ELIZABETHAN SCHOLAR PRAISES NEW FILM, "ELIZABETH"
An Elizabethan scholar at the University of Wyoming says the new film "Elizabeth" provides a "fascinating version" of the early life of Queen Elizabeth I.
Susan Frye, author of the book "Elizabeth I: The Competition for Representation," says the film depicts how Elizabeth sought to attain and keep England's throne in spite of family rivals and the protests of the Vatican. Frye's book was first published by Oxford University Press in 1993, and reprinted in a paperback edition in 1997.
The new film, directed by Shekhar Kapur and written by Michael Hirst, stars Cate Blanchett as Elizabeth, daughter of King Henry VIII.
"The film presents a fascinating version of Elizabeth because we see her when she was quite young and vulnerable," says Frey, an associate professor in UW's Department of English. Not surprisingly, she says the film is not historically accurate.
"In order to show just how beset with difficulties Elizabeth was, it compresses about 20 years of history into a year or two," she says. "Although I can't help thinking about what is and what is not accurate about the film, as a literary scholar who studies the relationships between images and politics, I found it of enormous interest."
Frye says the film's popularity and acclaim shows there is an audience for such films.
"When I went to see 'Elizabeth' recently in Denver, I couldn't get in to any of the Saturday showings and had to see it at 11 on Sunday morning," she says. "This tells me that audiences want to see films based on history. In fact, the history film has become an increasingly important genre for adult movie goers. Although 'Saving Private Ryan' is a very different kind of history film, its enormous popularity suggests that audiences are interested in accessing another time and place through film."
Frye says the Tudor family, which ruled England throughout the 16th century, is a perennial favorite for literature and films because "their history is so bloody and so gripping."
"The stories of Henry VIII and his wives, and then of his daughter, Elizabeth, come alive easily," she says. "Elizabeth continues to fascinate us because she ruled England for 45 years, during the beginning of English empire, the golden age of English literature, the beginning of the English theatre and the rise of science."
Frye is an internationally recognized scholar of the Elizabethan period. In addition to writing the book "Elizabeth I: The Competition for Representation," her research projects have included "Women's Work and Women's Writing in Elizabethan England," "Elizabeth I: Success and the Succession," "Women and Power," and "Life Before Power: The Young Elizabeth I."
"Most biographers of Elizabeth see her as powerless in her early life, but research suggests that she should instead be considered a political prodigy," Frye says.
A UW faculty member since 1986, Frye received a B.A. degree from Smith College, an M.A. degree from the University of New Mexico, and a Ph.D. degree from Stanford University.
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