source: documentation/trunk/tutorial_sample_files/tudor/englishhistory.net/tudor/films.html@ 18423

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11<title>Tudor England: Films</title>
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20 <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="4" width="94%">
21 <tr>
22 <td valign="bottom" colspan="3">&nbsp;</td>
23 </tr>
24 <tr>
25 <td></td>
26 <td></td>
27 <td></td>
28 </tr>
29 <tr>
30 <td valign="top" width="48%">
31 <p align="center">
32 <img border="0" src="films.gif" width="302" height="105" alt="Tudor England: Films"></p>
33 <blockquote>
34 <hr>
35 <p align="center">Information about new Tudor-related films can be found
36 at <a href="media.html">Tudor Media News</a>.</p>
37 <hr>
38 <p>
39 <font face="Times New Roman">There have been many films made about the fascinating Tudors and they
40 range from the sublime to the truly awful, rather like the many
41 biographies which fill bookstores and bore readers.</font></p>
42 </blockquote>
43 <p align="center">
44 <img border="1" src="relative/maryqos-film.jpg" alt="Vanessa Redgrave and Timothy Dalton as Mary and Darnley from 1971's 'Mary Queen of Scots'" width="280" height="247"><br>
45 <font size="1">Vanessa
46 Redgrave and Timothy Dalton as Mary and Darnley from 1971's 'Mary Queen of
47 Scots'</font></p>
48 <blockquote>
49 <p>
50 <font face="Times New Roman"><br>Now if I could make a Tudor film, it would be
51 a remake of 1971's 'Mary, Queen of Scots' (shown above) with Cate Blanchett as Elizabeth
52 and Gwyneth Paltrow as Mary.&nbsp; Sadly, no one seems willing to loan me
53 the money for such a project.....</font></p>
54 <p>
55 &nbsp;</p>
56 </blockquote>
57 <DIV style="TEXT-ALIGN: center">
58 <P><FONT size=-1 face="Times New Roman"><A href="http://englishhistory.net/tudor.html">to Tudor
59 England: Contents</A></FONT></P></DIV>
60 <p align="center">
61 &nbsp;</p>
62 <blockquote>
63 <p align="left">&nbsp;</p>
64 </blockquote>
65 <p align="center">&nbsp;</p>
66 <p>&nbsp;</p>
67 <p>&nbsp;</td>
68 <td width="4%"></td>
69 <td valign="top" width="48%">
70 <p>
71 <font face="Times New Roman">The films are
72 listed in chronological order and this list is not definitive.</font></p>
73 <p>
74 <font face="Times New Roman">
75 <IMG height=231
76 alt="Joseph Fiennes and Cate Blanchett in 1998's 'Elizabeth'"
77 src="films3.jpg" width=150 border=1 align="left"></font></p>
78
79 <P><font face="Times New Roman"><A href="http://us.imdb.com/Title?0282100">THE PRINCE
80 AND THE PAUPER (1909 through 2000)</A> <BR><FONT size=-1>There
81 have been numerous adaptations of the classic Mark Twain novel which
82 begins during the final days of Henry VIII's reign.&nbsp; This link will
83 take you to the most recent version.</FONT> <BR>&nbsp; </font> </P>
84 <P><font face="Times New Roman"><FONT color="#000099"><A
85 href="http://us.imdb.com/Title?0024473">THE PRIVATE LIFE OF HENRY VIII
86 (1933)</A></FONT> <BR><FONT size=-1>This film stars the great
87 Charles Laughton as King Henry and beautiful Merle Oberon as Anne Boleyn.&nbsp;
88 It's the first 'Tudor movie' I ever watched and still one of the best.&nbsp;
89 It can be purchased on video.&nbsp; Interesting note - Laughlin's
90 real-life wife, Elsa Lanchester, plays Anne of Cleves.&nbsp; The two later
91 co-starred in Billy Wilder's superb adaptation of Agatha Christie's
92 'Witness for the Prosecution', - check it out, it's a fun, suspenseful
93 film with a different twist ending from the book.</FONT><BR>&nbsp; </font> </P>
94 <P><font face="Times New Roman"><FONT color="#000099"><A
95 href="http://us.imdb.com/Title?0027948">MARY OF SCOTLAND
96 (1936)</A></FONT> <BR><FONT size=-1>This film is based upon a
97 Maxwell Anderson play, and stars Katharine Hepburn as Mary Stuart and the
98 great Fredric March as Bothwell.&nbsp; It was directed by John Ford.&nbsp;
99 It can't be purchased; check the cable listings.</FONT> <BR>&nbsp; </font> </P>
100 <P><font face="Times New Roman"><A href="http://us.imdb.com/Title?0028872">FIRE OVER
101 ENGLAND (1937)</A> <BR><FONT size=-1>Vivien Leigh and Laurence
102 Olivier play lovers against the backdrop of Anglo-Spanish intrigue, with
103 Flora Robson as Queen Elizabeth I.&nbsp; This is a nice, swashbuckling
104 romance with intrigue and intelligent dialogue.&nbsp;</FONT> <BR>&nbsp; </font> </P>
105 <P><font face="Times New Roman"><FONT color="#000099"><A
106 href="http://us.imdb.com/Title?0031826">THE PRIVATE LIVES OF ELIZABETH AND
107 ESSEX (1939)</A></FONT> <BR><FONT size=-1>also called
108 <I>Elizabeth and Essex </I>and <I>Elizabeth the Queen</I></FONT> <BR><FONT
109 size=-1>This film is based upon the Maxwell Anderson play, as was <I>Anne
110 of the Thousand Days</I> (below) and <I>Mary of Scotland</I>
111 (above).&nbsp; It has an interesting cast - Bette Davis in her first
112 incarnation as Queen Elizabeth, the great Errol Flynn as Essex, and Vincent Price
113 (before he was typecast in horror films) as
114 Walter Raleigh.&nbsp; It can't be purchased; check the cable
115 listings.</FONT> <BR>&nbsp; </font> </P>
116 <P>
117 <font face="Times New Roman">
118 <IMG height=224
119 alt="Gwyneth Paltrow and Joseph Fiennes in 1998's 'Shakespeare in Love'"
120 src="films-main.jpg" width=171 border=1 align="left"><A href="http://us.imdb.com/Title?0046564">YOUNG BESS
121 (1953)</A> <BR><FONT size=-1>Based upon the Margaret Irwin
122 novel, which has recently been reissued, this film stars Jean Simmons as
123 Elizabeth Tudor.&nbsp; Charles Laughton reprises his role as Henry VIII
124 from <I>The Private Life of Henry VIII</I> (above).&nbsp; The plot is
125 primarily concerned with Elizabeth's relationship with Thomas Seymour, and
126 takes great historical liberties; it is entertaining and well done.&nbsp;
127 It can be purchased on video.&nbsp; And read Irwin's work, too - she's
128 incredible.</FONT> <BR>&nbsp; </font>
129 </P>
130 <P>
131 <font face="Times New Roman">
132 <A href="http://us.imdb.com/Title?0046387">THE SWORD
133 AND THE ROSE (1953)</A> <BR><FONT size=-1>This film tells the
134 story of Henry VIII's youngest sister Mary and her forbidden love affair
135 with Charles Brandon.&nbsp; I haven't seen it but several visitors have
136 told me it's wonderful; you can purchase it on VHS.</FONT> <BR>&nbsp; </font>
137 </P>
138 <P><font face="Times New Roman"><FONT color="#000099"><A
139 href="http://us.imdb.com/Title?0048791">THE VIRGIN QUEEN
140 (1955)</A></FONT> <BR><FONT size=-1>Once again, Bette Davis
141 plays Queen Elizabeth; Richard Todd plays Raleigh and Joan Collins is his
142 true love.&nbsp; I recently watched it again on AMC; it's colorized and
143 the men wear a lot of wacky-colored clothes (which is actually realistic,
144 though jarring.)&nbsp; The dialogue is
145 witty and Bette Davis is always fun to watch.&nbsp; It can be purchased on
146 video; also, check the cable listings.</FONT> <BR>&nbsp; </font> </P>
147 <P><font face="Times New Roman"><FONT color="#000099"><A
148 href="http://us.imdb.com/Title?0060665">A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS
149 (1966)</A></FONT> <BR><FONT size=-1>This film is based on
150 Robert Bolt's play and stars Paul Scofield as Sir Thomas More, executed
151 for refusing to recognize Henry VIII as head of the English church.&nbsp;
152 This is a great film worth watching on its own merits, even without its
153 Tudor connections.&nbsp; The story of More's refusal to betray his
154 conscience is justly famous and the film is a wonderful tribute to his
155 life and accomplishments.&nbsp; It is available on dvd.&nbsp; Look out for
156 the uncredited cameo of Vanessa Redgrave as Anne Boleyn.</FONT><BR>&nbsp;
157 </font>
158 </P>
159 <P>
160 <font face="Times New Roman">
161 <FONT color="#000099"><A
162 href="http://us.imdb.com/Title?0064030">ANNE OF THE THOUSAND DAYS
163 (1969)</A></FONT> <BR><FONT size=-1>This film stars Genevieve
164 Bujold as Anne Boleyn and Richard Burton as Henry VIII.&nbsp; It's
165 entertaining, the supporting actors are good, and Bujold's performance has
166 grown on me; she shows the vulnerability beneath Anne's wit and charm.&nbsp;
167 It's based upon Maxwell Anderson's play.&nbsp; If they remade this film,
168 wouldn't Virginie Ledoyen be the perfect Anne?</FONT><BR>&nbsp; </font>
169 </P>
170 <P>
171 <font face="Times New Roman">
172 <IMG height=258
173 alt="Richard Burton and Genevieve Bujold in 1969's 'Anne of the Thousand Days'"
174 src="films4.jpg" width=171 border=1 align="left"><FONT color="#000099"><A
175 href="http://us.imdb.com/Title?0066714">THE SIX WIVES OF HENRY VIII
176 (1971)</A></FONT> <BR><FONT size=-1>This is a great Masterpiece
177 Theatre series which was shown on PBS in America.&nbsp; It stars Keith
178 Michell as Henry VIII and is divided into six parts, one for each
179 wife.&nbsp; It was recently released on dvd.&nbsp; I have written a review
180 of the dvd at Amazon.com; <A
181 href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/cm/member-reviews/-/A18JIM9I1DKVJU/ref=cm_aya_rev_all/102-8493939-9158525">click
182 here to read it</A>.&nbsp; </FONT><BR><FONT size=-1>Michell later appeared
183 in <A href="http://us.imdb.com/Title?0070170">a film version of the
184 series</A>, much shortened, of course, and with different actresses
185 portraying the wives.</FONT> <BR>&nbsp; </font> </P>
186 <P><font face="Times New Roman"><FONT color="#000099"><A
187 href="http://us.imdb.com/Title?0067402">MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS
188 (1971)</A></FONT> <BR><FONT size=-1>I should admit that I am a
189 fan of Vanessa Redgrave and thus suitably biased, but this is an
190 entertaining movie.&nbsp; It also features the equally great Glenda Jackson
191 as Queen Elizabeth, a role she reprised in the Masterpiece Theatre series,
192 <I>Elizabeth R</I>.&nbsp; Redgrave was nominated for the Best Actress
193 Oscar for her role.&nbsp; In the film there is a meeting between the two
194 queenly cousins, - the meeting never occurred in real life, though Mary
195 desperately wished for it.</FONT> <BR><FONT size=-1>Patrick McGoohan, aka
196 Danger Man and Number Six, is
197 suitably evil as Moray and Timothy Dalton is a thoroughly repulsive
198 Darnley.&nbsp; (I think everyone can agree that playing Darnley is a
199 thankless task.)&nbsp; The sets and costumes are a wonderful evocation of the
200 Tudor era.&nbsp; The same production team made <I>Anne of the Thousand
201 Days</I>.</FONT> <BR>&nbsp; </font> </P>
202 <P><font face="Times New Roman"><FONT color="#000099"><A
203 href="http://us.imdb.com/Title?0066652">ELIZABETH R
204 (1971)</A></FONT> <BR><FONT size=-1>This Masterpiece Theatre
205 mini-series starring Glenda Jackson as Elizabeth is fantastic.&nbsp; And
206 it was recently released on dvd, with lots of extras.&nbsp; I have written
207 a review of the dvd at Amazon.com; <A
208 href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/cm/member-reviews/-/A18JIM9I1DKVJU/ref=cm_aya_rev_all/102-8493939-9158525">click
209 here to read it</A>.&nbsp; It's worth the expense.</FONT><BR><FONT
210 size=-1>Jackson is incomparable and the series itself is wonderful.&nbsp;
211 The mini-series format gives the story enough time to unfold and what a
212 fascinating, engrossing story it is - the great events of Elizabeth's
213 reign, the facets of her character, her interminable marriage
214 negotiations..... these are treated in detail and with commendable
215 historical accuracy.&nbsp; The supporting actors - Mary, queen of Scots,
216 Dudley, Cecil (William and Robert), Bacon, Essex, etc - are also superb.</FONT><BR>&nbsp; </font> </P>
217 <P>
218 <font face="Times New Roman">
219 <FONT color="#000099"><A
220 href="http://us.imdb.com/Title?0091374">LADY JANE
221 (1986)</A></FONT> <BR><FONT size=-1>This popular film stars
222 Helena Bonham Carter as Lady Jane Grey and the very handsome Cary Elwes as Guilford Dudley.&nbsp; The movie, like many Tudor flicks, is less
223 than accurate in the facts department, mostly concerning Jane and
224 Guilford's marriage.&nbsp; But the invented 'love story' between them is
225 well done and saves the film from being too depressing.&nbsp; I had the
226 pleasure of seeing Jane Lapotaire, who plays Princess Mary in this film,
227 portray Katharine of Aragon at a RSC production of 'Henry VIII'.</FONT> <BR><FONT size=-1><I>Lady Jane</I> is finally available on dvd.</FONT><BR>&nbsp; </font> </P>
228 <P>
229 <font face="Times New Roman">
230 <img border="1" src="films5.jpg" alt="Colin Firth and Judi Dench in 'Shakespeare in Love'" align="left" width="229" height="174"><FONT color="#000099"><A
231 href="http://us.imdb.com/Title?0138097">SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE
232 (1998)</A></FONT> <BR><FONT size=-1>This film stars Gwyneth Paltrow as the fictional Lady Viola de Lesseps and Joseph Fiennes as
233 Shakespeare.&nbsp; Judi Dench appears briefly as Queen Elizabeth I; though
234 her time on screen is short, she is unforgettable.&nbsp; There are
235 numerous supporting actors who also shine.&nbsp; The costumes, sets, and
236 musical score are also wonderful.</FONT> <BR><FONT size=-1>Paltrow and
237 Fiennes are lovely together; the script is witty and fun; and the ending
238 is spectacular.&nbsp; This is one of the few films I've seen that
239 successfully mixes genres.&nbsp; And it's almost as if the actors themselves knew they were
240 in a great film.&nbsp; Their performances are confident and
241 enthusiastic.&nbsp; This is truly a joy to watch.</FONT> <BR><FONT
242 size=-1>I went to see this film on a whim and then promptly forced family
243 and friends to watch it with me.</FONT> <BR><font size="-1">Some naysayers have written to me in disagreement and all of their complaints
244 are directed against Paltrow.&nbsp; I think she is perfect in the role;
245 even her scenes as the cross-dressing Thomas Kent are great.&nbsp; But
246 opinions can differ - and even if you dislike her performance, there is
247 much else to recommend the film.<br>Both Shakespeare in Love and Elizabeth
248 were released around the same time in 1998.&nbsp; Ironically, as it turned
249 out, I was really looking forward to Elizabeth and didn't give SIL a
250 thought.&nbsp;&nbsp; </font><BR><FONT size=-1>There are
251 numerous <I>Shakespeare in Love</I> fan sites; <A
252 href="http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Studio/5740/SILwebring.htm">visit
253 their webring</A>.</FONT> <BR>&nbsp; </font> </P>
254 <P><font face="Times New Roman"><FONT color="#000099"><A
255 href="http://us.imdb.com/Title?0127536">ELIZABETH
256 (1998)</A></FONT> <BR><FONT size=-1>This film stars Cate Blanchett as the Virgin
257 Queen.</FONT> <BR><FONT size=-1>I disliked this film when I first saw it,
258 though I admired the visuals.&nbsp; The cinematography and costuming were
259 excellent; some of the acting was impressive, particularly Blanchett and
260 Christopher Eccleston as Norfolk.&nbsp; (When are they ever bad?)&nbsp; But I found the story and
261 direction to be muddled and overwrought, as was the score.</FONT>
262 <BR><FONT size=-1>Part of my disappointment was doubtless caused by my <A
263 href="intro.html">Tudoritis</A>.&nbsp; I
264 was looking forward to the film and wouldn't have been easily
265 satisfied.&nbsp; But my movie-going companion, who does not suffer from
266 Tudoritis, remarked, 'This isn't just a bad Tudor film.&nbsp; It's a bad
267 film, period.'</FONT><BR><FONT size=-1>I recently watched it again.&nbsp; And
268 again, I admired Blanchett's performance and the costumes were still
269 spectacular.&nbsp; But
270 I still wonder why they felt the need to rewrite one of the most
271 compelling female lives of all time.&nbsp; And did Elizabeth live in a
272 cathedral?!?</FONT><BR><FONT size=-1>The official website has been taken
273 down, but Geocities.com hosts a
274 <a href="http://www.geocities.com/southbeach/keys/4122/">nice fan page</a>.</FONT></font></P>
275 <P><font face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0357392/"><br>THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL (2003)</a><font size="4"><b><br>
276 </b></font>
277 <font size="2">This film is an adaptation of Philippa Gregory's popular
278 novel.&nbsp; It was produced by the BBC and stars Natasha McElhone as Mary
279 Boleyn and Jodhi May as Anne.&nbsp; The film premiered in the UK in spring
280 2003.&nbsp; As of October '03, it hasn't aired in the US and isn't currently scheduled for sale
281 anywhere.&nbsp;
282 <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/boleyn.shtml">Click here to visit the
283 BBC's official website for the film</a>.&nbsp; Click the above IMDB.com
284 link to check its release schedule.</font></font></P>
285 <P>&nbsp;</P>
286 <P><font face="Times New Roman"><B>
287 <img border="1" src="films6.jpg" alt="Drew Barrymore and Dougray Scott in 'Ever After'" align="left" width="275" height="181">Two other films set in the 16th century are also worth watching:</B></font></P>
288 <P><font face="Times New Roman"><A href="http://us.imdb.com/Title?0110963">LA REINE MARGOT (QUEEN
289 MARGOT)(1994)</A> <BR><FONT size=-1>I love this French film starring
290 the incomparable Isabelle Adjani as Marguerite, daughter of Catherine
291 d'Medici and princess of France.&nbsp; It's a wonderful story with great
292 historical accuracy.&nbsp; And can you believe Adjani was 38 when she made
293 this film?&nbsp; Let's hope it will be released on dvd in the US
294 soon.&nbsp; Until then, read the Alexandre Dumas novel upon which it's
295 based.&nbsp; I think it's one of his more entertaining
296 works.</FONT><BR>&nbsp; </font> </P>
297 <P><font face="Times New Roman"><A href="http://us.imdb.com/Title?0120631">EVER AFTER (1998)</A>
298 <BR><FONT size=-1>This film is a retelling of the Cinderella story set in
299 16th century France.&nbsp; Drew Barrymore plays the heroine who triumphs
300 over the ugly stepsisters and evil stepmother.&nbsp; It's very
301 entertaining; the
302 performances are fun, the costumes beautiful, and the romance
303 endearing.</FONT><BR><FONT size=-1>The official movie site is still up; <A
304 href="http://www.foxmovies.com/everafter/">click here to
305 visit</A>.</FONT></font></P>
306 <p>
307 &nbsp;</p>
308 <P align="center"><font face="Times New Roman" size="1">In order, the images are from 'Elizabeth',
309 'Shakespeare in Love', 'Anne of the Thousand Days', 'Shakespeare in Love',
310 'Ever After'.</font></P></td>
311 </tr>
312 </table>
313 </center>
314</div>
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