Lady Jane [VHS]

At my young age, I was of course drawn to the romantic part of the story--I was hopelessly enchanted with Cary Elwes, and I'm sure the blossoming romance between Guildford and Jane caused me a great many sighs. Okay, so it is a little fairy-taleish and not exactly true to history (I once read that it is uncertain whether or not their marriage was ever consummated) but it was awfully fun to watch.

Now that I'm older, however, I've noticed some other things that interest me more than the love story, like the political machinations of Northumberland and Jane's parents, and the stark portrayal of the treatment of women in that time period. Jane was vitally important to the plans of her parents, and yet they beat her nearly senseless for refusing to marry Guildford Dudley.

Helena Bonham Carter and Cary Elwes are very believable in their roles--Jane seems otherworldly and disconnected from her feelings due to her obsession with learning; Guildford is a handsome rake who does actually have deep thoughts and ideas about things, contrary to what Jane thinks at first. Both roles were excellently played.


Lady Jane finally on DVD!   July 7, 2003
19 out of 21 found this review helpful

I have loved this movie ever since I first saw it at 15. It made me fall in love with Cary Elwes and Helena Bonham Carter, both superb actors who should get more credit (and more roles!). I love the story, although it is tragic, albeit romantic at the same time. It does not bother me that it is in some respect historically inaccurate. So is "Braveheart" and that is my favorite movie of all time. The important thing is this movie made me want to know more, and since first seeing it I have become obsessed with English royalty and history. It is also a very well acted, well written, and well directed historical drama with beautiful costumes. Highly recommended to those who love a movie that's well done.


a beautiful, well acted, exciting story   November 16, 2001
C. Haley (Round Rock, TX USA)
9 out of 10 found this review helpful

As long as you aren't a history purist and don't mind plenty of dramatic license, this is a great movie. This was Helena Bonham Carter's first feature film. She was as brilliant then as she is now. The story centers on the life of Lady Jane, who was named as the successor to Henry VIII's sickly son, Edward. Jane, a devout protestant, is forced into the role by her scheming parents in their attempt to reject the return of Catholicism that the rightful heir, Mary, would bring. Their plot begins with the forced marriage to Guilford Dudley, played by Cary Elwes. What begins as a battle develops into a beautiful love story, only to be torn apart again when Mary returns to claim her throne. I've seen this movie dozens of times and it still makes me cry.


THE REIGN OF QUEEN JANE...A NINE DAY WONDER   September 15, 2001
Lawyeraau (Balmoral Castle)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

This is a beautifully rendered period piece, with outstanding performances by the entire cast. A very young, petite and exquisite Helen Bonham Carter plays the title role of Lady Jane Grey, who was fifth in the line of succession to the throne of England upon the death of King Henry VIII in 1547. The first was Edward, King Henry VIII's only son. The second in the line of succession was Henry VIII's oldest daughter, Mary. The third was his other daughter, Elizabeth. The fourth was Lady Frances Grey, the Dutchess of Suffolk, and mother to Lady Jane Grey.

Upon the death of King Henry VIII, his only son, nine year old Edward, became King Edward VI of England. His uncle, the Duke of Somerset, brother to Edward's mother, Jane Seymour, third wife of Henry VIII, ruled as Regent. In 1552, he was removed and beheaded. The ruthlessly ambitious John Dudley, the feared Duke of Northumberland, took his place as Regent. Here, the role of John Dudley is marvelously played with implacable and sinister resolve by John Wood.

King Edward VI, touchingly played by William Saire, very much likes his cousin, the quiet, religious, and intelligent Lady Jane Grey, and treats her kindly. Both are devout believers in the Reformed Church. In fact, her ambitious mother, the Dutchess of Suffolk, marvelously played with icy malice by Sara Kestelman, expects that they will probably wed. She does not count on Edward dying a premature death. The Duke of Northumberland, however, knows that the King is ill and will probably die. He realizes that with Edward's death his Regency and all the power that such office confers will be no more.

So, in the Spring of 1953, he tells Frances that the King is ill and likely to die and proposes to Frances that Jane, instead, marry his somewhat dissolute youngest son, Guilford, dashingly played by the very young and handsome, Cary Elwes. Together they intrigue, as they know that Mary, a staunch Catholic, is next in the line of succession. Dudley tells her that since she is the fourth in the line of succession that she waive her rights to her daughter, Jane, who is fifth in line. He will have Edward sign a decree making Jane his successor, under the pretext of keeping the Reformed Church in and the Catholic Church out. This way England will remain Protestant.

When her parents, the Duke and Duchess of Suffolk, inform Jane of the proposed match, she protests and objects. After being beaten by her mother, she relents and marries Guilford. They fall in love as only the very young can, impractical and full of high ideals. Then, their bliss is rendered asunder, when the perfidy of both their parents becomes apparent upon the death of King Edward VI. Jane and Guilford are hustled out of their home and taken to Court. There, Jane is informed that Edward decreed her his successor. She becomes a most reluctant Queen at the age of sixteen. It was a reign that would last all of nine days.

What happens to Jane and Guilford, as well as all the other players in this first class drama, is well worth watching. In addition to the those performances already noted, Jane LaPotaire is magnificent as Queen Mary, and Patrick Stewart is marvelous as Henry Grey, the Duke of Suffolk, Jane's father, whose ill advised action in seeking to restore Jane to the throne was the functional equivalent of signing her death warrant himself. Look also for a touching performance by Jill Bennett in the role of Miss Ellen, Jane's attendant, who showed Jane the tenderness her parents failed to provide. With a first class cast and beautiful sets and costumes, this is a most enjoyable film. While not totally historically accurate, it is still a notable historical drama and a very enjoyable one at that.


Queen for a day   March 16, 2005
FrKurt Messick (Bloomington, IN USA)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful



First a bit of history:

The world of the Tudors and their friends, hangers-on and rivals from the time of Lancaster/York conflict, reads like a soap opera, and indeed it was a time of intrigue, deception, jockeying for position and occasional outright evil behaviour. The executioner's task at the Tower was never wanting for more; the Tudors, Seymours, Brandons, Dudleys and other such families were intertwined in the political, religious and dynastic machinations of the time, and sometimes this late medieval machinery caught up the people as it would grind along.

Lady Jane Grey was not born to be queen. This does not make her unique among monarchs in British history; when the current queen Elizabeth was born, it seemed very remote that she should ever advance to be monarch. Indeed, even the great Henry VIII wasn't the heir apparent when born; his brother Arthur was Prince of Wales -- Henry married his brother's widow Catherine of Aragon, and the successive sequence of wives and offspring commenced from there. Lady Jane Grey was born of none of these wives, nor even from Henry directly, but rather through one of his younger siblings, Mary, one-time queen of France.

Lady Jane Grey was a mere teenager when she came to power, such as it was. A precocious and intellectual child, she still lacked the political savvy of the Privy Council and other chief executors and leaders from Henry and Edward's reigns; she was the not-always-willing but not-unwilling pawn of her family's ambitions -- at one time thought to be a possible wife for the king Edward, her family jumped at the chance of settling the crown directly on her head, under the ostensible purpose of preserving a Protestant succession.

Ultimately, the venture was doomed to failure, for as much as the royal and parliamentary authorities like to believe they rule England, ultimately it has been the people en masse, and those whom they do not support do not last long. The common folk, still largely Catholic in leaning, also understood royal succession in simple terms -- Mary Tudor was the next in line for the throne, so they supported her (largely they would support Elizabeth, a moderate Protestant, for the same reason five years later). Lady Jane fell victim again to the problems of politics; Mary Tudor, once queen, was inclined to be lenient until it was felt that Jane's presence continued to be a rallying point for Protestant dissidents.

Jane Grey was queen for nine short days, during a period of great turmoil.

Here endeth the lesson. And much of the similarity with the film.

This film is historical romance, which makes it necessary to fudge the facts a bit. We are introduced to the scheming people around the ailing teen-aged king Edward; John Dudley (played admirably by John Wood) as Duke of Northumberland tries to ensure the Protestant succession through ruling out Mary, but also tries to secure his own hegemony by ruling out the independent Elizabeth. Lady Jane could be controlled, or so promised her mother, Frances Grey, Duchess of Suffolk (played by Sara Kestelman). Patrick Stewart plays Lady Jane's father, the Duke of Suffolk, but his role here is rather understated.

Truly the best performance in the film is that of Helena Bonham-Carter, in one of her early roles (fresh from the Merchant-Ivory production, 'A Room with a View'). She plays the intelligent but not always swift-on-the-uptake Lady Jane, competent in academic subjects, scrupulously moral, and history's plaything. Whether all of these descriptors were true of the actual Lady Jane, we cannot know. What we do know is that Lady Jane in fact despised her arranged husband Guildford Dudley, younger son of the manipulative Duke of Northumberland. However, for purposes of the film, this is a romance, rocky at the start, but nonetheless a love affair that blossoms quickly - well, it would have to, given the time frame. Cary Elwes, in his first major role, performs well as the companion to the unlikely and unwilling queen.

Elwes and Bonham-Carter have good chemistry together on the screen for the most part. Bonham-Carter's other primary relationship is brief but substantial in the form of an intellectual attachment to the kindly Dr. Feckenham, a Catholic clergyman who is willing to engage in the theological discussion with a Protestant; Michael Horden gives a memorable performance as the intercessor between the Greys and Mary Tudor.

The cinematography is very good, stunning in a few points. Costumes and sets are well done, and music overlay is worthwhile.

The story progresses through an abbreviated presentation of King Edward's illness, leading to the necessity for succession. The various intrigues and issues are collapsed into a few, primarily dominated by Northumberland; the ambassador of Spain and his dealings with Queen Mary also factor into the plot. The impoverishment of the people, and the lack of popularity the ruling class had at the time is shown; the Protestant Reformations in England were not popular movements at the start.

As history dictates, both the younger Dudley and Lady Jane, nine-day queen, lose their heads over the affair. We are given a glimpse of the historical reality that Lady Jane's mother was in fact 'rehabilitated' into the court of Queen Mary, but her husband Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk, is killed for his involvement in an uprising against Queen Mary.

Setting aside the historical inaccuracies, this is a good film, well produced and well acted, and does serve to highlight some of the major historical themes of the time. Perhaps it will inspire the viewer to read more and learn the actual events of the time, one of the more colourful in royal history.