Elizabeth I 

Mini-series about the the public and private lives of the later years of Queen Elizabeth I.

Stars:

Helen Mirren, Hugh Dancy, Toby Jones

Won 3 Golden Globes. Another 24 wins & 26 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Helen Mirren	...	Elizabeth I 2 episodes, 2005
Hugh Dancy	...	Earl of Essex 2 episodes, 2005
Toby Jones	...	Robert Cecil 2 episodes, 2005
Patrick Malahide	...	Sir Francis Walsingham 2 episodes, 2005
Ian McDiarmid	...	Lord Burghley 2 episodes, 2005
Toby Salaman	...	Dr Lopez 2 episodes, 2005
Ann Firbank	...	Lady Anne 2 episodes, 2005
Jeremy Irons	...	Earl of Leicester / ... 2 episodes, 2005
Ewen Bremner	...	King James VI 2 episodes, 2005
Barbara Flynn	...	Mary Queen of Scots 2 episodes, 2005
Will Keen	...	Francis Bacon 2 episodes, 2005
Jérémie Covillault	...	Duke of Anjou 2 episodes, 2005
Eddie Redmayne	...	Southampton 2 episodes, 2005
Erick Deshors	...	Jean de Simier 2 episodes, 2005
Ben Pullen	...	Sir Walter Raleigh 2 episodes, 2005
Charlotte Asprey	...	Frances Walsingham 2 episodes, 2005
Simon Woods	...	Gifford 2 episodes, 2005
Diana Kent	...	Lady Essex 2 episodes, 2005
Malcolm Terris	...	Chaplain 2 episodes, 2005
Douglas Reith	...	Judge 2 episodes, 2005
Geoffrey Streatfeild	...	Sir Anthony Babington 2 episodes, 2005
John McEnery	...	Jesuit Priest / ... 2 episodes, 2005
Martin Savage	...	Stubbs 2 episodes, 2005
Anna Steel	...	Lady in Waiting / ... 2 episodes, 2005
David Delve	...	Sir Francis Drake 2 episodes, 2005
Ramunas Rudokas	...	Thomas Burghley 2 episodes, 2005
Martin Marquez	...	Don Bernadino de Mendoza 2 episodes, 2005
Charles Millham	...	Priest 2 episodes, 2005
Mykolas Dorofejus	...	Davison 2 episodes, 2005
Geoffrey T. Bersey	...	Hatton 2 episodes, 2005
Rimantas Magdzevicius	...	Howard of Effingham 2 episodes, 2005

Storyline

Mini-series about the the public and private lives of the later years of Queen Elizabeth I.

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Plot Keywords:

robert dudley earl of leicester character | earl of sussex chsracter | queen elizabeth i character | female ruler | 16th century | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History | Romance

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Details

Official Sites:

HBO [United States]

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 April 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Elizabeth I

Filming Locations:

Lithuanian Film Studios, Vilnius, Lithuania

Company Credits

Production Co:

HBO Films, Channel 4 Television Corporation, Company Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

223 min (2 parts)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Dame Helen Mirren chose Tom Hooper to direct, having worked with him before on Prime Suspect 6: The Last Witness (2003).

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Goofs

When Elizabeth visits Mary Queen of Scots, Mary is wearing a large crucifix and chain. A few moments later, Mary's crucifix has vanished from her chain. When Elizabeth leaves, the long shot shows the crucifix has returned.

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Quotes

[Elizabeth is going to visit Mary Stuart at Fotheringay Castle]
Queen Elizabeth I: I understand she's grown very fat. Well, she's had nothing to do but eat and sleep.
Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester: And plot, Your Majesty.

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Alternate Versions

When the series was repeated on British TV in 2006, the footage of the Babington plotters being tortured was cut, and the execution of Queen Mary was cut so that she was beheaded with one stroke, although the scene of Leicester telling Elizabeth that it had taken two strokes was left in.

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Connections

Featured in The Story of the Costume Drama: The Stars (2008)

User Reviews

Bravo! Brava!

The story of Elizabeth I's reign is one that has been told so often, you'd think it would be extremely difficult to bring any kind of freshness to it, but damn it all if the producers of this beautifully mounted version from Channel 4 haven't managed to find a way! I'm not familiar with the work of screenwriter Nigel Williams or director Tom Hooper, but I will most definitely be watching for their names in the future. Both have done quality work here; the kind you'd expect from a Merchant/Ivory film or a lavish Hollywood production.

But I daresay that Hollywood should turn green with envy at the production values shown here; everything from the sets to the most minute details of the costuming is top-notch. But where ELIZABETH I really excels is in its casting.

Helen Mirren, in my not so humble opinion, has been sorely deprived of the full measure of accolades she has been due for decades. When someone like Meryl Streep can't sing your praises enough, you have got to be beyond good and Helen most definitely is. Granted, actresses of such renown as Bette Davis, Glenda Jackson and Dame Judi Dench have all brought their unique interpretations to this role, and until now the best of the crop was Cate Blanchett, who showed us a younger and more winsome version of the woman who became known as the Virgin Queen.

But here, Williams' script brings out both the softness and the steel of the woman behind the throne, and Mirren throws herself into the role as if it were her last. Every color of mood is on display here, and I will be completely baffled if she doesn't win so many awards for this role that she'll need help to carry them all.

And matching wit for wit and word for word is another underestimated actor, Jeremy Irons as the Earl of Leichester. Irons has excelled always at anything he plays, be it vile villains or charming rakes, and in the Earl he has found a way to play the best of both worlds - a robust rapscallion not beneath dalliances with other women of the court, but whose heart truly does belong to the one woman who would always be his better, other half...but never his lover or his wife. The intricate dance of endearment and desire between him and Mirren is so wonderful and intense, it's hard to believe that this is their first time working together, and hopefully not the last.

And not enough can be said about the supporting cast, which includes Patrick Malahide as Sir Frances Walsingham (played by Geoffrey Rush in the Cate Blanchett version), Toby Jones as Robert Cecil, the plain-looking but cunningly resourceful son of Lord Burghley and his logical successor, and Ian McDiarmid as William Cecil, a.k.a. Lord Burghley, showing us that there is truly life after the Emperor Palpatine. These trusted advisers were both unerringly defending and covertly condescending of their queen, making damn sure that they did their jobs to the best of their ability, but always subtly reminding her with the arch of an eyebrow or the inflection of a phrase that no matter how regal, "Bess" is still a woman living in a man's world.

And for eye candy, the beautiful Hugh Dancy as the impetuous and headstrong Robert Devereaux, the Earl of Essex. One look at him and it's not difficult to understand why Elizabeth would become involved in an affair with a man half her age. And I say bravo for her good taste! It's to Dancy's credit that the Earl becomes much more than just another pretty face, but a man struggling to establish himself as such while in the grip of Bess's grasp of iron and velvet...a bond he both desires and rebels against, letting his exuberance, ambition, vanity and hot-headed pride ultimately become his undoing. He proves the point that everyone realizes even more so these days as the cult of celebrity holds sway over all: the beautiful people are always the most favored, but with the spoils comes a heavy price.

A word of caution, though: be advised that when it comes to depictions of violence that took place in this period, most other productions 'tastefully' avoided showing too much graphic detail. This version has no such pretensions. The realism of the depictions of the characters extends to the situations which very often warranted the bloody torture and deaths of others, and you will see it all depicted here in full strength, including the beheading of Mary, Queen of Scots, which may leave you open-mouthed with its stunning savagery. (The drawing and quartering of Elizabeth's would-be assassins will stick with you as well).

If you are a fan of historical dramas or just really great acting, this is a definite must-see. With programs like CARNIVALE, ROME and DEADWOOD, HBO has long prided itself on presenting outstanding period pieces. It's good to know that the tradition continues, especially when network television continues to deliver such cheesefests as THE TEN COMMANDMENTS remake and call them "good."