queen’s gambit is one opening that is often played in top-level grandmaster games. You really don’t need to add flourishes to Elizabeth’s life, she had a pretty wild one as it was, and the luck of the wind…. With Cate Blanchett, Clive Owen, Geoffrey Rush, Jordi Mollà. To be safe to walk along the rivers and canals are sadly now memories in our now liberal crazed land and what a shame this is. Her principal secretary, William Cecil, lectures her as if she were a schoolgirl. In cataloging Queen Elizabeth I on film and in TV, I realized we didn’t have proper reviews for some of the biggies, and it’s become my mission to fix that.We’ve mentioned and given short reviews to Helen Mirren‘s turn as Elizabeth I (2005) but since this two-part miniseries has some amazing costumes and solid acting, it’s time for a deep-dive. But the scandal was horrific and many were afraid that if Elizabeth married Robert, she would, as the Spanish ambassador suggests, go to bed as queen and wake up as plain mistress Dudley. They dance a volta together after which he kisses her in front of the court and he later visits her in her chambers, consummating their relationship while her ladies watch. The Earl of Arundel was involved in numerous plots against the Queen, but only ever faced stints of house arrest for his trouble, while the Duke of Norfolk was implicated in the Ridolfi plot to marry Mary, Queen of Scots and assume the throne and was executed for his trouble.

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