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List Price: $29.95 | | Label: WGBH Boston
Salesrank: 16723
Released: February 28, 2006 |
| Our Price: $16.50 |
| Used Price: $17.89 |
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MPAA Rating: Unrated
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
As The Virgin Queen begins, a young Elizabeth is imprisoned in the Tower of London by Queen Mary, charged with conspiracy and treason. Both women are daughters of the ruthless and oft-married Henry VIII, who plunged England into turmoil by breaking with the Roman Catholic Church. Mary wants to reunite with Rome, while Elizabeth is determined to stand by her Protestant faith--a potentially fatal choice. But Elizabeth’s life takes an unexpected turn when Mary dies, leaving no heir to the throne. As the new queen, Elizabeth discovers the harsh realities of ruling a religiously divided nation and must learn to outwit her enemies and charm those who conspire to their own ends.
Soon under pressure to secure a politically advantageous marriage, the coquettish Elizabeth rejects a string of eligible royal bachelors from abroad, openly preferring the burning affections of her childhood playmate, the athletic, handsome--and married--Robert Dudley. But is she toying with him as she is with her other suitors?
Starring Anne-Marie Duff (The Aristocrats, The Magdalene Sisters) as the shrewd and captivating queen who defended her throne amidst an atmosphere of plotting and intrigue, torture and murder, The Virgin Queen is a riveting drama that explores the fascinating 44-year reign of Elizabeth I.
Masterpiece Theatre: Elizabeth I - The Virgin Queen Reviews:
A tale of a Great Queen & a Great Actress 
2009-09-01 - In the past 5 years or so I've watched close to 8 to 10 films about Elizabeth I. I've always been fascinated by the Tudors & their tumultuous times. Like other history fans, I have my favorite characters--and villains. Fortunately, Elizabeth is on the favorites list (AND Mary, Queen of Scots--figure that one out.). After watching a number of extremely brilliant women actors in the role, I thought it was getting a bit ridiculous to see an English Queen running around telling just about everybody, "I'm a Virgin, I'm a Virgin, I'm a Virgin!" Good grief--shades of The Material Girl! Well, of course there was a good reason for that. I think most historians agree that Elizabeth skillfully allied her political reputation to the high level of adoration the people of the period (even Protestants) felt for the Blessed Virgin Mary. Then there's the practical reality that being virgo intacta was vital to be a player in the European monarchial marriage game. This too Elizabeth played to her advantage. By keeping kings & countries waiting & guessing on her next move, Elizabeth felt relatively safe and--perhaps more importantly, on the strictly personal level--garnered her the verbal romantic attention she seemed to obsessively crave.
Coky Giedroyc, director of this production stated, "Elizabeth had...a real pathological fear of intimacy. Her father (Henry VIII) represented everything male, and once you get close to a man you get killed..." She also had her mother's fate to reflect on. Even a naughty queen can lose her head--especially if her hubby was good ol' Henry (a Tudor definitely NOT on my favorites list--but his cast-off wife Katherine of Aragon is.) Elizabeth was considered an "enlightened" queen, even an intellectual (in an age when it was considered very suspicious for a woman to have ideas of her own.) Nonetheless, she was a child of her violent time, and was not adverse to employing torture & deception in her struggle to keep her throne. Still, she was better than most of her contemporaries and she clearly possessed a highly tuned conscience.
I'd never seen Anne-Marie Duff before. Hers is not the tall, killer blonde type; but rather she is short, elfin, with flowing, strawberry blonde hair (at least in this film.) And she possess an inner charm, a real charisma and intellectual radiance. She is perfect for the role of Elizabeth. She appears to effortless generate regal majesty, and that is as much matter of personal character as it is of acting skill.
There are three scenes from the film that stand in my mind.
The first was the opening (a good omen of enjoyment to come.) A teenage Elizabeth has been banished to The Tower by her bitter, paranoid half-sister, Mary. She is talking with ladies-in-waiting, when they hear soldiers approaching. They scramble to set a scene of humble piety by hiding things & "straightening up." One of the ladies tosses a rosary like a football to Elizabeth, who catches it in mid-air.
The second scene is not far from the first. Mary has died & Elizabeth becomes the new Queen. She is in a triumphal procession weaving through the streets London. Here Anne-Marie Duff is at her most radiant, showering the people with her gratitude & basking in the love they had for her. It's ironic that the common folk loved Elizabeth almost in proportion to how much they hated her mother (Anne Boleyn.) In a similar sort of twist, the people disliked Queen Mary (Tudor) as much as they loved her mother, the divorced Queen Katherine
The third scene is near the end of the picture. Elizabeth is old & near the end of her days. She is standing at the end of a large outdoor court while her new, very young ladies-in-waiting stand at the opposite end surreptitiously her. Elizabeth is so caught up thinking about the past that she seems unaware of their critical stare. In her mind she hears a song from her bygone youth, and begins to rather awkwardly--and feebly--dance to the tune. To the maids she's an object of ridicule & they parody her movements in a dance they find hopeless old fashioned. It is a poignant scene reflecting the relentless nature of time & the cruel honesty of youth--and it reminds us that, in the end, Elizabeth was a vulnerable human being too.
Another aspect I appreciate about this "Elizabeth," is that it was mercifully brief & fairly neutral in the depiction of the rivalry between Elizabeth Tudor & her cousin, Mary Queen of Scots. British films have almost invariably portrayed Mary Stuart as either an idiot, or a sex-driven demon out to bring the Inquisition into England. Neither is true, but there's little doubt that had Mary ascended to the English crown, it would have been a full-blown disaster for all concerned.
The supporting cast & essential production values are of the highest quality. A special nod to the music (see CD review below) and costumes (people, including men, really knew how to dress in those days!)
Anne of the Thousand Days / Mary, Queen of Scots
Elizabeth I: The Virgin Queen
Mere Words Cannot Express!
2009-05-25 - This is a fantastic interpretation of the lives of the Virgin Queen and her court. Masterpiece Theatre and all involved have outdone themselves here. Along with the movie itself, the music is wonderfully enchanting and matched perfectly to the film!Prepare to be swept away!
Most AWESOME movie!
2009-03-31 - What a beautiful love story, I had no idea,...and how painful that had to have been for her, to forego marriage because she couldn't wed her truest love. She was quite a woman indeed! Well documented and the music was fantastic!
Like a Virgin 
2008-08-22 - Masterpiece Theater's latest remake of "Elizabeth I" is a turgid portrayal of the first queen of England. Her father, Henry VIII, desired a son so much he took six wives--ironically,his daughter took the throne. "The Virgin Queen" is a step far below the famous portrayals of Glenda Jackson, Cate Blanchett, and even Quentin Crisp(!!!)
In "The Virgin Queen",Ann-Marie Duff portrays England's first female monarch as a bland,lifeless,definitely sexless woman. She is in constant voice-over mode, giving pathetic looks. Luckily, she has stronger co-stars. Sienna Guillory shines as a scheming,envious,cruel lady in-waiting. She's cold,calculating,yet lively. Guillory is excellent as the royal con woman. Hans Matheson,who's given bland portrayals of King Arthur's illegitimate son Mordred and Doctor Zhivago,is equally great as Guillory's Oedipal son. The villains steal the show. Elizabeth I is the victim of circumstance,and has the same dull expression on her face whether she's deeply in love or executing an enemy. Duff is a dull actress. "The Virgin Queen" leaves it open to interpretation whether she had a lover (according to Hilaire Belloc's prurient "Characters of the Reformation",she was physically handicapped,'deformed in mind&body',incapable of regular relations with men but doing things with them constantly,going into Gossip Girl mode)
"The Virgin Queen" is bland and lifeless. It's like a virgin, but you won't be touched. At all.
There is Only One Sun in the Universe
2008-03-01 - I have three films on Queen Elizabeth I in my library and this is by far the best in my collection. I have not see the one with Glenda Jackson to date and it is on my Wish List.
First off, I found the use of language to be intelligent, not like the Hollywood Elizabeth that seems to lack true English wit. I am caught up every time I watch this with the casting, scenery, and costumes, which in turn merely embellishs the script. Some reviewers mentioned that this production left out Queen Elizabeth's other accomplishments by focusing on her relationships. Quite the contrary, I found it just as intriguing due the fact that it showed the human side upon which every leader or monarch has had to endure. This film showed the "frail feminine side and the body politic" Queen Elizabeth struggled so hard to balance, a difficult feat for anyone. It is mentioned in the history books that as she got older she suffered terrible headaches likely due to immense stress. I see there is nothing wrong with highlighting this part of her life, if so however accurate or inaccurate it is nothing but captivating performances, strong content, and true human emotion.
Tom Hardy's performance in this film has made me a fan of his and will continue to look for other works of his. His character as the Earl of Leicester seamlessly transitions from a young suitor to an older, wiser man faithfully standing by the queen's side until the day of his death. Duff's performance of the Queen encapsulated her joy's, frustrations, struggles, love and loss spot on. The end of the film was the pinnacle, as was Elizabeth's life, I actually held my own breath as if it were my own life reflecting upon.
You will not be disappointed. It is not often for me to be so taken in with a movie that I forget I am watching a film on a 15" laptop.
