Elizabeth I in Film and Television: A Study of the Major Portrayals

This analysis of how filmmakers have portrayed England's Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603), and the audience's perception of Elizabeth based upon these portrayals, examines key representations of the Tudor monarch in various motion pictures from the Silent era on and in television miniseries. Actresses who have portrayed Elizabeth include Bette Davis, Glenda Jackson, Judi Dench, Cate Blanchett and Helen Mirren; Quentin Crisp appeared as the Queen in Orlando (1992). The text focuses on the historical context of the period in which each film or miniseries was made and1the extent of the portrayals of Elizabeth.