thisbluespirit | Elizabeth R: Review & Picspam (Pt 2)

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Elizabeth R: Review & Picspam (Pt 2)

Part Two! (You'll find the exciting Part One here. Actually, it really is exciting. It has treason and beheadings and stuff.) Again, I've tried to avoid anything that would count as a proper spoiler rather than a well-known historical fact.

Episode Five: Enterprise of England
This is the Spanish Armada episode, and it works by continually contrasting Philip and Elizabeth as they prepare for it. If you are expecting sea battles, you will be disappointed.

This is totally the only boat in the episode. (Peter Jeffrey is back, but not at all like Grendel this time. He is quite lenient.)

Drake, however, is present, played by John Woodvine (also in DW's The Armageddon Factor, I believe.). He looks pleasingly right, and they have a little scene in Cadiz, which seems to be there for no other reason than to acknowledge that he's really a pirate.

All sea battles have to be relayed through Captain Tregarron. (Who is from Cornwall, ooh-arrr). "Your Majesty, that was a great sea battle we just had!"
"Is the Armada defeated?"
"No, not yet."
"Then go away!" (etc etc)

Glenda Jackson does get to deliver the famous Tilbury speech, though (and, in case you were wondering, the horse is real).

And in victory, news comes of Leicester's death. (And, btw, in the end Robert Hardy made me like Leicester. And I never like Leicester/Robert Dudley, or not in fiction and films.)

Part Six: Sweet England's Pride
There were some really gorgeously-written bits in this - not that there aren't in the others, but I did notice it more here.

I liked how there was no attempt to soften the elderly Elizabeth's strange appearance.

Elizabeth: All the fabric of my reign, little by little, is beginning to fall.

Walter Raleigh (Nicholas Selby) turned up (and look, there was almost a clash of swords! Almost...)

Raleigh: Imagination, death. It's all the same. [To the musicians] Awake my boys, you come too soon. She always preferred the music to the Mass.

Shakespeare was present in spirit only with seditious plays and the Earl of Southampton talking about his love of the theatre, but he never appeared. However, we did get Francis Bacon (John Nettleton) instead, who is here with Cecil Mark II (William Cecil's son, Robert, played by Hugh Dickson. He has been well-trained by his father, but whereas Cecil Mark I was her spirit, he is her little snail. It's not the same).

Bacon: She [the Queen] is magnificent.
Cecil: Before it goes out, the candle always flares.

Surprisingly, Burghley/Cecil is still around for a bit. If Elizabeth hadn't banished him during Episode Four, he would be the only other person to be in all six episodes. As it is, he's the only person to manage five.

This episode centres around Essex, who is really a very annoying historical character, but well played here by Robin Ellis. (Both his irritating, shallow, selfish side and in attempting to portay some of the qualities he must have had to be so popular at the time.)

Elizabeth: The fault is mine... I have nourished proud men at the expense of my people."

And after all the episodes of no action and court intrigue, the serial pulls out a last minute ace up the sleeve with the Irish playing HAVOC with the English. (Yes, action by HAVOC!! With a resounding cheer from all UNIT era fans. Or maybe that was just me when I saw that in the credits).

I was going to talk about the ending, but I will just say it was exceptional, and those who know will know why, and those who don't may find out at their leisure and I won't have spoiled anybody for anything.

Elizabeth's final speech to the commons: To be a king and wear a crown is a thing more glorious to them that see it than it is pleasant to them that bear it. And for my own part, I would be willing to resign the place I hold to any other, glad to be free of the glory with the labour, for it is not my desire to live nor to reign longer than my life and reign shall be for your good. And though you have had and may have many mightier and wiser princes sitting in this seat, you never have had nor shall have any who loves you better.

***

And I should mention the costumes here. I don't think anyone will be surprised to hear that they are elaborate and quite beautiful, but what impressed me was the effort that had gone into realising the dresses she wore in portraits. If you are familiar with any images of Elizabeth, you'll recognise some of these:

Now go back again and look at the expert make-up job involved in gradually ageing Elizabeth. A lot of people in this need to be aged up or down at various points; some with more success than others, but overall, it's extremely impressive. Especially that no attempt is made to prettify the elderly Elizabeth in the final episode.

***

My thoroughly nonsensical picspam on the complete lack of even one Yuletide fic for this TV serial. I am very, very sorry. I just thought that Yuletide would have something... and then kept mentally captioning pics as I capped them and... There isn't any excuse for what follows, not really. *runs*

Elizabeth: It has come to my attention that we have no fanfic. How is this, my Moor?
Walsingham: We are all historical figures, your Majesty. How would anyone know it was not historical fiction?
Elizabeth: Hmm. Still, there is fan fiction for any number of less important things. See to it that something be done.

Kat Ashley: ... And she's in there now, writing fan fiction to pass the time, no doubt Robin/Elizabeth fluff. You know how girls are.
Elizabeth (writing a multi-chaptered fic about the wonderful Queen Mary Sue): And now I shall translate it into Latin, then six other languages and present it to my sister to demonstrate my love and loyalty. That should put me back in her favour.

It was never easy being beta to the Queen, but at least Cecil was the only other person at court who found the obscure Latin jokes amusing.

Elizabeth: "My lords, your first efforts at fan fiction are disappointing. None of them is in Latin and surely Sussex, even *you* could have managed more than Once upon a time there was a great and beautiful Queen. The end. Moreover, which of you is responsible for the obscene limericks?"

Mary, Queen of Scots: "I have no talent for fiction, but I have done some embroidered fanart of my cousin Elizabeth dying horribly at the hand of John Savage, and now I have run out of red silk for all the blood. Pray, do you think Sir Amyas will let me have more?"

Elizabeth: "See, everyone, Leicester has written a very pretty story and he has even had a review! Now go you all and do likewise."
Cecil: "Leicester, you're a thief and a plagiarist - you know that one was mine!"
Leicester: *smuggity smug smug*

Drake: "Pirate fic for me!"
Tregarron: "Aye, a real sea battle for us, and we'll have a crossover with PoTC!"
Drake: "PotC? What century do you think you're living in, man?"

Babington: And I am writing an AU in which I successfully rescue Queen Mary and we all live happily ever after.
Ballard: Ye-ess... Just how alternate is that universe, Sir Anthony?
Babington: It is the world without Walsingham.
Ballard: Even so...

Burghley: Leicester, this has got to stop.
Leicester: What has?
Walsingham: Your terrible doggerel!
Leicester: The Queen herself requested fanfiction.
Sussex: Fiction, yes. Crude and insulting rhymes about the rest of the Privy Council, no.
Norfolk: Besides, your limericks are appalling. They don't even rhyme, let alone scan.
Leicester: *sulks*

Elizabeth had discovered a new and inventive way of punishing her Privy Council: explicit slash fic. The Latin translation was always particularly amusing.

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LOL your picspam! And the series itself looks lavish and intriguing. I was never good at history; the only times I remember it well are when I watch stuff like this. Like, all I know about early Rome I learned from I Claudius.

On the other hand, all that section of my learned brain is taken up by, like, rote recall of statistical distributions, so I suppose it all averages out in the end...

Thank you! :-) Well, Tudors is a fixture on the primary school curriculum in England, but hardly likely to be elsewhere. And that sounds fair enough to me. As for the serial, when it comes to British TV, it's the one most likely to be mentioned in the same breath as 'I, Claudius'. Another show on my -to watch- list forever. Might have to do something about that...

Yes, I have some Tudor knowledge, but pretty much zero on statistical distributions, so I'm sure you're right. :-)

I'm a filthy Socialist, but Elizabeth is one of my historical favourites. Brilliant mind and complex personality. I can see why the Doctor likes her (and it's much more excusable than liking Churchill as he was pretty bad even for his time).

:-) Yes, and I think, especially if you read about her and you're a young girl, it's hard not to be inspired by her succeeding when all the men were saying a woman couldn't rule alone. Or at least, I know that I felt that. I don't know whether you've already seen the series or not, but I liked it for not varnishing things - for showing both how clever, wise and witty she could be, but also how capricious, vain and cruel by different turns. It was an unusually even-handed and fair drama, I felt.

Well, ''capricious, vain and cruel'' pretty much described all monarchs at the time :D Elizabeth was one of the ''milder'' ones, in some ways, although that's not really saying much, all things considered...

If you want a very good novel about Elizabeth that doesn't quite varnish things, either, I recommend ''Legacy'' by Susan Kay. It's almost a sort of psychological character-study and it made an impression on me.

True! No, I think it *is* saying something, if you choose to be better than you could be, especially considering pretty much all her relatives, the other monarchs of the time and the power she got given after such an awful start. I'm trying not to be too admiring because of the whole absolute-monarchy stuff never being a good idea, but really... I am pretty admiring despite myself. :-) I'm a bit rusty on my Elizabethan actual history right now, but certainly in the series, William Cecil is admirable, too.

Thanks for the rec. I am still really very limited as to what I can read at the moment, but it is always useful to have good things lined up for the future!

I think that her harrowing early experiences might have been part of reasons why she turned out that way. It's difficult not to feel guilty about sending people to their deaths when you were damn near beheaded yourself. Also, I think she had an awareness of the fragility of her position that was uncommon in royalty. Yes, it was a generally fragile position, but it's not that strange that some monarchs might have lacked a certain self-awareness about how easily they could die/be deposed.

Yes, do. It's a good book. Also, I'm amazed Doctor Who hasn't featured Elizabeth more than it has. I'd like to know more about her and the Doctor. Like, there could be an episode with her as a young princess. Maybe in the Tower or something.

I'm amazed Doctor Who hasn't featured Elizabeth more than it has. I'd like to know more about her and the Doctor. Like, there could be an episode with her as a young princess. Maybe in the Tower or something.

A challenge for fanfic, then. Heh. There is one, though, and it is very good: My Shadow in the Sun. But doesn't feature the Tower. That *would* be a good point to have it.

(ETA: Sorry, slight html fail...)

Edited 2011-08-13 15:58 (UTC)

That was a very good fic, thank you!

:-D

Your fanfic picspam nearly had me spitting water across my laptop screen!

:loL: Erm, sorry about that!

Bet you're not! Not really! :D

Hee! I *adore* your fanfic pic spam. I was ROFL, especially the plagiarism one and Leicester being all smuggity smug! Perfect.

The costumes were gorgeous, weren't they? I read that in some of them, Glenda Jackson couldn't lift her arms at all, and there was at least one she couldn't stand up in due to the weight of it. It makes you wonder how the real Elizabeth managed.

Thank you! I was quite pleased with that one myself. :-D (And I bet Robt Hardy's Leicester *would*, too, LOL).

Yes! And it's interesting you say that, because I did notice one bit somewhere at the end where it really looked as if she couldn't quite raise her hand far enough... I can't remember where. I suppose that's what Ladies in Waiting were for!

Slightly off-topic, but this is reminding me what an amazingly high forehead Glenda Jackson has. Unless she shaved herself bald and is wearing wigs? But is that what Elizabeth did? Or was Elizabeth naturally bald? Or (un)naturally high-foreheaded?

Anyway, yes, this is reminding me that when I first watched it, I spent a lot of the show wondering about her hair.

Hmm. Looking at the first one, where she seems to have her own hair, it looks as though she does have quite a high forehead to begin with, but certainly not as much so as by the end. I can't see any sort of 'cap', so she must have had it shaved a bit, or it's some really clcver make-up trick. Wow, if she did, that's quite some lengths to go for a part. (And the real Queen did wear a wig.) And now you've got me looking at it, too!

She certainly doesn't look like that now, anyway. :-) (And maybe the first one is a wig, too? I thought that bit looked real. Hmm.)

It was never easy being beta to the Queen, but at least Cecil was the only other person at court who found the obscure Latin jokes amusing.

lols

Okay, AMAZINGLY late comment, but I since my Tudor obsession was reactivated I perused your related tags, I realised I never quite read your hilarious ''fanfic'' picsmap originally. XD

Aw, thanks! :-D (Yes, I don't know what came over me, but I had all these screencaps of people writing...)

Oh, and also, I saw this go by on a comm I watch and wondered if you'd seen it: http://1066andallthat.livejournal.com/75099.html

I hadn't actually, thank you! I'm watching that com, now. In return, here's something about Elizabeth of York and Henry VII (that whole blog is pretty awesome, including a lot of humour): http://www.susanhigginbotham.com/blog/posts/privy-purse-expenses-of-elizabeth-of-york/

Oh, thank you, that is interesting! Not only because it just is (and I've bookmarked the blog now) but because I can see how they turned it into a scene in Shadow of the Tower, which is also quite fascinating in itself. (Slightly expanded, and dispensing with any extra people and sets, of course, but including some of the phrases here word for word. :-D)

And, yes, I can't remember how I stumbled over that comm now, but it is quite fun.

That moment is described in Winter King, too, and I found it deeply touching. I love how you know when certain things are taken directly from historical records because they are repeated in just about every fictional work on said person/people/etc. Of course, this particular one has only one example, but a good example is Henry VIII's words upon the birth of the future Elizabeth I: ''If we can have a healthy daughter, we can have a healthy son.'' It's in pretty much every version of her birth I've seen.

That blog is great fun. It's especially interesting to see how historical fiction regarding the Wars of the Roses era is dominated by ricardians who hopelessly romanticize Richard III (Higginbotham has a lot of fun with those), and demonize his opponents (especially Henry VII, Elizabeth Woodville, and Margaret Beaufort), hence the whole Henry Was the Worst Husband Ever thing. Ironic, considering how the whole society is supposed to be based on a historical figure being unfairly maligned...

It's especially interesting to see how historical fiction regarding the Wars of the Roses era is dominated by ricardians who hopelessly romanticize Richard III (Higginbotham has a lot of fun with those), and demonize his opponents (especially Henry VII, Elizabeth Woodville, and Margaret Beaufort), hence the whole Henry Was the Worst Husband Ever thing. Ironic, considering how the whole society is supposed to be based on a historical figure being unfairly maligned...

Yes, from one extreme to the other... :-)

I don't know if you'll really want to see it, but I remembered that the grieving scene was one of the few I had ripped from Shadow, so have uploaded like the other here: http://youtu.be/gyCQ0Ei14uE

(It's missing the beginning, because I didn't need that bit for my rip - where he says the line about sending for her. It's also, well, very studio-bound 1970s, but you'll have seen that in the other clips! And much expanded, but with the two scenes described in the account you linked combined into one.)

Eeeep, all the feels!

I want to see the whole thing, but I'm too poor to buy the DVD these days (no, seriously, it's bad).D:

Aw. Well, that was probably the shippiest bit in all 13 episodes. Well, there were one or two others. But mostly Elizabeth isn't even in it. So you got that without having to sit through the two episodes with all the incredibly dodgy accents in in the middle.

:-/

Well, I still want to see it badly, because it's the only series about Henry VII, and I'm very interested in just him, as well.

This came up in the related links for my vid - thought it was rather beautiful: http://youtu.be/jpR05np5S8E

(A short Elizabeth I fanvid, using 3 films/series. :-D)

Oh, that is lovely! And I really want the soundtrack for The Virgin Queen (where that Mediævel Bæbes adaption of that poem is from), it's gorgeous. Which also reminds me of Legacy, the best novel on Elizabeth I've ever read, which had a very interestingly psychological take on that poem (the whole novel is wonderful that way - I very strongly recommend it).

It is, isn't it? I had to watch it a couple more times after I posted the comment.

And thanks for the rec! Who is it by, and I shall see if I can pop it on my wishlist for future reading.

Susan Kay. Remarkably, it doesn't seem that well-known, in spite of the rave reviews everyone gives it. It's about 600 pages long, but feels much shorter, and it covers her whole life, basically:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Legacy-Acclaimed-Elizabeth-Englands-Passionate/dp/1402238681/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1351111374&sr=8-1

Do have a look at the preview. It gives you taste of the tone etc.

Also, ''I'll Be Back'' by The Beatles came on, and made me think of how it's such a perfect Elizabeth/Dudley song. ;D

Thank you! Added to my list! :-)

And, as for Shadow - I know, I'm sorry. *sigh*

Hey, it's not your fault! I'll just have to wait in agony. ;)

I've been reading the preview, pressing the ''surprise me''. I'd forgotten about some of those awesome character interaction, because there are so many of them, heh!

Edited 2012-10-25 13:32 (UTC)

Sounds terribly painful, though! ;-)

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Elizabeth R: Review & Picspam (Pt 2)

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