Fiction vs. History

After we watched "Elizabeth: the Golden Age" I started wondering about historical movies and their proximity to reality. 

Is well known that not everything we can see in movies is completely truth and we all know about the existence of special effects, edition and all that kind of things, but... what happen with "historical" movies?

First of all, is important to know what historical movies are. So, they are films in which story are based upon historical events and/or famous people (in this case, Queen Elizabeth I) and their purpose is to represent  that event or life as good as posible. 

There are lots of historical movies, and they show us some important events or details of someone's life in a more interesting way, especially if you don't like History very much.  Despite this, most times these films are not completely close to what really happens. For that reason, I started surfing the Internet and I discovered that "Elizabeth: the Golden Age" is one of these films. 

In this movie,  Sir Walter Raleigh is one of the most important characters, but actually he was less important that another characters who was omitted in the film, as William Cecil, Robert Dudley, Sir Robert Cecil or Robert Devereux, for example. Also, his role against The Invincible Armada was less important than Sir Francis Drake's role, who was one of the most important pieces in the England's victory. 

I think that this happens especially with historical movies because the story became more interesting if there is a  charismatic character who catch your attention, even if productors have to "modify" the events just to make it more attractive. 

Maybe, spectators would be less interested in the film if  they could see events as it happened.... We have to think that in general, movies are made to entertain... 

What about you? 

Would you enjoy the movie as much as you did if events would be shown exactly as it happened?

Urban legends of England

We have a lot of topics to talk about England, but my favourite topic is regarding Myths and legends of this country. England has a big variety of stories about ghost, killers, wizardry and witchcraft, some of them are most credible than others, but all this “tales” are so interesting. Now I will show you a few:

First, there is Sweeney Todd:

This is one of the best urban legends floating around London, is about a barber that supposedly kill his clients with his razor, then, his partner in crime, Mrs. Lovett, turned them into meat pies, which were then sold to the public in her pie shop. The existence of a real Sweeny Todd in 19th century is much disputed and there is little evidence to back these claims up.

In second place there is Jack the Ripper:

Between August and November 1888, five prostitutes were horribly mutilated. There has been much speculation as to the identity of the killer, he was named Jack the Ripper and maybe was a doctor or butcher. Many theories have been put forward suggesting individuals who might be responsible. One theory said that the murder was Queen Victoria's grandson, Prince Albert Victor, also known as the Duke of Clarence. Jack the Ripper was never caught and his or her identity never was clear

The third, is about the Ravens in the Tower of London:

An ancient prophecy gave to King Charles II said that the day on which the Ravens of the Tower of London live the building, this would be destroyed, the Crown would fall and with it throughout the British Empire. To prevent the prediction come to be real, Charles II issued a Royal Decree that said that should keep six crows live in the Tower.  During the Second World War the prediction almost turning real, the country was on the verge of falling down to hands of the Nazi. In this moment only an alive crow was staying in the tower, thanks to him the prediction was not fulfilled. Coinciding with other predictions, the empire does not have to survive.

And finally, we have Robin Hood:

Legend of famous Robin Hood says that he was a charitable thief that gives to the poor what he stole to rich. Some people say that he was living with his men and her maid Marion in the forest of Sherwood, near Nottingham between 1160 and the 1247.

I wanna invite you to read more about this country and his amazing culture and history.... Enjoy!!!

Elizabeth'98

This movie shows Elizabeth's first moments beforeand after her crowned . Since the moment she is in prison until the scene when she's declared as the Virgen Queen We can also see in a better way how the conflict with Spain and France begins, and how was the relationship that both countries had with Elizabeth's reign. As an example of that is the visit that Philip II of Spain and Henry III of France did to propose her marriage . In the movie Henry II of France is show as a men who prefers male company, wear lipstick and dresses like a woman, putting his sexuality in doubt.

The movie reveals how involved was Elizabeth in her duty, preferring her kingdom over her love life. In which Robert Dudley was present, who ended married with another woman, in the movie Elizabeth i's devastated with the new, specially because it was a hidden marriage. This is one of the reason why Elizabeth decided to married with England. Cate Blanch does an excellent performance in the role of Queen Elizabeth I, because she was able to show her as an strong and independent woman, who was capable of government a country without the need of a men by her side. But also, showing her insecurities as a woman. The film ends in a very dramatic way, when Queen Elizabeth I decided by some kind of ritual giving England a Virgen, this is why she convert herself into what she considered the image of a Virgen, by cutting her hair (a very emotional scene) and also painting white all her body. The final scene shows Elizabeth sitting in her throne and initiating her Golden Age

Elizabeth: the golden age

Elizabeth: the golden age was a great movie; one of the things that caught my attention of it was the fact that in the movie were shown two women as queens, they both had so much power and a huge responsibility  in contrast with the women´s role in the old England where women were educated to serve men and they didn’t have the right to a proper education or to have any kind of possession, they were treated as inferior beings, as they served only to procreate as Elizabeth father demonstrated during his life with his many marriages and his wives beheadings.

 It seems to me a little odd that any of them did anything to change the women’s role during their reign, it wasn’t until the 1800´s that women began to have some rights. I believe that Elizabeth fought against the conception of men about her as a woman and her capability to rule a chauvinist country. She demonstrated what a strong and intelligent woman was capable of if given the opportunity. Maybe the reason why she did not marry was because of the role of women in old England, she didn’t want to be subjected to a man wishes and desires, she was the Queen after all, men and women were subjected to her wishes and desires not the other way around.

Elizabeth became an icon of courage and strength of character for women nowadays, but she actually failed in changing the women´s stereotype in old England. How do you think it would be the lives of women today if elizabeth had done something to improve the situation of women during his reign? Would it have made ​​any difference?



http://www.elizabethi.org/contents/women/

http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/elizabethan-women.htm

Most Famous Queen of All Time. Period.

When we hear talk of kings and queens, it is very likely that we will come to mind Europe, and especially England, it is a fact that has made this kingdom a medieval culture icon. So between both king and queen of that era, it is one which has been featured in countless movies, series, and documentaries in his honor; nothing more and nothing less than the Queen Elizabeth, the Virgin Queen. We saw in class the Elizabeth 1998 movie directed by Shekhar Kapur, and it was really fascinating. It was clearly more sensationalist and exciting than the real story, but it certainly captures the aura of majesty and divinity with which is often related to the queens. We also have to take into account the historical factor of the same story, which makes it even more impressive. It's a good movie to watch with your family, or even to study it, as was our case. It helped us better understand the European culture and place it in a historical context.

Would you be upset if I told we were dying?

Sometimes we spend so much time worrying about so many things without sense, that we do not realize what is really happening. Sometimes we think that just a good action make a good people. But that is not the truth. The truth is that every time we look away we are still part of the problem. A fact is that animal life on our planet is declining, and the guilt of this, is on us. That is the meaning of this song by Streetlight Manifesto, and the phrase "Would you be upset if I told we were dying?" makes us question whether we are actually doing something about it. Sometimes, I really feel that the human race is a cancer in the history of the Earth, but I also feel that we are the only ones able to fix it. So, you will do something about, or you will still looking away?

Why was so popular the Virgin Queen?

Why was so popular the Virgin Queen?

We are never know how would was the queen, the true is the British people loved, all the names that she had about “Virgin Queen” was and is a very important and interesting way to said things but why she was so popular?

 I think that the most important point was that in this time there isn’t TV and pop singers , so for this the people just follow the Queens and Kings because they were the only people that were different and popular and famous. Other way she was so popular I think was that she was a very different woman; because she in all live was a virgin Queen, this is a very interesting point for the people in internet are more blogs, pages and forum with a lot ideas about why she never married… in one documental of the History Channel talk about that and show more ways that her life, one theory said that she was she or he? I think that is very interesting because are two theory one is that she was a men because when she is 10 years she sickened and died and one boy that play and was very close to hers replacement to hers. The other theory is that she has hermaphrodite and for this problem she never married. All this hearsay say why she is very interesting in the “Culture as an Iceberg” I think this is relevant with “roles in relation to status” and in this case is with sex and the same time is relevant with the occupation where one queen or king have to make a family and have descendant of their crown.

When you start to read these reasons maybe you want to know and search  more information  or maybe when you read this do you feel reading one magazine because in this times we want to know everything about the others persons and have one opinion so why was so popular the queen? Is easy was and is now because she was a special and intelligent person.