ABSTRACT
The lute emerges as an outstanding musical icon for the representation of the Tudor Court in cinema. Films set in the Renaissance trade on the popularity of the lute in all classes of society. The sound of the lute and the instrument’s versatility support many narrative situations in films and reveal intricate interplays and surrogate emotional participation. Anne of the Thousand Days (1969, dir. Charles Jarrot) and Elizabeth (1998, dir. Shekhar Kapur), among others, provide this chapter with numerous examples on how the lute, whilst strongly engaged in authenticating the period, serves a greater function than mere historicisation.
