Elizabeth I

The hardest thing to govern is the heart. Elizabeth I was dubbed “The Virgin Queen,” a beloved woman whose political triumphs during an unprecedented 45-year reign overshadowed her deep desire to find love and passion. Academy Award®- nominee Dame Helen Mirren (Gosford Park, Calendar Girls, The Queen) absolutely inhabits the regal role, offering an inspired portrait of a Queen cleverly cajoling her allies, defeating her enemies and battling for survival in a male-dominated world. Enter into Elizabeth’s tempestuous relationship with the Earl of Leicester (Academy Award®- winner Jeremy Irons, Reversal of Fortune, Brideshead Revisited) as it survives a French suitor, war, treason and illness. Follow the beloved monarch in her later years as she embraces an equally passionate affair with the young, ambitious Earl of Essex (Hugh Dancy, King Arthur), who had been raised, ironically, by his stepfather Leicester. Look beyond the myth at the woman behind the crown in a magnificently filmed mini-series event that aired on HBO. DVD extras include Making Elizabeth I and Uncovering the Real Elizabeth I.