ELIZABETH
"Elizabeth" is a Gothic soap opera set against the backdrop of 16th Century England. The country is on the verge of financial collapse, and the fates of her subjects are determined by the shifting winds of politics and religion. Elizabeth Tudor, ‘bastard child’ of Henry VIII, ascends the throne with a country girl’s view of the world. She is torn by love and duty, but hardened by political reality. Her father’s friends flock to her side but she must win their respect by becoming as ruthless as he was. To return peace and prosperity to England, she must cut off the tentacles of Catholic influence that stretch from the Vatican into her council chambers. Elizabeth I must learn how be a ruler.
Historical writer Michael Hirst provides the blueprint for "Elizabeth" while director Shekhar Kapur’s bold cinematic style captures the mood of the people and their times The story is woven into a visual tapestry of shadow and light that reflects the changes in Elizabeth’s emotional fabric. She is illuminated in moments of innocence and hope, and refracted through beveled glass in times of indecision. She conceals herself from view when retreating from her failures, and appears lost amidst the castle’s stone columns when she begins to lose her grip on the kingdom. At Elizabeth’s coronation, her sworn enemy, the Catholic Duke of Norfolk, towers beside her while coveting the power symbolized by the scepter that conspicuously separates them. She has the power of the throne but he has the loyalty of the nobles. Norfolk will do anything to discredit her even at the cost of war. Spain and France threaten England from without while the Vatican conspires with the clergy to destroy her from within.
Elizabeth discovers that it’s lonely at the top!
The performances in "Elizabeth" are phenomenal right down to the smallest role. Richard Attenborough heads the supporting cast as Sir William Cecil who is intent on finding Elizabeth a husband to sire a male heir to the throne. Christopher Eccleston has a commanding presence as the Duke of Norfolk, and Joseph Fiennes is Robert Dudley whose love for Elizabeth blinds him to the duties of his station. At first, Elizabeth relies on the good intentions of Sir William and the bad advice of Norfolk with disastrous results. Dudley tells her, "Remember who you are." Eventually she recognizes the talents of the politically savvy Sir Francis Walsingham, played with chilling effect by Geoffrey Rush. He is an assassin to his enemies and a fierce patriot to his Queen. He skims across the court like a snake on water. Cate Blanchett’s Elizabeth matures before our eyes from a doe-eyed ward of the state to a coquettish woman testing the political waters until she finds her bearing. Under Walsingham’s protection, Elizabeth sheds suitors, survives attempts on her life, and frees herself from the shackles of the Catholic Church. Under his tutelage she learns the art of deception, and becomes her father’s daughter. She emulates Henry VIII’s style in thought, word and bloody deed with an act of retribution reminiscent of the Baptismal massacre in "The Godfather."
Elizabeth wonders what it is about the Blessed Mother that inspires men to die in her name. Walsingham tells her it is the supreme sacrifice of her Son that draws men to her. In response Elizabeth gives up her earthly symbols in a manner that links the recent past to her present. She chops off her hair like the Protestant martyrs who were burned at the stake. A regal gown detracts attention from her physical beauty and her face is painted to resemble a stone icon of a sorrowful Blessed Mary. The priests may be married to the Church, but she declares that she is married to England. Elizabeth I gives up her humanity to offer her subjects a touch of the divine. She is transfigured into The Virgin Queen.
Shekhar Kapur has managed to make an entertainment that has a resonance beyond the narrative that unfolds on the screen. Some may see "Elizabeth" as a feminist tract, while others can easily draw parallels to the religious and political conflicts that plague the world today. Shekhar’s one claim to fame is "The Bandit Queen", made in his native India. It’s the true life story of a brutalized child who grows into a symbol of freedom for her caste. On the surface, it doesn’t seem to have much in common with "Elizabeth." But seen in the abstract, the stories have the same concerns for social justice without regard to class or religious conviction. The two Queens also share the will to become masters of their own fate. If nothing else, "Elizabeth" proves that Shekhar Kapur is a master story teller who can go to the heart of a story and make it beat as one with the heart of his audience.
Greg Murray
Some other movies with Queen Elizabeth I
"Mary of Scotland" - 1936: Katharine Hepburn has the title role. Florence Eldridge played Queen Elizabeth. Florence was most notably a stage actress who appeared in a few movies starring her husband Fredric March. Fred is Hep’s love interest in this one. Loosely based on a play by Maxwell Anderson. John Ford is the director.
"Fire Over England" - 1937: A showpiece for Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh with Flora Robson as Elizabeth the Queen. The defeat of the Spanish Armada figures in this one.
"Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex" aka "Elizabeth the Queen" - 1939: The Warner Bros. classic with Bette Davis and Errol Flynn. Loosely based on another play by Maxwell Anderson
"Sea Hawk" - 1940: Another Warner Bros. spectacular. Flora Robson returns as Elizabeth to command Errol Flynn to plunder the Spanish Main. A restored video version is supposed to have Robson delivering a patriotic speech intended for its wartime British audience.
"Young Bess" - 1953: Noreen Corcoran who went on to brief fame on TV in the fifties as Kelly on "Bachelor Father" is Elizabeth as a kid. Jean Simmons handles the bulk of the work when Elizabeth grows up. Charles Laughton is a great Henry VIII. Of course he played him once before winning an Oscar in the title role in "The Private Life of Henry VIII" in 1933.
"The Virgin Queen" - 1955: Another Hollywood gem with "Bette Davis" once again as Elizabeth I. Richard Todd is Sir Walter Raleigh.
"Mary, Queen of Scots" - 1971: Another adaptation of a Maxwell Anderson play with
Vanessa Redgrave as the Scottish cousin of Queen Elizabeth I destined for the Tower of London. Glenda Jackson is Elizabeth I.