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Lady Jane
1985
After the death of King Henry VIII and his young son and heir Edward VI, Henry's 15-year-old great-niece, Lady Jane Grey (Helena Bonham Carter), is chosen to rule by a group of palace conspirators who vow to keep the country Protestant and out of the hands of the Church of Rome. She is crowned, against her will, and her reign .. Read more
| Starring | Jane Lapotaire, John Wood, Patrick Stewart, Sara Kestelman |
|---|---|
| Director | Trevor Nunn |
| Genres | Drama, Romance |
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Lady Jane
After the death of King Henry VIII and his young son and heir Edward VI, Henry's 15-year-old great-niece, Lady Jane Grey (Helena Bonham Carter), is chosen to rule by a group of palace conspirators who vow to keep the country Protestant and out of the hands of the Church of Rome. She is crowned, against her will, and her reign lasts only nine days, until Henry's legitimate daughter Princess Mary, by first wife the Catholic Catherine of Aragon, and her supporters rally around and crown her Queen instead. Jane is imprisoned in the Tower of London and eventually beheaded, along with her husband, Guildford Dudley (Cary Elwes), for what is presumed to be their part in the conspiracy. The film chronicles, fairly accurately, Jane's growth, during her extremely short reign, from a bookish intellectual to a confident, and politically progressive young woman who refuses to conform to the religious hypocrisies of 16th Century England.
| Starring | Jane Lapotaire, John Wood, Patrick Stewart, Sara Kestelman, Helena Bonham-Carter, Cary Elwes, Jill Bennett, Richard Vernon, Joss Ackland, Michael Hordern |
|---|---|
| Director | Trevor Nunn |
| Studio | PARAMOUNT HOME ENTERTAINMENT |
| Run time | DVD: 2 hrs 16 mins Watch now: 2 hrs 16 mins |
| Certificate | DVD: , Watch Online: |
| Genres | Drama, Romance |
| Language | DVD: English Watch Online: English |
| Released | DVD: 14 May 2004 Watch now: 08 Apr 2009 Production year: 1985 |
| Watch now | £2.49 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (3)
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Historical biopics are notoriously difficult to do well. It's easy enough to establish the correct period look, but the action is invariably hamstrung by the need to provide background information on each character and episode. Trevor Nunn's account of the events that culminated in the brief reign of Lady Jane Grey falls into the familiar traps, with the romance between Jane and the dissolute Guildford Dudley being couched in terms more befitting a Molly Ringwald movie. However Helena Bonham Carter plays Jane with admirable earnestness and she is well supported by Patrick Stewart as her father and Jane Lapotaire as Queen Mary.
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The puzzle is why this dreary and overlong historical piece was made in an unsympathetic age; and why such an unsuitable leading lady was cast.
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Most helpful member's review
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3 out of 3 people found this review helpful
An interesting view
An interesting view of a relatively ignored historical character. No lack of talent involved, the script and settings were well done. You could tell that a great deal of time and effort went into them. But why (asked on bended knees) would a studio do that much and then ignore the costumes? There is no excuse for this in a country where you can't throw a stone for hitting a museum...they can't say there was no way to do the research. Stop at the V&A and the National Portrait Gallery and your work would be done.
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Most recent members' review
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3 out of 3 people found this review helpful
An interesting view
An interesting view of a relatively ignored historical character. No lack of talent involved, the script and settings were well done. You could tell that a great deal of time and effort went into them. But why (asked on bended knees) would a studio do that much and then ignore the costumes? There is no excuse for this in a country where you can't throw a stone for hitting a museum...they can't say there was no way to do the research. Stop at the V&A and the National Portrait Gallery and your work would be done.
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