Her Majesty Requests |

Anticipating some royal fever this year, the North York Central Library Film Club presents:

Jan 17 – The Queen w/ Helen Mirren, James Cromwell, Sylvia Syms
Feb 23 – Young Victoria w/ Emily Blunt, Rupert Friend, Paul Bettany, Miranda Richardson
Mar 14 – Her Majesty, Mrs. Brown w/ Judy Dench, Billy Connolly, Geoffrey Palmer (which is currently unavailable on DVD)

All films start at 6:00 p.m. in the North York Central Library Auditorium. Admission is free. To register, call 416-395-5672 or visit the Browsery on the main floor.

Some great films about Elizabeth I:

Elizabeth w/ Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, Joseph Fiennes, Richard Attenborough, John Gielgud. (Blanchett, in the title role, was robbed of her Oscar by Gywneth Paltrow for her role in…oh, I forget.)

Elizabeth: The Golden Age w/ Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, Clive Owen. The sequel to Elizabeth. The versatile Blanchett was nominated for an Oscar twice that year – for her role as Elizabeth I and for her role as Bob Dylan.

The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex w/ Bette Davis, Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland. This 1939 Hollywood version, directed by Michael Curtiz, focused on the bad romance between Elizabeth and Essex, the latter played by 30s hottie, Flynn.

and some thrilling television series:

Elizabeth I (Channel 4, 2005) Helen Mirren, Jeremy Irons, Hugh Dancy. Emmy and Golden Globe winning series. Mirren demonstrates she is suited to play royalty.

Elizabeth I: The Virgin Queen (Masterpiece Theatre, 2005) 4-part series w/ Anne-Marie Duff, Tom Hardy focusing on Elizabeth's personal life. (Elizabeth R, the original 1971 BBC series starring Glenda Jackson, is finally being re-released on DVD later this month).

And, if you want to check out Elizabeth's dad, there is always the bawdy, blood-soaked Irish-Canadian television series, The Tudors Seasons 1, 2, 3, and 4.

Bertie and Elizabeth is the 2002 Masterpiece Theatre story of King George VI and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (better known as the Queen Mother).

Want to go further back? Try Warrior Queen Boudica, the bodacious Brit who fought the Roman occupation.