Elizabeth

Rating:
Summary: Elizabeth would be deeply insulted if she saw this movie.
Review: When I bought this DVD I knew that it would be somewhat historically inaccurate. I was prepared for that because most historical movies are off in some aspects. I popped it into my computer and at first felt okay with everything that was going on. That was until about fifteen or twenty minutes into the movie after Elizabeth was crowned queen. Everything went straight down hill from there.

The first thing that bothered me a bit was when they showed a sex scene between Elizabeth and Robert Dudley. It could have very well happened but there was never any proof that it did. It would have been more interesting if they let it happen the way it really did, where nobody knew exactly if they were having sex or not. For example, showing Elizabeth and Robert spending a lot of time together and maybe have a seen where one of Elizabeth's ladies stumbles in on them together when Elizabeth is only in her nightgown early in the morning. It leaves you thinking in the end because you never actually saw them getting intimate. Still, I didn't let that scene ruin the movie for me.

After that scene the movie just heads down confusion lane. I tried forgetting everything I knew about Elizabeth's life in hopes that I would understand the plot but I just couldn't. Then I tried using the knowledge I obtained from reading several books about Elizabeth and I still didn't comprehend what was happing. Not only was the plot jumping about at a hyperactive pace but some scenes were just so absurd I couldn't help but laugh even though the moment was supposed to be serious. Such as one scene where this cloaked assassin is walking down the hallway towards Elizabeth. All she does is stand there and watch him approach with this confused look on her face. Since when is she left totally alone in a hallway with some masked stranger coming towards her and she doesn't even do anything? There was also another scene where one of Elizabeth's suitors comes to woe her into marriage. He stays for a bit and is hanging out in a room with scantly clad men and women when Elizabeth bursts in to find him dressed as a girl and wearing make-up. How hilarious is that? It's true that Elizabeth was offered a husband who did cross-dress but it was his brother that visited her. Besides, you think he would have enough sense not to cross-dress in a foreign ruler's palace, right? Seesh. What an embarrassment on the director's part.

I'm being completely honest when I say that I'm not being an overly harsh critic of this movie. I love reading about history and watching historical movies and television shows but this movie was a huge disappointment. I'm okay with getting some facts wrong but getting practically every single thing wrong and turning it into a huge jumbled up mess? No, I don't think so. This movie doesn't even show how great of a ruler Elizabeth was at all. Anything political that was attempted was always deluded with some silly scene that blew the whole mood into something strange -probably some sexual matter. To me this movie is nothing but a confusing lie.

The only good things about this movie was that it was somewhat beautiful with its nice costumes and the acting was well done. Those are the only reasons why I give 'Elizabeth' an extra star.


Rating:
Summary: Murky story of the "Virgin Queen"
Review: Cate Blanchett, in her Oscar-nominated role, gives a splendid performance of "Elizabeth" in this sometimes strange dramatic rendering of Queen Elizabeth I's early days on the throne. The cinematography and costuming are excellent and Blanchett is simply stunningly beautiful. Her romance with Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester is given a torrid rendering - in this version, at least, Elizabeth is anything but a "Virgin Queen" which may raise eyebrows, but it works on film. Also an intriguing look at what it must have been like to be a major world ruler at a time when women were reduced to subservient roles. To survive, Elizabeth transformed herself into an icon and changed the course of British history. Highly recommend. Dark and strange though!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Performance by Cate Blanchett
Review: Cate Blanchett is by far a superior actor and a personal favorite. Many great actresses have played Queen Elizabeth I (Bette Davis, Glenda Jackson) but only Cate Blanchett has made the role truly hers. She "is" Elizabeth and her formidable portrayal shows us a passionate, intelligent, calculating and all-over real woman with virtues and flaws. Ms. Blanchett's performance deserved the Academy Award for Best Actress, but I am certain that this talented actress will continue to amaze us with her extraordinary talent.

Rating:
Summary: Intense powerful historical drama
Review: Cate Blanchett powerfully portrays Elizabeth I, Queen of England. She is surrounded by a superb all star cast. The terror and fears of this age are rightly portrayed throughout the story. If one did not agree with Queen Mary they were sent to the Tower. Elizabeth herself was arrested. Queen Mary, a strict Catholic, however could not execute her Protestant half-sister. Upon Mary's death, Elizabeth became Queen. She rose to power when there was no army and no money in the treasury. Elizabeth as well had to battle the pope and her people's loyalty to the Catholic Church. Alliances were made and broken by marriage proposals. Spain, France, Scotland, and England were all locked in battle for supremacy. Her scandalous affair with Robert Dudley continued. There are several extraneous flashy scenes where the action flashes in and out, between light and dark, and still shots, to convey the drama. Overall I found this to be a worthwhile drama which gives witness to events of a turbulent time in history.

Rating:
Summary: oh, puh-leeze!
Review: This film is the most ludicrous, incoherent garbage! It would be comical if it weren't so irritating. I kept asking myself as stupidity piled on stupidity -- WHAT were these writers SMOKING?

Too many complaints to mention, but I will say if Elizabeth had been this wobbly and retarded, she wouldn't have lasted long enough to inherit the throne, let alone keep it!

If you want to see a dramatized version of Elizabeth's life, stick with "Elizabeth R", made for British TV with Glenda Jackson. Yes, the sets may be tatty, but you won't notice because the writing and acting are so good, and history hasn't been twisted into a perverted pretzel in order to tell the story.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful and well researched
Review: This movie is great even if you aren't a history buff...the story spans and amazing life, and the transformation in Blanchett is unbelievable. If you are at all familiar with Queen Elizabeth (or owned a Norton's anthology), you will probably experience some dejavu when seeing some of the beautiful scenes. This is an intense movie, and one that will lead you into a real appreciation of Blanchett's abilities.

Rating:
Summary: All a bit much, really
Review: As Elizabeth I, Cate Blanchett is, of course, extraordinary. As a visual extravaganza, the film is lush and dramatic. And yet, the overall effect is rather wearying. The director uses a pretty heavy hand, especially when it comes to the score. He also manages to make the drama of Elizabeth's early life, which hardly needs any embellishment, seem unlikely. I don't mind loose treatment of factual events if used in service to the story, but this film was loose in tone, so that it was hard to believe that these were Elizabethan men and women, rather than actors in rich costumes. This is filmmaking as music video instead of filmmaking as storytelling.

Rating:
Summary: Historically Inaccurate
Review: When this movie hit the theatres, I had just begun to find an interest in Elizabeth, and had not read much about her yet. Found the movie confusing, and thought it was just my ignorance that I could not follow the events.

However, I rented the video recently after having read many biographies on her, and could not believe how wrong the chain of events in this movie were! It appears they just grabbed character names from her biographies that sounded good, and created the rest, or just twisted events completely out of order (unneccarily in my opinion) ...How is it that one scene after Mary of Guise is dead, Norfolk is convicted of treason for plotting with her daughter, Mary Queen of Scots???? I think I will have to check out the sequel to this, just to see how they plan to handle Mary Queen of Scot's actual treason with Norfolk (considering he has already been executed for this)??? Will be amusing to see what they come up with for the next movie. Also was very disapointed in the portrayal of Dudley, also grossly inaccurate, perhaps he will marry Queen of Scots in the sequal since he is such a devoted catholic.....