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Lady Jane

Starring: Helena Bonham Carter, Cary Elwes
Director: Trevor Nunn
Genre: Drama
Year: 1986
Rating: 3 / 5

Reviewed by Guest Scribe Legend

For readers unacquainted with Lady Jane Grey, her history is quite an interesting one. She was a great-niece of Henry VIII descended from his sister, Mary Brandon (née Tudor), and the daughter of Thomas Grey and his wife Frances (née Brandon). Under the laws of primogeniture, a woman's right to the crown was always subordinate to that of her male siblings, so it is striking that, during the reign of Henry VIII's sole son, Edward VI, the next ten claimants to the throne were all women.

As Edward VI was a sickly youth, the succession crisis which worried Henry VIII during his life came to fruition posthumously. By order of Henry VIII's Act of Succession and will, Mary Tudor (daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon) would accede to the throne in the event Edward produced no heirs, followed by the heirs of the Suffolk line (the descendants of Charles and Mary Brandon). The Scottish line was struck out for various reasons, largely based on the principle that the English crown should not be subsumed by the Scottish monarchy. Even so, it is evident that Jane Grey's claim to the throne was a relatively weak one. The power behind the throne at the time was John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, who did everything in his power to avoid a Catholic successor to Edward. Hence his support of Jane Grey, whom he convinces Edward to appoint as heir in his will. Obviously, there are long-standing laws regarding succession, and these are not so easily set aside. After Jane was proclaimed Queen on Edward's death, she was not supported by the people, most of whom were still Catholic at heart and were upset at the poor treatment of Catherine of Aragon - the princess Mary was the obvious choice for Queen. Nine days later, Jane was deposed and Mary crowned, and ultimately, Jane, though a mere pawn, was beheaded at the Tower of London.

On to the movie! The portrayal of Jane (Helena Bonham Carter) and her family in the early going is very well done. She's played as extremely well-educated and intelligent, firmly Protestant, well-spoken and poised for her age. She prefers bookish pursuits to the outdoorsy ones enjoyed by her parents, Henry (Patrick Stewart) and Frances (Sara Kestelman) Grey, Duke and Duchess of Suffolk. As Edward's health fails, Northumberland (John Wood) plots with Frances to take anticipatory measures, and arranges a marriage between Jane and his own son, Guilford Dudley (Cary Elwes). Guilford is the exact opposite of Jane, a brothel-going irresponsible gambler, and neither the bride nor the groom are happy with the match. It goes on, nonetheless, due in large part to Lady Frances' efforts in beating the living crap out of her daughter. Ah, such familial love in Tudor England!

Jane and Guilford despise each other at first, but soon find they complement each other well. Jane's idealism and cold, sheltered, intellectual nature contrast with Guilford's down-to-earth grip on reality. Unfortunately, the movie at this point is hijacked by an embellished saccharine love story where the two care about nothing else but each others' love.

When Edward dies and Jane is brought to England and crowned Queen, she is at first reluctant, before accepting the role and spinning her web of quasi-socialist policies throughout the realm. "Queen's wardrobe? No! Sell it all and give the proceeds to the poor while I keep wearing this dowdy black frock I've been in all movie long."

When the inevitable happens and Jane is deemed a usurper, she must cede the throne to Mary, who does her best to protect her cousin Jane. It's a bit pathetic the way the pubescent Jane prostrates herself in front of Mary to grovel as best she can. This portrayal is so interesting to me, since Mary, who, as a post-Henry VIII English Catholic sovereign, is normally painted with a negative brush, at least in our Anglo-centric view of history. Here, surprisingly, she appears merciful and accommodating, writhing every which way to avoid the inevitable result of executing Jane. However, Jane refuses to renege her sincere Protestant beliefs, and it is not long before she meets her Maker - par for the course for your garden-variety claimant to the throne in merry olde Tudor times.

While the film is not overtly pro-Catholic or pro-Protestant, it makes some commentary on the downfall of Catholicism under Henry's rule. For instance, Northumberland and Frances acknowledge their wealth and territory as Protestant gentry increased due to confiscations from the church; Jane is appalled when she runs into peasants who have been evicted from lands the church previously allowed them to till for free; Doctor Feckinham (Michael Hordern), Mary's Catholic envoy, is the most benign character in the film; and there is of course the above-mentioned general positive treatment of Mary herself. Offset by Jane's frequent acerbic mockery and challenges to Catholic teachings and her ultimate execution, I believe the film strikes a fair balance in showing both sides of the equation.

The problem with Lady Jane is that it is uneven. Brilliant in parts, cheesy in others, the film is muddied up by the sugary love story which causes the plot and Jane to wane and lose their focus. A good enough effort in the end, but I'd like to see another offering about the Nine Day Queen.

P.S. Jane could really have used a tweezers; her unibrow was out of control.

Cast:

Certification: Rated PG-13.
Running Time: 142 minutes.

Additional Info: Internet Movie Database
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