The little red-haired girl…
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IsoldeJaneHolland — 19 years ago(September 14, 2006 07:15 PM)
I thought it was Elizabeth too, and I have a degree in history! I was
puzzled because yes I knew that Elizabeth was several years older
than Jane. I think because that little girl looks just like Princess
Elizabeth in the twelve zillion movies made about her. I just assumed
the producers had gotten their history mixed up. That happens a lot.
In Cate Blanchett's Elizabeth the pivotal character of Sir William Cecil
is played by 70ish actor Sir Richard Attenborough. Cecil was only a
few years older than Elizabeth, and was thus 30 or so at the time of
the events depicted.
In view of Catherine's future it's rather sad that we see her playing
wistfully with a baby doll, and knowing she would in the future be
forced to endure seperation from her children and husband. -
reesieg — 19 years ago(January 06, 2007 06:38 PM)
Elizabeth's abuse of her cousin Catherine is one of the things I like least about her, though on balance I am in awe of Elizabeth. Just because Elizabeth couldn't put herslf in the position to marry, why torment everyone else? I would have thought that Elizabeth would have been pleased to have a Protestant male cousin available as heir, as an alternative to Mary Queen of Scots. Though I suppose Elizabeth instead saw Catherine's sons as a threat.
In addition, Jane & Catherine's grandmother - Henry VIII's favorite sister Mary hated Elizabeth's mother, Anne Boleyn. Mary died in 1533, just before Elizabeth was born, but Mary stuck up for Henry's first wife Catherine of Aragon until the end. That gave Elizabeth one more reason to dislike the Greys. -
queen-smartass — 19 years ago(January 20, 2007 11:46 AM)
The problem with a Protestant heir for Elizabeth is very simple. She was well aware from her own experience as an heir to the throne just how dangerous it was to have 'competition' as it were. As soon as Elizabeth named a successor, her position as Queen would have been even more tenuous. There would have been even more plots to remove her than were already in place. The fact that Katherine married a Seymour (same house as that of Queen Jane, third wife of Henry VIII) made the offspring that much more dangerous.
Remember, Elizabeth was viewed by many as a bastard, possibly not even Henry VIII's daughter. Her position was never really secure. -
IsoldeJaneHolland — 19 years ago(March 13, 2007 08:38 AM)
That portrait is extraordinary, and her self-contained poise astonishing
in a girl of thirteen.
Isn't it interesting that when King Edward collapses Jane has a panic
attack and paces about repeating "What do I do?" while her younger sister
prompty rushes to his aid and holds him until his attendants can reach
them? Jane is too flustered to offer any help. I wonder if the director
wanted to make a point about Jane being too high strung and over-sensitive?
Katherine Grey secretly married Edward Seymour, Earl of Hereford, the
nephew of Queen Jane Seymour, King Edward's mother.
Remember the Tudors had usurped the throne themselves in 1485, and their
origins were a 'romantic' secret liason and marriage between the young
widowed Queen Katherine of Valois and her household usher, the Welsh
bard Owen Tudor. Her son by Henry V became King at nine months old and
Katherine shipped off to (they thought!) sleepy retirement at a country
estate by the Protector and Regent. But when she died ten years later
and they went to inventory her possessions, they found three little
kids. And less than fifty years later the son of one of them decided
he would make a better king than the Plantagenets who had ruled England
for 330 years. So I guess Elizabeth had every right to be concerned,
although her policies made it pretty miserable for young ladies like
the Grey girls and Arabella Stuart who were unfortunate enough to
have royal blood in their veins. -
SupernovaGemini2 — 18 years ago(March 12, 2008 10:18 PM)
lol, I asked this question a couple of years ago.
I've checked the cast, and there is no Elizabeth listed, but there is a Katherine Grey. So I think it's a fair assumption that the mysterious red-haired girl is in fact Jane's younger sister Katherine.
"The ability to speak does not make you intelligent." ~Qui-Gon Jinn, The Phantom Menace