Lady Jane (1986 film)
| Lady Jane | |
|---|---|
_poster.jpg) Cinema poster | |
| Directed by | Trevor Nunn |
| Written by | David Edgar Chris Bryant (story) |
| Produced by | Peter Snell |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Douglas Slocombe |
| Edited by | Anne V. Coates |
| Music by | Stephen Oliver |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date | 7 February 1986 |
Running time | 141 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $8.5 million |
| Box office | $277,646[1] |
Lady Jane is a 1986 British costume drama romance film directed by Trevor Nunn, written by David Edgar, and starring Helena Bonham Carter as the title character. It tells the story of Lady Jane Grey, the Nine Days' Queen, on her reign and romance with husband Lord Guildford Dudley. The film features several members of The Royal Shakespeare Company.
The story had previously been turned into a 1936 film Tudor Rose.
Plot summary
The death of King Henry VIII of England throws his kingdom into chaos as his heir, Edward VI, is both under-age and in poor health. Anticipating the young king's imminent death from consumption and anxious to keep England true to the Reformation by keeping the Catholic Mary from the throne, John Dudley, Lord President of the Council and second only to the king in power, hatches a plan to marry his son, Lord Guildford, to Lady Jane Grey, and have the royal physician keep the young king Edward VI alive—albeit in excruciating pain—long enough to get him to name Jane his heir.
Jane is not happy with the proposed marriage, and must be forced into it through corporal punishment by her parents. At first Jane and Guildford decide to treat their union purely as a marriage of convenience, but then they fall deeply in love.
After Edward VI dies, Jane is placed on the throne. She is troubled by the questionable legality of her accession, but after consulting with Guildford, turns the tables on John Dudley and the others who thought to use her as a puppet.
After only nine days, however, Queen Jane is abandoned by her council precisely because of her reformist designs for the country. The council then supports Mary, who at first imprisons Jane and Guildford.
Consumed with guilt, Jane's father, the Duke of Suffolk, raises a rebellion to restore her to the throne, presumably in concert with Thomas Wyatt's rebellion. When the rebellion fails, Queen Mary I offers to spare Jane's life if she renounces her Protestant faith. When she refuses, Jane, her father and Guildford are all executed.
Cast
- Helena Bonham Carter as Lady Jane Grey
- Cary Elwes as Lord Guildford Dudley, Jane's husband
- Jane Lapotaire as Queen Mary
- Patrick Stewart as Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk, Jane's father
- Sara Kestelman as Lady Frances Brandon, Jane's mother
- Michael Hordern as Doctor Feckenham
- John Wood as John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland
- Jill Bennett as Mrs. Ellen, Lady-in-Waiting
- Adele Anderson as Lady Warwick
- Warren Saire as King Edward VI
- Morgan Sheppard as Executioner
- Matthew Guinness as Doctor Owen
- Richard Johnson as the Earl of Arundel
- Pip Torrens as Thomas
Locations
Dover Castle was used to represent the Tower of London in the film. Interior scenes of Hever Castle were used. The long gallery was used in the scene where Jane visits Queen Mary. The moat around Leeds Castle was used in the scene where Dudley first visits Lady Jane.[2]
References
External links