Rich, Famous and Royal
July 20th 2009 02:57
Recently, I've been on this British monarchy kick. It started out watching The Other Boleyn Girl staring my favorite ::ahem:: actress Scarlett Johansan and my other favorite ::ahem:: Natalie Portman as sisters Mary and Anne Boleyn respectively. (I think it's because of these two women that I have avoided this film. I don't know why I dislike them, but I do.)
But to be quite honest this film was really interesting. The basic premise, if you don't know your history, which I most definitely did not, is that King Henry VIII (you know the one with a lot of wives) who is married to Catherine of Aragon, divorces Catherine and marries Anne Boleyn. What's the big deal? Because being the King of England and Catholic, ya know, getting a divorce in the 16th century is a big deal.
The Other Boleyn Girl tells the relationship of Mary and Anne to the king. Both had relationships with him, only one became Queen though. Scandalous!
This leads me to my next film: Elizabeth starring Cate Blanchett as The Virgin Queen. You're probably thinking, who's Elizabeth? Elizabeth is the daughter of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII. Quite unexpectedly, Elizabeth succeeds to the throne. And she rules England for the next 50 some years. Oh, and she makes the nation Protestant (and rich.)
Elizabeth is a great love story about love that could never be--Yum! Joseph Fiennes!--and the sacrifice one must go through in order to rule. (Although, I found out that it's not at all historically accurate. Oh, Hollywood!) The portraits of mother and daughter (Anne and Elizabeth) show that they are quite different women. Anne is manipulative and desparate, while Elizabeth is confused and emotional at first. The one thing the two women do share is that they are determined.
I plan to follow up with Elizabeth II: The Golden Age. So look for that post.
More recently, I watched The Queen, starring Oscar winner Helen Mirren. This Queen is Elizabeth II who is the current mum of the Commonwealth of Britain. The Queen specifically tells the story of the royal family's handling of the death of ex-royalty, Princess Di. While, I was too young to be affected by Princess Di's death or the controversy of her as a personality, I found the film quite moving. I felt like I got to understand a Queen who may feel a bit stodgy, but quite understandably so, she just grew up in a different way. Although, The Queen wasn't romanticized, like the other period pieces I've mentioned, but it is quite interesting.
But to be quite honest this film was really interesting. The basic premise, if you don't know your history, which I most definitely did not, is that King Henry VIII (you know the one with a lot of wives) who is married to Catherine of Aragon, divorces Catherine and marries Anne Boleyn. What's the big deal? Because being the King of England and Catholic, ya know, getting a divorce in the 16th century is a big deal.
The Other Boleyn Girl tells the relationship of Mary and Anne to the king. Both had relationships with him, only one became Queen though. Scandalous!
This leads me to my next film: Elizabeth starring Cate Blanchett as The Virgin Queen. You're probably thinking, who's Elizabeth? Elizabeth is the daughter of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII. Quite unexpectedly, Elizabeth succeeds to the throne. And she rules England for the next 50 some years. Oh, and she makes the nation Protestant (and rich.)
Elizabeth is a great love story about love that could never be--Yum! Joseph Fiennes!--and the sacrifice one must go through in order to rule. (Although, I found out that it's not at all historically accurate. Oh, Hollywood!) The portraits of mother and daughter (Anne and Elizabeth) show that they are quite different women. Anne is manipulative and desparate, while Elizabeth is confused and emotional at first. The one thing the two women do share is that they are determined.
I plan to follow up with Elizabeth II: The Golden Age. So look for that post.
More recently, I watched The Queen, starring Oscar winner Helen Mirren. This Queen is Elizabeth II who is the current mum of the Commonwealth of Britain. The Queen specifically tells the story of the royal family's handling of the death of ex-royalty, Princess Di. While, I was too young to be affected by Princess Di's death or the controversy of her as a personality, I found the film quite moving. I felt like I got to understand a Queen who may feel a bit stodgy, but quite understandably so, she just grew up in a different way. Although, The Queen wasn't romanticized, like the other period pieces I've mentioned, but it is quite interesting.
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