Revisioning the Virgin Queen: Changing Images of a Woman in Power, 1955-200

This thesis examines and analyses a number of depictions of Queen Elizabeth I in film and television between 1955 and 2006. As it is becoming increasingly apparent that historical films and television series are among the dominant media through which the general public is gaining a sense of historical knowledge, a means through which to study and assess these forms of history is necessary. This thesis argues that this must involve a serious study of the media itself. In using representations of Elizabeth I as a case study, I apply both historical and film analysis to investigate how they, as films and television series, communicate a specific interpretation of the Virgin Queen through their form as well as their content, and how they function as works of history. I examine four examples, The Virgin Queen (1955), Elizabeth R (1971), Elizabeth (1998), and The Virgin Queen (2006). Particular attention is paid to how these films and series interpret Elizabeth I's virgin status and how they reflect their contemporary contexts, especially in regard to how their representation of Elizabeth I engages with the gender contexts at the time of production. Each of these examples independently and together, demonstrates how these audio-visual media are used by filmmakers to re-examine both the past and their contemporary situations, how they are able to interpret and communicate history through the particular techniques of their media, and how these relate to academic history. In an increasingly postliterate time, it is crucial that we can understand and learn from the different ways that history is being communicated and interpreted outside of the academic history book.