Movies - Lady Jane

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	Movies - Lady Jane

Lady Jane is a film, first released in the United Kingdom on February 7, 1986, that tells the story of Lady Jane Grey, the Nine Days' Queen. It is mainly remembered as Helena Bonham Carter's first major film role. The film's taglines are Under the shadow of the axe... and Together they ruled England for 9 days.

Jane Grey is played by Helena Bonham Carter, her husband Guilford Dudley by Cary Elwes, Queen Mary I of England by Jane Lapotaire, Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk (Jane's father) by Patrick Stewart, and Lady Frances Brandon (Jane's mother) by Sara Kestelman.

Plot summary

The death of King Henry VIII throws his kingdom into uncertainty because of the frail health and minority of his heir Edward VI. Anticipating the young king's imminent death from Consumption and anxious to keep England true to the Reformation — by keeping the Catholic Mary from the throne, John Dudley, Lord President of the Council, second only to the king in power, marries his son Guilford to Lady Jane Grey and has the royal physician keep the young king alive (though in excruciating pain) long enough to get him to name Lady Jane his heir.

Jane is not happy with the proposed marriage at first, and has to be persuaded by her parents and King Edward. At first Jane and Guilford decide to treat this purely as a marriage of convenience, but then fall deeply in love. Jane is placed on the throne after Edward dies. She is troubled by the questionable legality of her accession; but, in consultation with Guilford, she turns the tables on John Dudley and the others who thought to manipulate her like a puppet.

After only nine days, however, Queen Jane is abandoned by her council precisely because of her reformist designs for the country. The council, then, goes over to Mary I of England, who at first imprisons Jane and Guilford. After Jane's father, the Duke of Suffolk, raises a rebellion to restore her to the throne — presumably in concert with Thomas Wyatt's rebellion, Mary has no choice but to have her and Guilford executed at the insistence of the Spanish ambassador.

Historical accuracy

Although the film is correct to portray Jane as a precocious and talented scholar, apart from that it contains a number of historical inaccuracies.

In particular, Jane and Guilford probably did not get on very well with each other, and lived apart for most of their brief marriage. Jane was not a social reformer during her reign as the film portrays her.

There could also be a problem with the treatment of Jane's age. She was 15 at the time of her wedding and brief reign, and 16 when she was executed. In the film she is described near the start as 16. Later, although there is not much explicit detail, Guilford and her are shown in bed together and implied to be sexually active. The filmmakers may have wanted to avoid appearing to condone child abuse (16 is currently the age of consent in Great Britain). (In real life Helena Bonham Carter was 18 when it was filmed.)

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