"The Virgin Queen" (2005)TV mini-series

Director:

Coky Giedroyc

Writer:

Paula Milne (writer)

Release Date:

13 November 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

The Virgin Queen explores the full sweep of Elizabeth's life: from her days of fear as a potential victim...

Plot Keywords:

Queen Of England | 1500s | Queen Elizabeth I | Tudor | 16th Century

Awards:

Nominated for Primetime Emmy. Another 1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

Anne-Marie Duff	...	Queen Elizabeth I
Tara Fitzgerald	...	Kat Ashley
Robert Pugh	...	Lord Chancellor Gardiner
Dexter Fletcher	...	Sir Thomas Radcliffe - Earl of Sussex
Sienna Guillory	...	Lettice Knollys
Ian Hart	...	William Cecil - Lord Burghley
Joanne Whalley	...	Queen Mary
Michael Feast	...	Cardinal Pole
Tony Guilfoyle	...	Sir John Brydges
Bryan Dick	...	Thomas Wyatt
Stella Maris	...	Valencia
Richard Syms	...	Courtier
Tom Hardy	...	Robert Dudley - Earl of Leicester
Stanley Townsend	...	King Philip of Spain
Ken Bones	...	Bishop Latimer

Also Known As:

Elizabeth I: The Virgin Queen (USA) (DVD title)

Runtime:

237 min (4 parts)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Certification:

UK:12 (parts 1 & 4) | UK:PG (parts 2 & 3)

Filming Locations:

Alnwick Castle, Alnwick, Northumberland, England, UK

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Quotes:

[rallying her troops to fight the Spanish]
Queen Elizabeth I: I know that I have the body of a weak and feeble woman. But I have the heart and stomach of a king - and a king of England, too. And I think foul scorn that Spain or any prince of Europe should dare to invade the borders of my realm. To which, rather than face that dishonour...
[...]

Soundtrack:

The Virgin Queen

Give the old girl a rest!

What would film and TV companies do for historical dramas if Elizabeth I had never reigned? If they run out of ideas (or Dickens novels) it seems that somebody comes out with a brand new concept. "Hey! what about giving old Lizzie another run for her money? Nobody's done it for at least 6 months!" This 2005 mini-series although having authentic costumes, delivers nothing that hasn't been told (more accurately and better) a hundred times before in novels, biographies, operas, dramas, documentaries and even historical pageants.

In this latest effort it seems that a lot of pieces from the jigsaw that was Elizabeth's life have been lost, and the bits that remain have been haphazardly bunched together to create some sort of patchy biography. Consequently there's very little flow to the production as a whole, with just a scant look into the inner character of the "virgin queen" in particular. As for Ann-Marie Duff's speech prior to the Armada battle, I'm afraid she didn't inspire me one iota, (even though she looked a very young 55 yrs as Elizabeth was at the time), and neither did the rest of her somewhat insipid performance. The real Elizabeth needed to be, and was, made of sterner stuff.

Overall the sketchy script is equally uninspired, and is only adequately performed, however if one can watch it without being too critical of historical mistakes, it is in parts enjoyable...that is if you're an ardent Gloriana fan. This production falls far short of the wonderful Glenda Jackson's "Elizabeth R", albeit even that series now looks a little stagy and dated.

I really do think it's time to give "Good Queen Bess" a miss...at least for another six months, maybe even a year. The poor old dear must be completely worn out watching down from high, at all these seemingly endless reproductions of her life. Then in the meantime someone could just come up with a bright new idea. Another Dickens perhaps?