Lady Jane
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Movie Reviews of Lady Jane
Movie Review: Excellent if not quite true "factual" romance about the 9 day queen
Summary: 4 Stars
Lady Jane Grey, niece to Henry VIII, was appointed to the throne due to the corrupt machinations of John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland. Her cousin, King Edward VI of England was a mere boy of 15 when he deeded the throne to her by deeming his sisters bastards (and thus severing the throne from the Catholic side of the family and ensuring that Henry's reformation would continue). Mary, Edward's sister, wouldn't sit still for this and she sought to overtake the throne upon Edward's death. Northumberland led the troops in an ill fated attempt to repel Mary. She regained the throne after only 9 days of rule by her cousin Jane Grey and her young husband, Guilford Dudley (an arranged marriage at the bequest of Northumberland and Jane's parents). Jane Grey and Guilford were subsequently executed for treason and heresy.
All of these points come out in the film "Lady Jane". However, the film is geared to being a romance and as such, the historical facts get a bit muddied along the way.
The acting is quite fine - indeed. Helena Bonham Carter, as Jane Grey, kicked off her "costume drama" career with this film. Cary Elwes, with only a couple of films under his belt (Another Country), as Guilford, strikes a handsome, roguish pose and delivers a finely controlled and believable performance. The rest of the cast is made up of fine British actors who are more than capable of carrying their own weight. The sets, costumes and script are fantastic!
This is a film I purchased for my meager DVD film library. It's one I tend to revisit from time to time.
I highly recommend it!
Movie Review: Tragic beauty
Summary: 4 Stars
Lady Jane is an excellent, but tragic story, which does have a lot of true historic narrative, but a lot of made up elements - hence the four stars.
A very educated and pious Protestant woman, Jane Grey, who became the Nine Day Queen, was forced into a brutish conflict, which ended terribly. Helena Bonham Carter's performance is enchanting. The movie was shot wonderfully; yet. I think the romance with Cary Elwes (also known from the Princess Bride) helped counter the darkness of the struggle.
Warren Saire as Edward VI and Michael Hordern as Feckenham provide excellent sympathetic performances.
Jane Lapotaire as Mary Tudor, John Wood as Northumberland and Sara Kestelman as Frances Grey play well their parts of their nasty characters.
While I appreciate the story you have to be in a certain mindset to watch this. It is very tragic and shows a certain side of human existance that many don't want to see. The good girls and guys many times get done in by the bad girls and guys. You should see this at least once.
Jane would have been a very different ruler than Mary Tudor!
Movie Review: When Shillings Were Made of Silver
Summary: 4 Stars
Lady Jane (Helena Bonham Carter) has grown up around royalty, but she secludes herself from her family and reads. Her family takes it upon themselves to conjure up power for their daughter and for themselves. They arrange a marriage for her to the wayward son of a Duke, Guilford Dudley (Cary Elwes). When the sick king dies, it is arranged that Jane will become queen because of her Protestant faith. History has shown that religion is always grounds for conflict, and this instance is no different. To make matters worse, Jane and her husband begin disobeying the wishes of their court and work to make the poor happier.
This historical film has a beautiful love story, even if it isn't accurate. The relationship between Jane and Guilford is shown as it develops so it seems realistic and is all the more emotional when the lovers are separated. True, I could have done without some of the swelling music and the sunset close-up, but in spite of these overused gimmicks, the romance turned out very well. It is the core of the film.
Movie Review: An enjoyable story although not entirely true to history
Summary: 4 Stars
"Lady Jane" is a really enjoyable film; it features very bravo performances by the two leads as well as good work by Patrick Stewart as the Machiavellian father. The costumes are good, and the film does a very good job showing that people of this period really did consider controversies of religious dogma to be life or death matters for which people did indeed die. The love story between Jane Grey and her husband makes for a better story, but it is apparently bad history as in fact Jane was completely at the mercy of her father and forced in to what was, in reality, a loveless political marriage.
Nor were Jane and her husband the rebellious social reformers that the film depicts. Once again, this makes for a better story but is not true to history. No matter. This is an enjoyable film that captures the flavor of a tumultuous period in history during which time most Europeans lived in poverty without hope or liberty. Recommended for its entertainment value if not its fidelity to historical accuracy.
Movie Review: Good for Romantics, Not History Buffs
Summary: 4 Stars
Personally, I quite enjoyed this film. I orginally chose to watch it out of an interest in the Tudor family. However, I had little specific knowledge of Lady Jane's history.
It was a little slow at times, and I'll admit to finding it a few minutes too long, but, overall, I rather liked it. Naturally, I was quite disappointed to learn afterwards that the romance between Jane and Guilford was wholly fabricated. Some may complain that it ruins the film, but I disagree. I felt it was a welcome addition, as it added humanity and beauty to a bleak, tragic story, making it easier to relate to. I actually found the romance plausible, though not terribly likely. But I am a romantic, not a realist.
Those who prefer action films or accurate factual reports may not enjoy the film, but it's a must for any idealists in possesion of true Rennaissance hearts.