“Lady Godiva of Coventry” Film Review
The film, Lady Godiva of Coventry, is one of the most significant films in history. It was set in the 11th Century and is still among the most important films to be created. The film was released in 1955, in the US, and runs for eighty-nine minutes. Understanding the plot allows one to further understand what the film entails, the cultural and historical significance that the film served back then, and continues to serve now. Lady Godiva is set in England, the eleventh Century. One of the characters, who happens to be the king, wants to have Lord Leofric to marry a woman who is Norman. He refuses to do this and is imprisoned, where he ends up meeting Godiva. This seems to be love at first sight, and after a short while, they end up marrying. As time passes, the people of Norman are consistently being forced to pay more taxes to keep up with the unnatural needs of the leadership (Boyd 15). While people are unwilling to call out the government and reduce the taxes, Godiva feels that this is not right. She tries to convince her husband that the leadership is wrong, but he is still stubborn. As a last result, Godiva rides her horse through the town naked, covered by only her long hair, to protest those taxes.
Major Characters
Lady Godiva is one of the main characters in this film. She appears to be strong-willed since she ends up dating a person she met in prison, yet she is the Sherriff’s sister. This is not something that would be expected; therefore, she goes all the way to marry him. Another instance where one can see that she is strong-willed is where she is willing to ride across the town naked if it means that she will get the taxes reduced. This also makes her a warrior for justice, as she fights for her people, sacrificing her dignity, and gets the results she wanted. She is also very compassionate since one can see that she is sympathizing with her people, who need some reprieve from the high taxes they are paying (Donoghue 31). Her husband, Leofric, is also quite the strong-willed character. He refuses to marry a woman from Norman and is willing to go to prison for it. The king is one character who is portrayed as being selfish and unaccommodating. He is willing to increase the taxes to support his agendas without caring for the people he was governing. The king plays his role well, making the audience understand how governance took place in such times and how bad leadership affected the people.
Settings
The setting of this film allows the viewer to feel like they are a part of the 11th Century. The film is set in a place that shows little modernization, a town that seems to still be in the 11th Century. Different shots have been taken during the day, and others made to look like they have been taking place at night. This gives the viewers a chance to feel that time is passing in-between the shots. Thus it is a continuous process. When looking at some of the film’s items, such as the clocks, the tools used to measure cooking ingredients, and the equipment used in different settings such as the kitchen and for transport also allows the viewers to understand the concept of the 11th Century (Donoghue 62). The storytelling allows one to see how much modernization n had taken place at the time, such as seeing how the king has the power to choose a woman for a man to be married to, without having a choice.
Lastly is the costumes. These bring the whole film together since the costumes give the characters a chance to get into their roles. The women wear long cloaks with hoods that they use to cover their heads. For those portrayed as rich in this film, all their clothes seem to be encrusted with diamonds and other shiny expensive metals (Boyd 23). The lighting fixtures, which are candles, give the costumes a dull covering, which shows that they are in a century that is yet to discover electricity.
Relevance and Importance of the Film
The film, Lady Godiva of Coventry, holds some historical relevance. The film allows one to see the role that women plaid in the revolution of England. Lady Godiva is portrayed as a woman who was willing to fight for the rights of other people. Previously, women were not often given credit for the roles that they served. Therefore, the film has been set around the activities and successes that Lady Godiva had (Mathias, Elizabeth, and Richard 240). Getting the stubborn king to change his mind and reduce the taxes shows that there is a lot more than women did back then, which does not deserve the recognition it deserves. The film shows that fighting for the people’s rights was a responsibility that all the people had. Without the work of Godiva, the country would have continued to pay high taxes.
How Watching the Film changed Different Perspectives
After watching the film, several things changed my interaction and understanding of people, their behavior, and their culture. First, the country was saved by a female, not often in films set during this time. The film showed that people are different. Therefore they should not be judged using the same standards. For example, Leofric did understand why the issue of high taxes was bothering his wife so much (Boyd 37). After seeing the extreme measures that she was willing to take to defend her people, he finally started to see things from Godiva’s point of view. The environment often influences the behavior that people exhibit that they grow up in. If the environment is one that does not have gender equality, then the individual ends to have the same views in the future, and with different people. This is why it was different when Godiva took the reins and fought for the rights of her people since women during this era were expected to be meek and listen to what their husbands said (Boyd 19). The women were also expected to marry whoever was chosen, which is why it was different when Godiva and Leofric met and were married for love. This shows that change is possible. Thus, cultures need to be accommodating of modernization.
Authenticity
Many people do not seem to be aware that Lady Godiva was indeed a real person, and so was her husband. They were a married couple, blessed with a number of children, and they still had the time to help the people in need, especially in their church. The difference between the film and the actual characters is that the part where the Lady rides naked is not factual. The original Lady Godiva was a generous woman who loved the church and loved to help those in need. They worked in Coventry, where they rendered their services to those who needed it. She also existed during the 11th Century, one of the most accurate aspects of the film. The part where Godiva rides a horse naked across the town is created for entertainment (Mathias, Elizabeth, and Richard 243). This helped amplify what Godiva and her husband had done for the people, an aspect of originality that was retained through the film. It was very creative of the producers to incorporate an activity of such historical significance in the film since the feats that were accomplished by Godiva were not small. The filmmakers made use of scenes that looked dated, though having been shot in the 20th Century. Making use of quality costumes that were accurate to the setting showed the viewers the producers’ dedication to give the viewers the most accurate depiction of the 11th Century.
Conclusion
Lady Godiva of Coventry is one of the most famous films that have been set in the early middle ages. The producers of this film were able to incorporate all the aspects of the film that help create the most accurate and most engaging film. The costumes used, the lighting, and the sound of the film show ample investments made. The costumes and the setting integrate well with the plot, which allows the viewers to enjoy the film, and gain some cultural gems from the film. While many films set during this era are aimed at educating the viewers on the activities of this era, the film was able to achieve both the entertainment and education factors.
