What a waste of my time!!!

Overrated

Crappy film

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

I've watched this two-part series many times. I never tire of it. In my view, Helen Mirren BECOMES Elizabeth I. I have read many histories of Elizabeth I's life and the period. This movie makes the history come alive before your eyes. I never tire of Helen Mirren, Jeremy Irons and now a huge fan of Hugh Dancy. The costume wardrobes, sets, acting are all superb. But, its Mirren, Mirren, Mirren who IS Elizabeth.I would have loved for several of the events that happen within this movie to have been explored further, those are Elizabeth's death and funeral, the war with Spain, especially the Spanish Armada, her relationship with the Duke of Anjou and would love to have seen more views of her palaces, as much as still exist today.Hugh Dancy did a spectacular job as Robert Devereaux, the Earl of Essex, which was really a tragic story, truth be told. Someone should pick up that story and explore it better in future movies. Jeremy Iron's Earl of Leicester was even more endearing and brought me to tears on many occasions. Irons was so expressive and became the part so well.I highly recommend watching this Elizabeth I... even many times. Each time you will hear and see things you did not see before. Elizabeth's dialog are often quotes for which she is famous, but woven within the movie. You will also see items which were both hers and her father's, Henry VIII.

Being an aspiring historian i love nothing more then to sit and enjoy a historical drama / film. I hold a huge interest in Elizabethan England (Or English history in general really)and the Kings and Queens of the past, most especially one of our best loved monarchs -Queen Elizabeth 1. However, although being only 16, i am not so naive as to believe that the content of this film was entirely factual,however, i Thoroughly enjoyed it - in fact LOVED it! and am currently trying to purchase it on DVD. And may i just add that Hugh Dancy is a suburb actor and extremely dishy!! :P Having seen the adaptation with Cate Blanchett in, but did not feel as connected to character as with Helen's portrayal. I felt Helen Mirren brought more emotion to the character and gave an added human touch to the Queen. I am a big fan of Jeremy Irons and think he portrayed the Earl of Leciester with his usual brilliance . All in all, i have not in the 16 years of my life, seen a Drama / film that i have fallen in love with so greatly, i can not say how worth a watch it is - watch it and see. I highly recommend this film - no questions!

I'm a big fan of the film "Elizabeth", but this TV production is better, and I cannot rate it highly enough. Being for TV works to its advantage, as they could pick the best "actor" for each part instead of a "star". For example, Patrick Malahide is far far better than Geoffrey Rush as Walshingham (spelling?). The only slight let-down was the Duke of Anjou. The actor in the old Cointreau advert (that dates me) had far more Gallic charm to woo Elizabeth than the actor here. The gore of punishment was handled well, including the two strokes to kill Mary, Queen of Scots - but what about the three to kill Essex? Unfortunately Helen Mirren, who was a real tour de force, has already done the sequel (Elizabeth II), so we haven't got that to look forward to. However, what about the long-promised film about Mary, Queen of Scots?

The production contains an blatant error to anyone that knows of the Babington Plot. One commentator mentions the English historian Dr David Starkey had been on set and was much impressed. Well, shame on him. Chidiock Tichbourne, one of the Babington Plot conspirators, just before his execution wrote to his wife one of the most moving poems of that century. It follows at the end of this comment.In the production, this poem is given to Elizabeth by Cecil after Essex's execution and Cecil says it had been written by Essex the night before. She reads part of it which makes her weep. This was no doubt a deliberate error as a device to produce an emotional scene. The alternative is that everyone involved with the production were ignorant of the facts. Either way, so much for HBO respect for historical accuracy. If they get such a well-known incident wrong, deliberately or not, then so much for anything they ever portray.My prime of youth is but a frost of cares, My feast of joy is but a dish of pain, My crop of corn is but a field of tares, And all my good is but vain hope of gain; The day is past, and yet I saw no sun, And now I live, and now my life is done.My tale was heard and yet it was not told, My fruit is fallen, yet my leaves are green, My youth is spent and yet I am not old, I saw the world and yet I was not seen; My thread is cut and yet it is not spun, And now I live and now my life is done.I sought my death and found it in my womb, I looked for life and found it was a shade, I trod the earth and knew it was my tomb, And now I die, and now I was but made; My glass is full, and now my glass is run, And now I live, and now my life is done.