Top Tudor Historian Rates Famous Movie Scenes

'Top Tudor Historian Rates Famous Movie Scenes'

Dr Nicola Tallis, British historian and author of three books on the Tudors, rates scenes from five blockbuster movies set in the Tudor period.

Nicola reviews scenes on Henry VIII's relationship with Mary and Anne Boleyn in 'The Other Boleyn Girl' (2008). She looks at the portrayal of Elizabeth I in the hit movie 'Elizabeth' (1998) and its sequel 'Elizabeth: The Golden Age' (2007), both starring Cate Blanchett.

Next, she looks at the fictionalised meeting between Elizabeth I and her cousin Mary in the recently released 'Mary Queen of Scots' (2018), where the lead characters were played by Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie.

Finally, she reviews several iconic scenes from 'Shakespeare in Love' (1998), starring Joseph Fiennes and Gwyneth Paltrow.

So, do you agree with her ratings?

#MovieReviews #Tudors #HistoryHit

[CirquedJoy]

One of my pet peeves about movies is that they will often have two characters having private conversations in what appears to be a public setting, but the public is apparently deaf or lacks ears. It drives me nuts. Sometime's they're literally talking about the guy who's standing three feet away.

[kevinnorwood]

Was REALLY hoping she'd take a look at the Showtime series, "The Tudors" with Jonathan Rhys Meyers.

[melenatorr]

In "Shakespeare in Love", the fact of women not being allowed on stage is not only acknowledged, but it's a main prop of the plot: Viola disguises herself as a boy in order to join the acting troupe, and many complications ensue from there, including how she actually ends up performing. The script, in which Tom Stoppard was heavily involved, is intelligent and and historically aware, including in its liberties. I think you should take back that debit because the entire story hinges on Viola working against the ban on women on stage.

[kevinnorwood]

Yeah, after watching the scene of Anne's execution, I can safely say Natalie Dormer did a FAR better job than Natalie Portman did.

[MegaMesozoic]

Apart from everything else, I do like Cate Blanchett's portrayal of Elizabeth!

[Sky-psev]

There are sources to say that Anne’s ladies and the crowd did weep due to the fact that she died with dignity, it wears also a huge shock to the country that a queen would actually be executed . There are sources that Ann kept looking around to see if there would be a last minute pardon and historians suggest that even master Kingston had not prepared a proper coffin to place her body in after death because no one actually believe that she would be executed until it was too late . It had never been done before and most did believe it was a power play by Henry and that she would be pardoned and sent to a convent . Also I’ve read a few comments on here and I really wish that history classes stopped using the other Boleyn girl as a tool to teach history . It’s perhaps the most inaccurate depiction of Tudor history and characters out there and the fact that schools allow this to be shown as factual is so disappointing . I honestly think, though it has its own inaccuracies, that the tudors tv show is a better example to use in history lessons . I was actually impressed by the small details it got right that other films and series either got wrong or completely ignored, like Ann discovering Henry and Jane together and blaming this for her miscarriage. I know Hollywood will always want to dramatise but I think most of the time the truth is even more fantastical and interesting so I’m not sure why films seem to either play it down or just ignore facts

[Mr.Crowley]

Elizabeth loved dancing — yet another similarity she shared with her mother Anne Boleyn. The fact that Good Queen Bess allegedly carried a miniature of her mother’s likeness until her own death has always broken my heart.

[justinehelene]

Pretty sure there are accounts that Anne's gentle women did cry as they were so moved by the way she handled herself at her execution. Even though they were appointed attendants who were not supposed to have behaved kindly to her. I think that's why it has been remarked upon in some historical accounts?

[Laramaria]

"The other Boleyn girl" is a nice movie, but it is so unbelievable inaccurate. When we watched it on the classroom, we were watching to discuss about the reformation of the church but my teacher asked me to leave because I was constantly saying "that's not what happened... That's not right... That's inaccurate... That's dumb..." 🤣

[renshiwu]

I saw a trailer for _Mary Queen of Scots_ and my first thought was, "You know, Mary should really have a French accent because she was raised in that country from a young age." And then I saw the black lord and the Chinese Bess of Hardwick and I thought, "Oh, the producers aren't concerned with historical accuracy."

[helkatww]

I was surprised to hear her say that the women who accompanied Anne Boleyn to her execution would not have wept because they didn't like her very much. There is a famous contemporary account of those same women refusing to allow any of the men to touch Anne's body after her death, insisting instead that they themselves carry the corpse (and presumably the head) to the arrow box which became her coffin. This has led many historians to believe that these woman were actually very emotionally attached to Anne, and therefore probably different women to those who attended her in the tower, women that she referred to as her enemies.

[terrijohnston]

Has she really never seen Shakespeare in Love? The women-not-allowed-on-stage rule is not overlooked, it’s a major plot point.
Other than this I appreciate all her other comments and commentary.

[j.leeedwards]

If you watch all of Shakespeare in Love, the fact that Viola is a woman playing Juliet is not only explained, but leads to a great quote by QEI. Also, his marriage is mentioned earlier in the movie.

[rosswiseman]

2:10 I can actually answer this one! Mini ice age! The previous winter froze the Thames, and in 1536 winter was late in receding and this is early morning. It probably was pretty cold. Also Tudor nobles lined their clothes in fur as much as possible anyway.

[OcarinaSapphr-]

I did read somewhere that Marie de Guise wrote to her daughter’s governess, to ensure that she ‘did not lose her Scots’ tongue’- which might imply that she might actually have spoken Scots, but with a French accent (which would not surprise me, given that a fair portion of the Scottish Court were part French, to a greater or lesser degree at that time).

I believe the _Elizabeth I_ mini-series with Helen Mirren was more accurate with the Tilbury Speech, & the costume.

[arwenitaofdoom]

Cate Blanchett is excellent as Elizabeth even if it wasnt competely historically accurate.

[nuthinmuffins]

Oh and to anyone who loves this sort of video: I highly recommend Claire Ridgeway’s channel, The Anne Boleyn Files, as well her likewise titled website, and the series of books she’s written about Anne Boleyn and the Tudors. She doesn’t just focus on Anne, but also goes into extensive detail about the history surrounding her and the Tudor dynasty. She’s very diligent about being accurate. You can literally learn at least one new fact every day by following her research.

[rayn]

The best portrayal of Anne Boleyn I’ve seen is Geneviève Bujold in Anne of the Thousand Days. She’s young and at first a bit naive, but also intelligent and self-assured. Like all movies, it does take liberties, but those liberties are done in service to the characters. The best scene of the film is a meeting between Anne and Henry after she’s been imprisoned in the Tower of London (which never happened), where Henry has begun to believe the accusations of adultery (accusations Henry himself ordered be made, at least in the film). He tries to get Anne to agree to an annulment and leave England, but she refuses, since she’d vowed to never have an illegitimate child, and an annulment would make Elizabeth a bastard. Then, because she has nothing left to lose, Anne says “Look for the rest of your life at every man that ever knew me, and wonder if I didn’t find him a better man than you.” She then goes on to declare that Elizabeth would rule after Henry, and be the queen of a greater England than Henry could ever have built. She finishes this truly amazing monologue by saying “My Elizabeth shall be queen, and my blood will have been well spent.” The whole scene is, while historically inaccurate, the best bit of writing and acting I’ve ever seen.

[marijeangalloway]

Okay, here's the thing: you really can't go after "Shakespeare In Love" the way you go after purportedly historical films like the others, because it is so obviously and openly a fantasy (though it really was very accurate in period details, as you note). Also, you cannot actually have watched the movie, or you would know that Gwyneth Paltrow's character actually being a woman who is a last-minute replacement for the boy who is supposed to play Juliet IS ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL AS IT IS INTEGRAL TO THE PLOT! Indeed, it gave Simon Callow as Master of Revels his best outraged line: "That woman IS A WOMAN!" So the brilliant playwright Tom Stoppard, who wrote this, and everyone else involved with this film, knew perfectly well that women's roles were performed by young male actors; as I said, this knowledge is the premise on which the entire plot of the film is based. You should watch it; it won all kinds of awards, including the Oscar for best picture.

[sandrabriones]

In the Two Queens, the meeting of Mari and Elizabeth turned out to be a dream Elizabeth had and in Shakespeare in Love, Viola was pretending to be a man dressed as a woman.
The producers of this video should have mention this to the expert