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It seems almost quaint to call Glenda Jackson's performance in this six-part mini-series a tour de force, but if someone ever wanted to view a visual guide to that phrase's definition it would have to look no further than here. It's a daunting enough task to broach a character as monumental and over-used as Elizabeth Tudor, but how would one play her from her early days as a princess to her final moments of introspection before death? The question is answered in this astounding accomplishment of the television medium.
Economic, social, gender, religious and sexual politics crash head-first in the story of Elizabeth's reign as queen, and this series doesn't shy away from them. Each of the six episodes focuses on a specific point in her reign and examines it in thorough detail. But since this is also a fictionalized account, it ties into it a theme or personality quirk of Elizabeth to try and examine and understand her. But make no mistake, this isn't The Tudors, so the series never condescends to its viewers by making the religious monarchs behave like rascally 20th century denizens in ridiculous costumes.
It's a testament to her strength as an actress, and as a presence on-screen that is sorely missed, that Glenda Jackson is able to make us believe in her different versions of Elizabeth, and to make the transitions that her character undergoes utterly seamless and believable. In episode one she is a head-strong, flirtatious and callous teenager, and by the end of episode six she is an iron-willed monarch, prone to level-headed rationalizations, witty and wise in old age. Jackson forsakes any kind of glamor in the role by appearing in old age makeup, looking like living-death when she gets small pox and either wearing a bald cap or shaving her head for scenes in which Elizabeth is left alone in her bedroom. As much as I adore Bette Davis, Cate Blanchett and Helen Mirren, Jackson's politically acrobatic and lioness-in-waiting reading of Elizabeth is quite possibly the definitive filmed version of the character.
And while being filmed in the 70s, it has aged surprisingly little. If there is one strike against it, it is this: the outdoor scenes show wear and tear, their age is obvious since they were filmed on location and have not been cleaned up. The indoor scenes still look incredibly pristine and like they were shot on videotape only a short time ago. This small fault does tend to make the indoor scenes a little less realistic by jarringly taking you out of the action. It's a minor fault, and as each episode goes on you become accustomed to the switch. Aside from this one flaw, Elizabeth R remains a towering achievement for both Glenda Jackson as an actress, filmed portrayals of Queen Elizabeth I, and for the kind of television serials which are rarely being made. I looked forward to purchasing this on DVD and re-watching this rewarding series.
