Rating: 
Summary: all time favorite
Review: I love this series. I saw it many many years ago when I was about 12 and it inspired me into a lifelong obsession with Elizabeth I. I have read every book about her and seen every movie, this is my favorite. I did see Elizabeth with Cate Blanchett and while the movie was not accurate, Cate was great. I could see the Glenda Jackson mannerisms that I believe Elizabeth herself would have had. THis is a very entertaining and historically accurate film series. See The Six Wives of Henry VIII and then see this. You will adore Tudor history like me.
Rating: 
Summary: AN ACCURATE ACCOUNT OF ELIZABETH TUDOR'S LIFE
Review: I really enjoyed this pretty pice of work it gives us an excellent account of the life of the virgin queen from youth to her death chair (she died at her armchair ),honestly glenda jackson is the best elizabeth ever , i suddenly found my self before the great queen at her court , any way evry thing is well done the script is pretty good the actors and cast is fabuuoles i was very moved when i realized that elizabeth's true reason for refusing to marry was actually her fear from death ,i think she linked marriage with death is because elizabeth's mother anne boleyn was beheaded for her husband to get ride of her and marry another women , however in general this series is very good but the only reason i subtracted a star from it was because i thaught it was slow in some parts and some how low bujet , but however i would not recomend this for one who seeks action and battels they dont exesiste hear and if you are loking for a romantic historical love story well i cant say there isnt well there is but not as strong as you would desire ,most of the costumes are from famous paintings of elizabeth and the charecters. any way i would like to recommend the other tudor mini series (the six wives of henry VIII) withch has anne boleyn in it who is elizabethe's mother and some actors from the the six wives still countinue there roles in the very first episodes .
Rating:
Summary: ELIZABETH R
Review: ELIZABETH R is by far the finest portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I I have ever seen. Glena Jackson is dynamite as Elizabeth. As a self proclaimed Tudor historian, ELIZABETH R is actually the only historically accurate film in existance. This superior adaptation will reign supreme forever.
Rating:
Summary: Captivating story of a captivating woman
Review: Elizabeth never looked so good! Glenda Jackson is a commanding presence, as the monarch who made a superpower out of a small island state previously dwarfed by the contemporary superpowers of France and Spain.Shekhar Kapur's recent cinematic version was more visually dramatic and action-packed, but this TV version is more historically accurate (as far as dramatic recreations go). The only shortcoming is its production values, which shows it was made on a 1970s TV budget. But the excellent performances make you forget the simple sets and lack of dramatic score. I wish they hired a younger, handsomer star to play the young Spanish King Philip, though. Because his youth and beauty was one reason middle-aged and frumpy Queen Mary was being ridiculed behind her back... and the reason she loved him, while he only married her for duty. My nitpicking aside, this video is an excellent choice for fans of the Virgin Queen. Buy this video to step into the world of one of the world's most courageous and brilliant monarchs! Her political cunning, her playful courtships, her regal anger... this series captures it all!
Rating:
Summary: Entry to History
Review: I saw this when it was first aired on American TV. (and the Six Wives of Henry VIII) Both series inspired me to read more about the era. I have read at least 8 books both fiction and non-fiction on the characters in these stories. A couple of years ago thevideos were re-released and I have enjoyed the re-viewing. Enjoy them on their own or use them to help you keep everyone straight as you read some of the history. Wish more things of this quality were done.
Rating:
Summary: See for yourself why Jackson won an Emmy for her portrayal.
Review: In this uniquely crafted "costume" drama -- one of the first-ever such dramas to be aired on PBS's "Masterpiece Theater," Glenda Jackson revives the enigmatic Elizabeth R, daughter of Henry the VIII -- a dynamically hard-headed woman of incomparable wit, vigor, shrewdness; shifting loyalties, forbearance, and deeply felt, but measured, compassion. Those well-versed in the history of the Tudor lineage will be genuinely impressed by this drama's scope and historical accuracy. It is of the most intelligent conception, fully faithful to the fine-print of the texts, and supremely acted. "Shadow in the Sun" (Episode III) won Jackson an Emmy, but not a single episode in this six-segment series falls short of its numerous accolades. Jackson is as surefooted in the garb of a Queen as we are riveted by her every word and gesture. Viewers of Elizabeth R will be: *charmed and intrigued by an amorous handful of the Queen's "favorites" at court, one of whom is Lord Robert Dudley -- the man she will later make "Earl of Leicester"; *exposed to the less enviable side of being Monarch, as the Queen weighs the political vs. moral implications of sentencing her cousin, the traitorous Mary of Scotland, to death; and in doing so, ponders the meaning of her own lifelong mission and mortality; *mesmerized as Elizabeth courageously and vivaciously embarks on the final phase of the Tudor reign. Reenactment of the Queen's final hours in Episode VI ("Sweet England's Pride") is commanding in force and not to be missed. The death vigil defies our expectations, but is oh-so stunningly executed.
Rating:
Summary: I wish I could give this ten stars, eat your heart out Cate!
Review: Glenda Jackson gives one of the greatest acting perfomances of all time. After watching this, you'll wonder what all the fuss was over Cate Blanchett's performance of the legendary Queen in the movie, "Elizabeth". In comparison to the more mature and articulate Jackson, Cate reminds me of a twelve year old in fancy costumes. Not only did Glenda Jackson not only provide a superb and historically accurate rendition of the Queen, I think she resurected her from the grave. Cudos to Glenda, I wish she would leave her seat in the British House of Commons and return to acting. She's magnificent.
Rating:
Summary: The Tudor Queen comes alive!
Review: Glenda Jackson gives a riveting, tour-de-performance as Queen Elizabeth I, the last Tudor monarch. From Elizabeth's chaotic, terrifying childhood and adolescence (when she was imprisoned for the unsupported charge of treason) to her ascension to the throne of England and her 45 year reign through the most fascinating and treacherous of times, we see Glenda Jackson capture the very essence of Elizabeth's fears, indecisiveness, courage, statesmenship, and "larger-than-life" personality. A woman who gave her name to an age and and an actress who gave a visual banquet of it!!
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant acting and writing; awkward style
Review: This BBC production, starring Glenda Jackson in a justly famous performance, takes full advantage of the breadth offered by the mini-series format by following Queen Elizabeth I from her youth to death. It moves gradually from a concentration on her personal life (such as her early romance with the Earl of Leicester) to an increasing emphasis on the politics of the time. As it does so, Elizabeth leaves center-stage to allow other characters, particularly her ministers, to take the most decisive political actions. Viewers familiar with the recent film "Elizabeth" may be disappointed or heartened, depending on taste, on the relative neglect of Elizabeth's personal life in favor of her developing political acumen. This is not a program for people seeking to "identify" with the Queen's problems. Rather, by foregrounding Elizabeth's talents against the nearly as great abilities of the people around her, the series demonstrates how truly remarkable a woman and politician the Queen was. Originally aired on PBS's "Masterpiece Theater" series, the program was, along with other early MT offerings like "The Six Wives of Henry VIII" and "I, Claudius" initially praised for the sumptuousness of its settings and technical brilliance. Those aspects hold up far less well than the acting and writing, however. More than twenty-five years of intervening television technology have trained us to expect much more visually than these television studio-bound productions can deliver. While the costuming is handsome, for example, the over-bright lighting required by 1970s videotape does not do it justice. The lighting also shows the sketchy sets in considerably greater detail than was probably ever expected. The camera-work and editing in general are pretty-much paint-by-the-numbers, and particularly awkward whenever the story shifts outdoors and the medium switches to (16mm?) film. The directing, in all respects other than the work with the actors, is at best serviceable. Then again, you don't watch films or plays like this and expect great cinema. The purpose is to allow the writers and actors to show-off. There's no doubt that at this level, the program excels. Apart from Jackson's central performance, there are dozens of character parts that fully exploit the resources of the British acting tradition. And with the example of Shakespeare and Marlowe always hovering over their heads, the writers of the series (there was a separate writer for each of the six epidsodes) have more than shown themselves worthy of comparison. They provide the actors not only a rich array of characters, but the embroidered, stylized language we inevitably associate with the period. (A quality notably lacking in "Elizabeth," for example.) In short, this program provides more than enough to hold the attention of anyone interested in Queen Elizabeth, and at its best moments, the series truly shines.
Rating:
Summary: England's greatest monarach brought to life
Review: Unlike the current and popular movie, "Elizabeth", historical accuracy is the key to Glenda Jackson's luminous and vivid enactment of one of history's most brilliant and enigmatic personalties. This is a study across the lifetime of the political and personal life of Queen Elizabeth I, so vividly rendered as to put the viewer in the midst of the court of England, at one of the most critical eras in its history. Glenda Jackson is superb as the Queen, capturing her multi-faceted brillance with touching humanity, supported by a wonderful cast. The costumes, sets, and music all combine to sweep the viewer back in time. This video is a must for anyone who really wonders what the historical Elizabeth was really like.
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