'THE VIRGIN QUEEN' A JEWEL IN PBS CROWN.Byline: David Kronke Television Critic WHAT'S GOTTEN into the folks at ``Masterpiece Theatre''? First, PBS PBS in full Public Broadcasting Service Private, nonprofit U.S. corporation of public television stations. PBS provides its member stations, which are supported by public funds and private contributions rather than by commercials, with educational, cultural, opened its season three weeks back with a very kinky take on Sherlock Holmes involving debutantes, bondage and foot fetishes. And now it's offering up ``The Virgin Queen'' with the tag line, ``She led by leading men on.'' It's been a couple of years since PBS' flagship series has enjoyed corporate underwriting and perhaps the ``MT'' heads are getting a little itchy to find a new sponsor, possibly hoping to cast a slightly wider net. Next year, maybe, ``Masterpiece Theatre'' might be underwritten by the ``Girls Gone Wild'' video series. Just a thought. ``The Virgin Queen'' plays somewhat less salaciously sa·la·cious adj. 1. Appealing to or stimulating sexual desire; lascivious. 2. Lustful; bawdy. [From Latin sal than as billed. It offers another take on Elizabeth I (Anne-Marie Duff), the Protestant daughter of Henry VIII, who, as the four-hour miniseries opens, is imprisoned im·pris·on tr.v. im·pris·oned, im·pris·on·ing, im·pris·ons To put in or as if in prison; confine. [Middle English emprisonen, from Old French emprisoner : en- by her jealous, Catholic half-sister Mary (Joanne Whalley). She ascends to the throne when Mary dies, whereupon she must negotiate the political minefields of a nation torn A Nation Torn, by Delia Ray, is a child oriented history of how the American Civil War began. It is in the history series A Young Reader's History of the Civil War. A Nation Torn describes the events from 1861 to the first battle of the Civil War at Charleston Harbor. by rival religious concerns - she scandalizes Catholics by decreeing prayers be conducted in English rather than Latin - not to mention insistences she marry a foreign suitor who will strengthen England, upon which Mary Queen of Scots Mary Queen of Scots (Mary Stuart), 1542–87, only child of James V of Scotland and Mary of Guise. Through her grandmother Margaret Tudor, Mary had the strongest claim to the throne of England after the children of Henry VIII. (Charlotte Winner) has ambitiously cast her eyes. All along, Elizabeth harbors feelings for the inconveniently married Robert Dudley (Tom Hardy), with whom she carries on a less-than-subtle flirtation before her court. His ailing wife's death is, if anything, even more inconvenient. Despite all the intrigue and betrayals, Elizabeth I somehow managed to reign for half a century, from the mid-1500s to 1603, and without marrying (declaring England her betrothed, though Maureen Dowd would no doubt suggest men were put off by her unladylike power and keen intelligence). ``The Virgin Queen'' falls somewhere between the sort of handsomely produced costume dramas at which ``Masterpiece Theatre'' excels (generally by acquiring them from the BBC BBC in full British Broadcasting Corp. Publicly financed broadcasting system in Britain. A private company at its founding in 1922, it was replaced by a public corporation under royal charter in 1927. ) and the more urgently paced 1998 Cate Blanchett film, ``Elizabeth,'' which delineated the political machinations with a viscerally sinister edge. Duff's bravura bra·vu·ra n. 1. Music a. Brilliant technique or style in performance. b. A piece or passage that emphasizes a performer's virtuosity. 2. A showy manner or display. adj. 1. performance - her large, somewhat sallow sal·low adj. Of a sickly yellowish hue or complexion. v. To make sallow. eyes can be playful, imperiously steely and fearsome as she portrays Elizabeth from age 20 to 70 - propels the production, as does stylish direction from Coky Giedroyc, who lent a similar flamboyance to BBC America's series ``Viva Blackpool.'' David Kronke,(818) 713-3638 david.kronke(at)dailynews.com THE VIRGIN QUEEN - Three stars What: ``Masterpiece Theatre'' miniseries about Queen Elizabeth. Where: KCET KCET Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo (Japan) KCET Kamaraj College of Engineering and Technology . When: 9 p.m. Sunday and Nov. 20. In a nutshell: Anne-Marie Duff shines as Elizabeth. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Anne-Marie Duff portrays Elizabeth I, who ruled England for half a century and never married, declaring England as her betrothed, in the two-part ``The Virgin Queen'' on KCET. |
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