Elizabeth R

Before the first episode was over I'd forgotten I was watching an actress - I felt as if I was experiencing an audience with a Queen! Glenda Jackson so inhabits the body and soul of Elizabeth I that all other interpretations of the role are diminished and it's impossible to think of anyone else in the role, even Bette Davis in her two films, PRIVATE LIVES OF ELIZABETH & ESSEX and THE VIRGIN QUEEN.

While it's perfectly true that production values have come along way since this early Masterpiece Theater effort, the writing and acting are of such high quality that you won't mind; this one certainly helped set the standards for subsequent series and performances.

I saw this over 30 years ago as a teenager and thought it was superb. I don't think I've seen it rerun since, but Glenda Jackson's astonishing performance has always stayed with me. I just got the DVD set and it's stunning, even better than I rememberedit. The research and writing are much more intelligent than almost anything currently produced (the BBC produced it).

I had a love/hate reaction to the Cate Blanchett Elizabeth a few years back; I loved it because the performances and cinemetography were great, but hated the many, many historical errors in it. If you like movies that are both well-made and historically accurate, you can't get any better than Elizabeth R.

'I pity any student forced to watch this series', remarks a reviewer of this miniseries on this website. Well, I am a student and I certainly don't concur with this statement at all: having been fascinated by Elizabeth I as a child, (first watching this in my early teens) and having now studied Elizabeth and her reign at undergraduate level, I find it no less brilliant,charming, or committed to careful detail after many many viewings. It is, in fact, a tender and very accurate portrayal of Elizabeth's life, from the young queen to the aged one, treating her life with sympathy, insight, humour, and a heady dose of power and romance. The costumes and set are excellent, and in short, for many,Glenda Jackson really - and deservedly so - *is* Elizabeth I. Long after the film has finished, her portrayal will stay with you. Don't miss out on this, whatever you do, buy it and watch it, you certainly won't regret it.

This is a great historical account of one of the most incredible women in history. A descendant of incredible lineage (all cousins to be exact) the daughter of the most ambitious Anne Boleyn, was in fact Henry VIII's best prodigy as a true and fair leader of England and its people. Henry could have wanted no more of her (nor seen better from a son) had he been able to witness Elizabeth's ability as Queen.

Glenda Jackson is able to give us a view of Elizabeth as if it were Elizabeth herself we were watching; at least Elizabeth as we believe she would have been. True to the word of some of the critics within, no one really knows for certain what Elizabeth may have sounded like or for that matter the tenor in which spoke. But that matters little in this most true account of the Life of Elizabeth R. One takes what is portrayed by Glenda Jackson and the rest of the cast as the most likely of truths. After watching the full series, you will feel as though you were in court with Her Majesty, Elizabeth I.

If you haven't seen this you should.

I loved this series growing up and after so many years of wanting to see it again, I have purchased my own copy of the series on DVD through Amazon.com.

Enjoy!

Only the BBC could produce such a historically correct mini-series on this fascinating character. Although Cate Blanchett did a very good job portraying Elizabeth, Glenda Jackson nails the character on a lesser set and with fewer flattering camera angles. Jackson becomes more Elizabeth and less Jackson as this very long series plods on. If you want lots of swordplay and action, pass on this one. This is for someone who enjoys reading history biographies, not historical novels. Although production values are a bit dated, you will not be disappointed by the detail of the story and the portrayal of the main character by Jackson.