Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely excellent!
Review: Fans of the current Oscar-nominee "Elizabeth" need to check out this BBC television classic. As sumptuously directed as the 1998 movie is, it doesn't hold a candle to "Elizabeth R", which covers the entire reign of Elizabeth I, as opposed to stopping just when things get really good. Glenda Jackson's performance is luminous, and the supporting cast, although some older than I would have liked, is uniformly excellent! Although Cate Blanchette's performance in 1998's film is wonderful, Glenda Jackson's terrific portrayal from sumptuous virginal girl to withered, fantastical (& virginal) old monarch is far superior, and is easily one of the two best perfomances by an actress in a television movie EVER(the other being Sian Phillips for "I, Claudius"). "Elizabeth R" is an historical film at its best---and television film as it is, sadly, no longer. Absolutely riveting & wonderful!
Rating:
Summary: Superb!
Review: This 6 volume movie is long, but well worth investing in. Elizabeth I is presented as a fascinating, many-faceted woman who gave it all for her country, sacrificed her personal life for her public. Portrayals of characters are excellent, costumes and sets were beautifully done, all in all, I felt as if I were a mouse in the corner, watching Elizabeth's life play out before me, privy to her innermost thoughts. Well worth adding to one's video collection!
Rating:
Summary: Magnificent!
Review: At the peak of their creativity, Masterpiece Theatre did two six-part series about the Tudor dynasty: the first, starring Keith Mitchell was "The Six Wives of Henry VIII", and as a direct sequel, the second series was "Elizabeth R". The first was amazing, and the second even better. The incredible Glenda Jackson gives THE definitive performance as Elizabeth the First. (This is saying a lot as there have been several stellar performances as the Queen, including Bette Davis, and perhaps the only one in the same league with Jackson's, that of the great Dame Flora Robson). The achievement of Elizabeth I is all the more impressive when one considers the odds against her. And her part in the greatness of the age that bears her name is more significant than many have allowed: unlike monarchs after the late 1600s, she had immense personal power and was intimately involved with all aspects of her government. This production may be considered still the definitive biography of this great woman. Not only is Jackson's performance legendary, but the entire cast is superb. The production values are primitive by today's standards but don't let that delay you for a second. A gem on video that bears repeated watching.
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: Good Queen Bess
Review: This is one of the magnificent historical series the
BBC made in the 1970's including "The Six Wives of
Henry VIII", "I, Claudius" and "Fall of Eagles".
I highly recommend all of them.
Queen Elizabeth I was voted in 1999 the greatest
ruler of the last 1000 years. Under her reign,
England became a major world power. The beginnings
of the centuries-long rule of the Royal Navy on the
oceans of the world began and her role in it was
finding master seamen Sir Francis Drake and
John Hawkins to build it. The first English
colony in North American (named Virginia after her) was
established. She promoted a series
of able statesman such as William and Robert
Cecil who built a stable and (relatively) honest
government that cared about the welfare of the people
and not just enriching themselves.
Of course, there were many problems in her long reign.
This series shows the jealousy among many of her
courtiers, her controversial relationwhip with
Robert Dudley (Earl of Leicester), the numerous
threats to her throne by various schemers,
her indecision about what to do with her cousin
Mary Stuart, the religious strife, not just
between Protestants and Catholics (who were still
the majority in her reign) but also amongst the
Protestants themselves (i.e. the Puritans against
the main Church of England) and the constant
threat of war and possibly invasion from Spain.
The series does point out flaws she had such
as her tightfistedness in not wanting to pay
the demobilized sailors who had successfully
confronted the Spanish Armada and her favoring
of the spoiled and arrogant
Earl of Essex (step-son of Dudley)
who ended up turning on her.
One slight criticism I have of the program
is in the episode "The Enterprise of England",
King Philip II of Spain and his commander
the Duke of Medina-Sidonia are made out to
be comical fools, and I am sure that neither
of them was that since Spain was the number 1
superpower of the world at that time. One other
criticism I can make of Time Magazine's choice
is that I feel there was a certain amount of
"political correctness" in their choice of
a woman as the best ruler of the last millenium
is that it (and this series) ignores the fact
that it was her policies of support to Drake
set the stage for the start of the Trans-Atlantic
Slave Trade bringing ultimately millions of
African slaves to America. This would certainly
sully her reputation, so it is overlooked.
However, these are minor criticisms. The series
is a joy to the senses with the beautiful, authentic
costumes and the Elizabethan music and dancing.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent film -- worth the money
Review: OK, let's take a look at what we have: a nine-hour miniseries about an English Queen who's been dead for 400 years. A bit of a bore? Not at all! Glenda Jackson interprets and plays this woman extremely well, as an extremely capable and witty leader of a country that, 400 years ago, was far from stable. She turns what could have been a VERY dull miniseries into a story that will keep you watching, DVD after DVD. Her acting is quite creative and impressed me very much. Whoever was in charge of the costumes and the set also did a terrific job. Another plus about this set is that it includes the A&E Biography, which is excellent, and will provide some helpful background information before you watch the miniseries itself. Before I watched these DVDs, I had no idea who Elizabeth was. Now I want to watch them again and I'm looking for biographies. This series is definitely worth every penny.
Rating:
Summary: Good Queen Bess
Review: This is a superb BBC miniseries, or "cycle of six plays", with extraordinary acting and most of all, a script that is a marvel, which uses original documents and the writings of Queen Elizabeth I as its source, making the story, so full of intrigue and drama, for the most part very accurate.
My favorites are the monologues, spoken with such power by Glenda Jackson, whose performance is a treasure. The cast that surrounds her is also wonderful, and often having a physical similarity to the historical character (with kudos to the make-up department).
There are so many reasons to buy this fantastic DVD package, which may seem expensive but is actually an excellent value. For historians this is a must, and anyone who appreciates great English theater will be delighted. The quality of the film is also exceptional, with an exceedingly clear picture and audio.
I bought it to prepare for a portrait of Queen Bess, and was enthralled by the detail of the costuming; what amazed me was how the fashion changed during the queen's forty-four year reign. It was a time rich with culture and style, with the emergence of Shakespeare and other great writers, and the queen loved clothes and jewelry, and surely set the trends.
The music by David Munro also adds to the atmosphere, and the sets have an authentic feel.
This is a brilliant production, and total running time is 540 minutes.
The DVD "extras" are terrific, are the entire content of the 4th disc, and should perhaps be viewed before the film, for full appreciation of the history. The "extras" are:
1: A lengthy interview with Glenda Jackson
2: An interview with historian Alison Weir
3: "Elizabeth I", an A&E documentary with commentary by various authors and historians, and marvelous imagery to illustrate it.
4, A: Glenda Jackson reads documents. B: Portrait Gallery (there is an error here, where the portrait of Robert Dudley is actually one of Sir Francis Drake). C: Historical Sites, including the queen's tomb, palaces, etc.
5: Behind the scenes, with a Who's Who of the cast.
Rating:
Summary: An Outstanding Dramatisation!
Review: Elizabeth R is an outstanding and refreshingly accurate 1972 dramatisation of the life of Queen Elizabeth I. Headed by an all-star British cast, the acting is flawless, the costumes magnificent, the writing first-rate, and the dialogue sumptuous. Existing documents have been utilised for speeches and such, but the same tone or feel has been maintained throughout, resulting in a rich verbal tapestry. The series is presented in six 90-minute episodes, and as for the quality of the DVD set, the BBC has done an exceptional job. The picture is nice and clear, the sound is good, and the disc set is encased in a richly flocked, emerald green slip case. Best of all, however, are the numerous special features. Firstly there is a 30-minute interview with Glenda Jackson (2001) wherein she talks about the role and her preparation for it, about Elizabeth, and lastly about politics (she's been a Labour MP for the last decade or so). Also informative is a 20-minute interview with historian Alison Weir (2001), wherein she talks about Elizabeth, her world, and the accuracy of the presentation. There is a 45-minute A&E biography (1996) on the life of Elizabeth, an audio reading by Jackson of a number of period documents, behind-the-scenes' photos of Jackson in make-up and costume fitting, a portrait gallery with stills of various characters displayed beside portraits of the originals, and a text-based guide to who's who in the cast. A wonderful feature (which I highly recommend viewers take advantage of!) is the audio commentary provided by Alison Weir, which one can turn on while watching the episodes. Weir provides a lot of background information and other tidbits, as well as highlighting areas where liberties have been taken. Born in 1533 to Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth was a woman of formidable intelligence who proved herself to be an extremely capable and dedicated monarch, and Glenda Jackson's portrayal of her from youth through old age is nothing short of a masterpiece. I have seen other actresses in the role but Jackson's portrayal is and (for me) always will be the definitive one. It is sheer perfection--one in which realism (thankfully) is not sacrificed on the altar of vanity. Jackson went so far as to blacken her teeth to mimic the rotting teeth of the ageing Elizabeth; also, she partially shaved her head in order to better resemble the high-foreheaded Queen. Familiar faces to fans of British television include: Robert Hardy (All Creatures, Edward the King), who is magnificent as the dashing Robert ("Robin") Dudley, Earl of Leicester, the life-long love of Elizabeth. The late Michael Williams (A Fine Romance) is highly enjoyable as Elizabeth's "Frog", the Duke of Alencon--the only real contender for her hand. The late Peter Jeffrey is superb as Phillip II of Spain. Robin Ellis (Poldark) is splendid as the young, handsome, highly ambitious but petulant and self-destructive Earl of Essex, whom the Queen rather foolishly favoured--indeed doted on--in her old age. In conclusion, I HIGHLY recommend this series to anyone interested in history or historical biography. Being a 70's dramatisation, it may not have the slick production values of more recent endeavours (ie. it feels at times as though we are watching a play that's been filmed), but don't let that deter you. You'll have to look far to find a more authentic dramatisation or one that is better written or more consummately acted. If you are familiar with and have enjoyed other superb historical productions of the time--shows like I Claudius or The Six Wives of Henry VIII, for example--you will surely enjoy this one! Finally, for those interested in delving a little deeper, I highly recommend Alison Weir's well-researched, captivating book entitled The Life of Elizabeth I.
Rating:
Summary: I love this series!
Review: I've watched this series on DVD many, many times since I bought it. The acting, the portrayals, and the costuming are amazing. This series is about as historically accurate as drama is going to get. It does suffer from some of the drawbacks of early 70s television-bad lighting, no changes of camera angle, the occasional awkward zoom effect, etc. but that hardly detracts from the series' compelling watchability. This is a must-see for anyone who loves the Tudor period.
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