The England of Elizabeth

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The England of Elizabeth
The England of Elizabeth film Opening titles (1957).jpg
Directed by John Taylor
Written by John Moore
Produced byIan Ferguson
Narrated by Alec Clunes
CinematographyJames Ritchie
Edited by John Legard
Music by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Production
company
Release date
  • 1957 (1957)
Running time
26 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

The England of Elizabeth (also known as England under Elizabeth) is a 1957 Technicolor documentary short film about the Elizabethan age, directed by John Taylor for British Transport Films. [1] The script was by Gloucestershire novelist John Moore. [2]

Contents

Cast

Score

The film is noted for its score composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams, which was the basis for his concert work Three Portraits from the England of Elizabeth. [3]

Reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "This colourful and satisfying film takes us on an artistic pilgrimage through Elizabethan England. Stately homes, familiar pictures, furniture, china, music and, of course, Shakespeare, are all used to evoke the spirit of a period and a tradition. The matching of image and text is often subtly contrived; Alec Clunes speaks the commentary with quiet dignity and Vaughan Williams' score provides an apt accompaniment, notably in the episodes dealing with the Spanish Armada." [4]

Kine Weekly wrote: "Highly interesting and entertaining Technicolor featurette which recaptures much of the glory of the first Elizabethan Age through still existent relics, books, stately homes and picturesque places. The rich material has been skilfully compiled, but pedantry is avoided, the commentary flows evenly and the scenic and photographic qualities are outstanding. Excellent British short." [5]

References

  1. ↑ "The England of Elizabeth". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
  2. ↑ The England of Elizabeth at BFI Screenonline
  3. ↑ Mark Doran, "London, Barbican: Vaughan Williams Rarities" in Tempo No.58, 70-73
  4. ↑ "The England of Elizabeth". The Monthly Film Bulletin . 24 (276): 50. 1 January 1957. ProQuest   1305828767.
  5. ↑ "The England of Elizabeth". Kine Weekly . 479 (2586): 19. 7 March 1957. ProQuest   2826275866.
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