Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Elizabeth R Season 1

Top positive review

After all these years - it's still the best!!!

Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2014

If you want to see a good movie about Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth 1, do NOT fall into the crap trap of the newly made Hollywood abomination films about her! This is the ONLY film about Her that captures the most from history, accurately, and with performance unmatched by today's actors in my opinion. The only other film that even comes close is Helen Mirren's version, but it leaves out a lot of history, as it takes place in her later years. Elizabeth R tries to capture everything it can, from King Edward, to Mary, to Queen Elizabeth 1 coronation to Her death. It's a wonderful trip.

Does this epic film look flashy and gaudy like Hollywood likes to produce? No... thank goodness! In fact, I believe that the quality of this film (sort of stage like) actually adds to its realism! Personally, I'm sick and tired of all the computer graphic, sex lies videotape BS coming out of Hollywood these days... especially when it comes to historical icons such as Her Majesty! If She were alive today..... heads would roll...

Is it's film quality up to today's standards? Not exactly but the story, actors, and overall feel of this movie FAR outweigh these minor issues. Again, I feel this is a very positive attribute to this film!

Does this movie capture all historical facts? Of course not. In order to do that you'd have to make a year long series and so far, every time Hollywood tries to do this, they screw it up with 21st century sex and BS soap opera crap. This movie gives you a very good idea and insight into what her life and reign were probably like.

Among those of us who actually study Her Majesty (and love her), there is no movie made in the last 30 years that captures Bess more accurately than this one. I WISH.... oh.... how I WISH... that someone would take the script from this movie, expound on it to include more detail on other historical facts, LEAVE SEX OUT and KEEP Renaissance MORALS, and have QUALITY actors like Elizabeth R had in it, and make an EPIC 1 year long saga... I would pay HUGE to see Elizabeth R redone in this way, and keep its spirit! Sadly, I do not believe there are any Directors or actors alive today, or writers for that matter, who could do this... it would be too hard, they are too 21st century in mind and spirit, and they would probably want to throw sex sex sex in it mixed with soap opera fantasy... and ruin it.

Anyway, if you want the BEST movie about Her, this is it! And will probably be the only one...

The world has missed Her, and I think in silent mourning for Her, for 500 years - and for good reason. However, at least we have good books, good documentaries, and films such as Elizabeth R to help us relate to a time when things were simpler, people were honorable, and leaders were leaders and wanted nothing more but the best for their people. Perhaps this is what we miss... what we desire most of all.... and why we miss her so... 500 years later...

21 people found this helpful

Top critical review

Critical reviews›

Morgan Witthoft

It's good TV but it's only TV

Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2009

It's good TV but it's only TV, and the best of TV is still not as good as a book or a movie, so don't buy this with hopes of anything worth your time.

It's good TV because they did tons of research to make the scenes accurate. So you could learn by watching it. But if you want to learn, you would do better to get a book. You could get 100 times as much information, plus analysis, and besides you wouldn't have to endure the annoying interludes of flute music!

It's good TV because they tried to tell a long coherent story instead of the usual 19 minutes of low-attention-span garbage. But if you want a coherent story, you would do better to see a movie. This is because movies have Directors. They deal with camera angles, cinematography, and pace. TV producers don't have time for that sort of subtlety, so they just stick a bunch of actors in front of a camera and go through scene.. after scene.. after scene.. after scene. Where a well-directed movie has a sense of increasing or decreasing tension, plot, or resolution, a miniseries just goes on .. and on .. and on.

As multiple reviewers point out, the production values are appalling: cheap sets badly lit, interspersed with long-range blurry shots of somebody-on-a-horse. I don't really care: if they had good acting or writing, it would be fine. Monty Python's Flying Circus was filmed with the same sort of budget, and it's great stuff. (Actually one distraction with the Elizabeth series is the constant suspicion that at any moment they are about to burst into the Lumberjack Song).

As for acting - - The character of Mary in the first instalment was impressive. The rest of them are just a bunch of people standing around reading lines. When Mary shows up and really looks like a person with inner life and emotions, it is a remarkable contrast. Many reviewers have commented that Glenda Jackson's acting seems "too stern". Actually she has three modes.
1. Act stern
2. Suddenly burst into maniacal laughter
3. Suddenly shout at people, thus showing your Awesome Personal Power
No character, though - just three modes. Most college drama club actors could do it. And maybe yall look down your noses at the Cate Blanchett version, but Cate showed more character and presence in the first three seconds where the camera slowly brings her into focus, than Glenda manages in hour after dreary hour.

No review would be complete without mentioning the poor writing of episode 1. It opens with five minutes of completely indecipherable reference to the nobleman who kept visiting the adolescent Elizabeth in her bedroom. I forget his name - the one who ended up with his head chopped off? Anyway, maybe British kids are all brought up knowing all this stuff by heart, so all you have to do is show a guy acting foppish and a girl in a nightgown, and everybody knows the rest of the story. But if you didn't know the story, you would be completely unable to figure out what the heck they were talking about. The rest of episode 1 has the same defect. If you don't know the lives of Edward, Mary, and Elizabeth, and their various mothers, you will never learn it from the incoherent and hasty scenes that litter the entire episode. And that is a key indicator of bad writing. Even if you do already know the whole history, bad writing is still bad writing.

11 people found this helpful

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Anne Patterson

Why was so much cut from the Original Broadcast!!

Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2024

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Why are there only 4 discs? Originally there were 6 episodes. What should be included are 1) the "almost" affair with Dudley and 2) the Armada section where Glenda Jackson declares she has the stomach of a King.
a King of England! I realize that neither of these episodes is strictly historical, but they are still crucial to the drama. Why were they omitted? I am very disappointed. Is there a version out there which includes everything that was originally broadcast??

One person found this helpful

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Very good

Dvd

Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2024

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Was ok

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IVAN EDGAR PRATT

it still an excellent piece of work in theater performance

Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2014

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Elizabeth R, with Glenda Jackson playing the lead role of Queen Elizabeth the first, even though obviously dated in its film production, it still an excellent piece of work in theater performance. I would love to see Michael Hirst director & writer of the recently created television production 'The Tudors' write an updated paraphrase version of this same script, and do most of his reading research on a book by J.E. Neale titled 'Elizabeth I' – the challenge for Michael Hirst would be finding a worthy actress to play the part in comparison to Glenda Jackson's outstanding acting performance – though I do think Glenn Close would be an outstanding actress to play Elizabeth the First Virgin Queen.

Helpful

Jetpack

It's Glenda Jackson

Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2019

Verified Purchase

Believe it or not, but my only experience with Glenda Jackson was hte Muppet Show. Seriously.

Picked this up from her wikipedia page, and she is amazing. If everyone else could do 50% as well as her I'd give this 5 stars, but a big drop off.

Well worth getting though.

Helpful

Gary Helmink

A Special Gift

Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2011

Verified Purchase

This is a special gift shared with someone who enjoys this series like comforting familiarity. We have watched the familiar episodes noting quality costumes, serious dialogue, humorous inserts and sweeping stories. The performances are both on the mark and attention grabbing. This series was significant when first broadcast (before personal possession, no Cable, no VCR, no DVD, no Pay Per View, no Blue Ray) and it retains it's relative luster.

Great to see it available for consumption on my time.

One person found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

... done period piece with a Glenda Jackson at her best. Story gets a bit rushed at the end ...

Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2018

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Well done period piece with a Glenda Jackson at her best. Story gets a bit rushed at the end but worth the watch...

Helpful

C. Ray

Lovely portrayal of Elizabeth I.

Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2011

The entire series is nothing short of magnificent. This is the portrayal of Elizabeth that inspired me to learn more about her, the time that she lived in, and the people around her. In truth, no television or series of plays can really accurately show what a marvel this woman truly was, and the things that she must have had to endure. But this comes pretty close to what I imagine reality must have been.

The costuming department deserves an award for this work, as it's historically spot-on, and beautiful. Some of the creations, while I'm sure were awkward to wear, were so gorgeous that I actually wanted to look into recreation of them! The makeup crew also did a wonderful job, especially with Glenda Jackson toward the end of the series. Not that easy to make someone go from 15 to nearly 70! Admittedly, the sets were sparse - if only the BBC had had more money to pour into it - but maybe this wasn't a detraction. I can't imagine that the royal residences in the 1500's were more lavish than what you see here, to be honest.

As for the acting - I've heard complaints that Glenda Jackson was "too stern", but you must keep in mind that she was portraying a woman that couldn't afford to SHOW tenderness or softer emotions. For Elizabeth to do so would have meant that her enemies would use that weakness against her! The scene with Sussex where she broke down and admitted that she would never marry, that was a pivotal scene, and probably the softest-hearted that you will see this character. If you're expecting tender emotions from Elizabeth I, that is not how she was in real life - and as such, this is an extremely accurate depiction of her. Some of the actors in this were thoroughly enjoyable! I loved Robert Hardy's depiction of Dudley - he was smarmy, calculating...and completely smitten with Elizabeth. The chemistry between Jackson and Hardy was more than obvious, and it's a real shame that Elizabeth and Dudley weren't allowed to marry, because I think that they were truly "in love".

I enjoyed all six episodes, although I admit that the second (The Marriage Game) and third (Shadow in the Sun) were my favorites. By the sixth episode, it was a lot less about Elizabeth and more about the Irish uprising, which admittedly isn't my focus of interest. I do believe that they took some liberties with Elizabeth's words and what was actually said, but all in all I think they did a really good job with accurate portrayal.

This series is worth seeing if you have any interest in Elizabeth, Elizabethan times, or the history of British royalty.

3 people found this helpful

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Charles S. Tashiro

Brilliant acting and writing; awkward style

Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 1999

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.

31 people found this helpful

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empressT

The Standard for Queenship

Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2008

The "Elizabeth R." series was completed well before my time (in fact, my mother was just in her second year of college when it came out!), but I've always enjoyed a good Elizabethan drama, so I figured this would be a wonderful addition to my collection.

Having completed all 6 episodes, I can say without equivocation that Glenda Jackson's 'Good Queen Bess' is THE standard to which all others will be compared. I truly thought Helen Mirren's light and shade performance in HBO's "Elizabeth" was clearly the best representation, until I saw Ms. Jackson's characterization. Her thunderous "God's death!" puts a smile on my face because I imagine that is how QEI would've sounded.

On the basis of the acting (heck, just Glenda Jackson alone), this deserves the 5-star treatment, but I do take issue with the lack of respect this venerable series has gotten from Masterpiece Theater and the BBC. The lighting, the noticeable differences between video and film (the shots inside versus the shots outside), and in particular the sets, all leave much to be desired. I understand the workings of a shoestring budget in the 70's, but restoration would at least enhance the color and texture. The very same BBC did it for "The Six Wives of Henry VIII," so it stands to reason that it could be done for "Elizabeth R."

Based upon Glenda Jackson, fine costuming (the attention to detail was very fine), a strong supporting cast, I give it 5-stars, but due to limited technology, poor lighting and sets, I must take away a star. This is a must have for any history buff, no matter what time period you study.

6 people found this helpful

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Peter DePalma

Good Television (with terrible political propoganda extras)

Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2002

Good television? You bet. If you are used to the story format set up by the makers of the brilliant I, Claudius you might consider the episodes of Elizabeth R to be a little long... because they are. You should be in the right mood before you start (or be prepared to get into the story rather quickly) otherwise you might get distracted or even a little bored. However, if you are in the mood for a television movie each episode should deliver.
The major drawback to this DVD boxed set is the bonus features... actually one of the interviews with Glenda Jackson herself. She takes it upon herself to turn her discussion of this miniseries into a party political broadcast on behalf of the labor party... if I would have known I was getting that nonsense I would have never bothered to listen to her drivel about former Prime Minister Thatcher.
Well, what should I have expected? She's an actor gone politician... and the Left love political actors (unless the name is Reagan and the politics are anything to the right Karl Marx). Best to just watch her start as youthful Bess and end as the aged Queen.

9 people found this helpful

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Elizabeth R Season 1

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