Visual Parables - March/April 2012

This 15 minute short film is a docudrama, which looks at the last day and hours of Lady Jane Grey's life. In the tumultuous time of Tudor England, Mary Tudor demands that Lady Jane Grey give up her Anglican faith in order to convert to Roman Catholicism. When Lady Jane Grey refuses to covert, Mary Tudor orders her to be beheaded.

The film begins in modern times with a young woman in a library reading the story of Lady Jane Grey. We are then transported to a scene the night before Lade Jane Grey's execution. Carefully she composes a last letter to her sister and gives her the parting gift of a Bible. Even at he young age of sixteen, Lady Jane Greg's education and faith are obvious. Her steadfast refusal to covert to Catholicism earned her the designation of martyr.

This film was written by Jerica Henline, who also portrays Lady Jane Grey. This teenage writer/actress teams up with her director brother to bring a young perspective to the film. Since the writer is of similar age to Lady Jane Grey at her time of execution, she offers a unique connection the young life of this martyr.

Also included on the disc is 13 minutes of bonus features including interviews with the young director and writer/actress. This film could be particularly interesting to use with a high school youth group as a way of exploring the depth of faith and conviction of beliefs. The 15-minutes run time would allow time for good discussion even in a brief Sunday School period. (Also this could serve as an introduction to the 1986 feature film Lady Jane Grey, available on DVD.)