Tudor Fact of the Day that nobody asked for.

[magog_83]

On this day in 1533, Elizabeth Tudor was born at Greenwich Palace. She went on to rule England for 45 years as Queen Elizabeth I.

Portrait attributed to William Scrots, c.1546

Little did she know then that she would one day be played by Bette Davis, Glenda Jackson, Cate Blanchett, Anne Marie Duff and Miranda Richardson, or that she would get to snog Joseph Fiennes, Tom Hardy and Lord Flashheart :D

If you want to see why I love her, check out her Tilbury Speech, given on the eve of an attempted Spanish invasion in 1588 (and performed pretty accurately here by Anne Marie Duff in The Virgin Queen on the BBC, even if the 'crowd' seems to consist of about 20 people)

Comments

[a8c-sock.livejournal.com]

My she's looking good!

One of the best speeches ever. Fact.

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

I will never know why they butchered it so much in the Cate Blanchett film. They RUINED it.

Yes, I was sitting in the cinema saying WTF IS THIS CRAP?

[a8c-sock.livejournal.com]

Oh let us not speak of that travesty.

What were they thinking?

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

Anne Marie Duff is the BEST Elizabeth. I love her, and this TV adaptation, and the gorgeous soundtrack <3

[a8c-sock.livejournal.com]

Yes! She really got the... esscence of her. She was far more convincing than Ms Blanchett.

[rotrude.livejournal.com]

May I have seen that Elisabeth portrait at Windsor castle? Because I'm pretty sure I remember the dress. Anyway wise queen.

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

It's in the Royal Collection so I'm sure you have! I've never seen it in person, so that might explain why. I have been to the National Gallery several times, but never Windsor :)

[aprileaf.livejournal.com]

I love The Virgin Queen! I even have some of the soundtrack on my ipod. I wasn't aware it was Elizabeth's birthday today, though!

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

I adore the soundtrack. I have the CD and have listened to it endlessly. The combination of the music with the Medieval Baebes singing and then Elizabeth I's actual prayers and poetry used for some of the lyrics was inspired. I went to see the Medieval Baebes perform at Bristol Cathedral and they sang Miseria Nomine live.

[giecast.livejournal.com]

Happy birthday, Queen Bess! She is one badass lady for sure.

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

She was very badass, even more so when you think of all the conventions of the time that she ignored <3

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

Queenie is the best. She's so wonderfully crazy and despotic, but that's why we love her <3

[jamie15.livejournal.com]

WOW! You know what, she really does look quite beautiful in that portrait! And I love the speech :)! I might want to watch that! I know that this is a slightly unpopular opinion of mine, but I didn't really like the movie with Cate Blanchett ... :/ It seemed very rushed and just a tad confusing.

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

It's my favourite portrait of her actually. In all the later ones she looks very grand and every inch the Queen, but this is Princess Elizabeth instead, she looks so young and I always think her eyes are like her mother's in the famous portrait of Anne Boleyn.

The Cate Blanchett film was atmospheric (well, the first one was), but so inaccurate it drove me crazy. The BBC version is a million times better!