Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2767 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-03-20
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Formats: PAL, Colour
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 3
• Running time: 522 minutes

Synopsis
Elizabeth R is the Emmy-winning BBC dramatisation of the 45-year reign of Elizabeth I chronicling the British monarch's affairs of state and affairs of the heart. From with her ascendance to the throne, Elizabeth I challenged the status quo, not least by her refusal to marry. Heavily researched and gloriously designed, Elizabeth R is considered by many to be the most factual representation of the life of this truly unique queen.

Glenda Jackson gives a regal performance as Queen Elizabeth I, growing from a terrified princess surrounded by treachery to assured monarch and liverish old lady. Robert Hardy and Michael Williams also star.

Customer Reviews

Absolutely marvellous!!!
This long awaited series is now finally on dvd.It has been available in the U.S for some years.The story about Englands greatest Queen was only available in the U.S region 1.Strange!But...the waiting is over!I am from Holland and a Tudor fan for more than 20 years,and I must admit it:This series is problably the finest ever made concerning English history.Glenda Jackson plays the role of her life.Magnificent is the only word for it.The costumes are great.Someone has looked carefully too the portraits of Gloriana(the Armada Portrait for example,just look at the embroideries,also the Pelican portrait)Leicester looks alike,the Earl of Essex shows much resemblance too the portrait.The person who arranged this all did his homework.The acting is of the most superb level.When you are in to Tudor History you know who is entering the room immediately!The authenticity in such series is very important.That is why the music should be played by early music experts.When I saw the first part I said to myself:The music sounds very authentic......1971...David Munrow!And was I right!Absolutely wonderfull!Look at the gailliard dances!I am an expert on this subject and have seen no mistakes concerning the historical facts.The way she dies,the Armada attack in 1588,the fact that Mary's head is only severed after 3 blows,the wig and the dog hiding.Perfect detail!Also the quality of the remastering is great!The image is as it was when it was made without loss.So Tudor fans worldwide:this is THE series about Gloriana,buy it and enjoy!Endlessly!

BBC drama on top form - awesome
When this series of six one and a half hour plays was made the artistic (genre) model for the BBC was theatre; Today it is cinema. Therefore what this series provodes is theatricality of performance and a focus on psychological perspectives in the characterisation. Glenda Jackson is Elizabeth I. She is totally magnetic in the lead role. She is lavishly costumed and has a wonderful array of supporting actors.

The scripts for each play were penned by different authors, who were the best of their day. The historical accuracy is not compromised for the sake of artistic licence.

A brilliant series; simply the best (along with I Claudius) the BBC ever produced.

Oh Glenda. Why did you give it up?
This series has been an all time favourite of mine. In fact, such a favourite it is, that I wore out two copies each of the three VHS videos that this series was previously only available on in this country.

Naturally, wanting this series in an immaculate Digital version (DVD), I was incredibly angry to find that it was available to America and Canada (NTSC), but not here in PAL! And as far as I could tell, never was. I spent a few years constantly harrassing the BBC over this matter, emailing them regularly to express my disappointment and asking every time when it was going to be released.

Whilst I wouldn't presume to take any kind of credit now that we have at last got our PAL edition, I like to think my moaning didn't go ignored.

So, do we have what the Americans and Canadians had all these years? No, we don't. This edition is totally devoid of any special features. I do know the NTSC version as was did have them, so why not us too? Again, we are short changed.

Despite this slight let down, I am still more than happy to have such a glorious series, with the superlative acting of Glenda Jackson featured large. (Why on earth such a consumate actress would give up the profession to go into parlaiment, I have no idea.)

Whilst this series is well known for it's historical accuracy, it is still innacurate in various ways (for obvious reasons of script and time contstraints). So don't expect to get a true history lesson from this series. That said, it is the surest telling of the events of her (Elizabeth I) reign, and in the most gripping fashion.

Glenda Jackson's performance outstips any previous or subsequent depiction of Elizabeth I (including that of Cate Blanchett), so buy this series and be utterly entranced by the vision you will see. The lack of special features notwithstanding, this series still merits a full five stars.