From Britain’s Most Unloved Queen to the Favourite?
From Britain’s Most Unloved Queen to the Favourite?

Film Representations of Queen Anne

Author(s): Dorota Babilas
Subject(s): Theoretical Linguistics, Applied Linguistics, Studies of Literature, Philology, History of Art, British Literature
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: Queen Anne; film; The Favourite; British monarchy
Summary/Abstract: Compared with her eminent compatriots, Queen Elizabeth I and Queen Victoria, Queen Anne appears to enjoy a very limited presence in popular culture. The recent Oscar-nominated film "The Favourite" (2018) directed by Yorgos Lanthimos may be perceived as an attempt to redress this situation. However, the director, known for his highly experimental earlier works, seems to be interested more in the symbolic and ironic cultural uses of the Queen, than in her real biography. The article attempts to explore the apparently sudden vindication and re-appreciation of Britain’s most unloved female monarch in the light of modern cultural issues, such as feminism and LGBT rights.

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