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Writer's picturederekmarshall9

Homo-erotic heroines of Hatfield

Updated: Jan 11, 2019

If you haven't yet seen 'The Favourite', then you should. It is a splendid film and mostly filmed in Hatfield House, which provides a totally ravishing backdrop to a movie that is visually striking throughout. The acting of the principal players is also brilliant, especially Olivia Colman as Queen Anne. The whole creation of life in the royal court in the very early 18th century is fantastic and very convincing, probably misleadingly so. Why do I say that? Well, after all, I did read history at uni and I don't remember J H Plumb, the great historian of the period, saying anything about lesbian relationships at court deciding the fate of Great Britain. Yes, all the main characters in this film existed, and events along the lines here described took place but, to quote Wikipedia "most historians don't believe there were relationships of a sexual kind between Queen Anne and her 'favourites', nor I suspect is there any evidence that the political battle between the Whig and Tory parties, which is sketched in the film, was decided by which woman satisfied the Queen best. The only other negative comment I can make is that the sight of Mark Gatiss playing the Duke Of Marlborough convinced me that Benedict Cumberbatch was bound to make an appearance as a Hanoverian Sherlock at any moment. Those caveats off my chest, I thought this film was a magnificent historical romp (on a par with Wolf Hall I would say) and I already feel I would like to see it again.

I should add that since writing this entry I have read an article by historian Hannah Greig called "When women called the shots", published in the January edition of the BBC History magazine, in which she argues that this: "....was an era in which women at court exercised unparalleled influence and political power - The Favourite is closer to the truth than you might think."


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