From teenage princess to accomplished queen, torn between duty and personal longing, the reign of Elizabeth I is exposed in this lavish drama filmed against a backdrop of some of Great Brita... Read allFrom teenage princess to accomplished queen, torn between duty and personal longing, the reign of Elizabeth I is exposed in this lavish drama filmed against a backdrop of some of Great Britain's most beautiful houses and landscapes.From teenage princess to accomplished queen, torn between duty and personal longing, the reign of Elizabeth I is exposed in this lavish drama filmed against a backdrop of some of Great Britain's most beautiful houses and landscapes.
- Won 1 BAFTA Award
- 2 wins & 8 nominations total
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaPhilip II of Spain was born in 1527 and only 6 years older than Elizabeth. He was 31 when his wife Mary Tudor died, a lot younger than depicted in the series.
- Quotes
[Queen Elizabeth, a Protestant, displays a far more tolerant attitude to Catholics than Queen Mary, her Catholic sister, did towards Protestants]
Queen Elizabeth I: As for religion... Henceforce, all services will be conducted, not in Latin, but English, starting with my Coronation. How can my people understand the power of prayer unless they first understand its meaning? If they are to accept the Protestant faith, it must be through persuasion, not purges. Let the Catholics keep their crucifixes and robes, if they wish. There is but one Jesus Christ. The rest is trifles.
- ConnectionsReferenced in Doctor Who: Tooth and Claw (2006)
- SoundtracksThe Virgin Queen
Composed by Martin Phipps
Sung by Mediaeval Baebes feat Katharine Blake
Published by BDI Music
The series music while outstanding & original, I feel, was let down by the absolutely nerve grating main theme "My care is like my shadow laid bare benith the sun" (this comes from a famous poem written by Elizabeth in real life) which to me, comes across as a mocking school yard bully chant. Sorry I was not a fan! I even turn the sound down on the DVD. However this is perhaps my only gripe with the whole production as the direction is solid & the photography is beautifully shot. Anne Marie Duff's performance is brilliant & I can not fault it, but as her character ages the makeup could have been better making the elder Elizabeth a little more believable, which is a shame, but I love the scene where the older Elzabeth is looking whistfully around her court & sees a young couple in love, holding hands & she remembers her life long love Robert Dudley. I also enjoyed the script as it replicates Elizabethen grammar very well without making it difficult to understand.
Overall this is a terrific little series which is written so well even those without knowledge of history would still enjoy this & this may even fire an interest in Elizabthen study for the next generation. I have studied Tudor history all my life & its rich, culture is utterly fascinating, often nerve racking & occasionally horrific, but never boring. There is always something new to learn & The Virgin Queen could be an excellent start for younger people who may also wish to step into Tudor times. This will certainly interest today's feminists who will adore Elizabeths story of how one woman spent her youth terrified of the axe as both her mother & her step mother had been beheaded. She was so terrified she vowed never to marry! Yet she was vastly intelligent, was sublime in state craft, politics & economics, who went on to become one of Englands finest monarchs who really did say... "There shall be one mistress here & no master!"
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Also known as
- Elizabeth I: The Virgin Queen
- Filming locations
- Alnwick Castle, Alnwick, Northumberland, England, UK(execution scenes)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro