Elizabeth

Rating:
Summary: You wouldn't get bored by watching it a second time!
Review: History is more a matter of Art than Science: history is largely a matter of interpretations after all! Apart from some basic facts, accuracy is only a matter of degree. Here we see the threats and constraints of Queen Elizabeth and the underlying determining facts-- almost in full, before she made a decision of the most personal nature, that of choosing her own husband.

All these matters are spun together to make a very good drama. Even if something really happened before the others in the dimension we objectively call "time", how can we say subjectively that the real force or real effects didn't take place the other way round? Life is such a complexity and decision is not always easy to make, moreover, and we are all eternally in a flux and so are our viewpoints! How do we distinguish an "action" from a "reaction", or whether it's merely an "interaction" , or the other way round or both, in the pysche of human beings or else in the FICTION we call "history" ?

This is a most entertaining as well as instructive movie, making history so sensible to most of the viewers who are fortunately not unnecesarily too pedantic: things like the loosening of the Pope's grip on England, the equilibrium between the Europeans powers or even the struggle between Scotland (and France) and England...etc. Production and acting are good, one won't get bored by watchinging it a second time. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: So dark it mesmerizes you!
Review: When Queen Bloody Mary dies from what is found out to be a tumor, her half-sister, thought to be a heritic by her loyalists, takes the throne, causing much controversy to abound throughout the entire kingdom. Throughout her reign as queen, she faces assassination attempts, newfound and lost love and political turmoil. Through it all, the movie demonstrates her continuous power and how she deals with each hardship.

First of all, this movie is one of the most beautiful I've seen, but in a dark form. It sort of mesmerizes you, in that it is so different from what it is now. Second of all, the movie wonderfully captures what the challanges of being a ruler were back then. For instance, Elizabeth constantly had to face people secretly plotting against her and her subjects plotting against her enemies...without her knowledge. It truly is a wonderful display of the British Empire as a whole.

The acting in this movie was also spectacular. Cate Blanchett shines in this powerhouse film. She triumphantly takes in and conveys every emotion and feeling with such grace that it amazes you. I felt that her competetor at the 1998 Oscars, Gwyneth Paltrow, did not have as difficult a role as Blanchett, thus making Blanchett the better choice for the award. Unfortunately, the Acadamy did not believe this to be true. I do think that if anybody were to see this film in full theater format compared to Shakespeare In Love, they would realize how much depth Blanchett as Elizabeth has. I was blown away.

Bottom Line: Everyone should see this movie for its incredible acting, history, depth, cinematography, beauty, music and the costumes that helped make this film perfect. (I give it an A+ and five out of five stars. It is number 6 on my top ten favorite movies list.)

Rating:
Summary: Sensationalist Film About Queen Elizabeth
Review: Who was Queen Elizabeth ? Was she a woman who loved her country so much that she forsook marriage and future heirs so that she may rule wisely and alone for the sake of fame and for the enhancement of briliant English history ? Queen Elizabeth joined the ranks with the long forgotten queens who ruled in their own right, strong and independent women who took on roles otherwise reserved only for men. Such women in the past included the great Nefertiti and Hatshepsut of ancient Egypt, Boudica who bravely fought the Romans and Queen Katherine The Great of Russia. Yes, there have been many strong queens in the past. But Elizabeth manages to fascinate us to this day. The 1998 film starred Kate Blanchett as the young Queen who was in her first years of her reign. 1998 also saw a trend in Elizabethan Era films- Shakespeare In Love would soon follow and win Best Picture.

Kate Blanchett is Queen Elizabeth. She is ice and fire. Her paleness and white make up, along with the lavishly detailed and historically accurate gowns, make her look as Queen Elizabeth did centuries ago. Famous for her strong will and her refusal of marriage (Elizabeth claimed to have died a virgin), Queen Elizabeth's story always make people think twice about a woman's "place being in the home." Elizabeth ruled far better than even her father Henry the 8th did and she was an ornament and pillar of strength to England during its height of power.

The film is set in mid 1500's when Elizabeth was candidate for English rule. She was the illegitimate daughter of Henry the 8th and Anne Boylen. Neglected as a child, Elizabeth grew up in the household of her stepmother Katherine Paar and her husband Thomas Seymour. Thomas Seymoure had ambitious plans to marry Elizabeth and become king of England. But Thomas Seymour's plot was discovered and he was executed. Elizabeth, too, was imprisoned in the Tower for some time. These parts are not shown in the film as it goes on to deal with Elizabeth's life after her short term imprisonment in the Tower. When she was running for Queen, she had many supporters on the Protestant side, but most favored the formidable rival, her cousin Mary Queen of Scots. Mary was executed after being charged on conspiracy and Elizabeth took the throne.

This film tries to prove that Elizabeth was not the "Virgin Queen" she so proudly declared and was generally accepted in history. Eventhough Elizabeth never had children, or a husband, this film indicates she had safe sex with such men as Robert Dudley, whom many scholars believe she was truly in love with. Later on, in her old age, apocryphal stories tell about her romance with the Earl of Essex, Robert Devereaux. Although I believe Elizabeth was a virgin, it could be possible that she did make love to her beloved Robert Dudley, "Robin" whom she called affectionately. But nevertheless, she chose to live the life of an unmarried queen, to rule England alone and to go down in history as its greatest queen. This film is a great work of historic fiction, great costumes and scenery of England's countryisde and great performances by Joseph Fiennes (who played Shakespeare in Shakespeare In Love, Richard Attenburough as William Cecil and Geoffrey Rush. Of course, Kate Blanchett delivered a knock out performance as the white-rouged, strong willed and beautiful Queen Elizabeth.

Rating:
Summary: Elizabeth: The Virgin Queen Movie Review
Review: Prior to King Henry the VIII's death, the major conflict in lands under his rule, England, France, and Scotland, Catholicism was predominant and Protestants were tortured and burned at the stake. Mary Tudor, a daughter of Henry the VIII, became Queen when the king died. Mary's half sister, Elizabeth, was the illegitimate child of Henry the VIII and of Ann Bolin, which made Elizabeth also an heir to the king's throne. Mary was a devote Catholic and Elizabeth was a devout Protestant, which only intensified the ongoing conflict. Mary contracted cancer and died and Elizabeth was crowned Queen.

In the movie, Elizabeth, Elizabeth portrays a female protagonist that is continually challenged and threatened by a number of antagonists opposed at Elizabeth, claiming the crown and the throne. One of the main antagonist's was the Duke of Norfolk who had everything to gain from her being dethroned, namely the crown. The dominating theme throughout the movie was Elizabeth fighting to claim the right to be Queen to the point of killing her enemies to bring peace and unity to her "people," by unifying under one religion.

The main characters are as follows: Cate Blanchett as Elizabeth I, Geoffrey Rush as Sir Francis Walsingham, Joseph Fiennes as Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, Christopher Eccleston as the Duke of Norfolk, Richard Attenborough as Sir William Cecil, Lord Burghley, and John Gielgud as the Pope. The movie was the winner of the Golden Globe Award for Drama and Cate Blanchett won the best actress award. Geoffrey Rush, Richard Attenborough, and John Gielgud are Academy Award winning actors as well.

To strengthen alliances, the royal council encouraged Elizabeth to consider the proposal of marriage as offered by King Phillip the II of Spain, but through King Phillip's own foolery and crude nature, the attempt to marry and ally forces failed. Elizabeth and Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, were lovers up until the time it was disclosed Robert was already married, thereafter Elizabeth refused Robert private audience. At was also during this time that two attempts were made on Queen Elizabeth's life. As a result of this, Sir Francis Walsingham, killed Mary, Queen of Scots who wished to rule in Elizabeth's place, which was a turning point. Walsingham also uncovered a plot that was signed by the Pope, Spanish Minister, Spanish King, religious leaders, Duke of Norfolk and his followers, and Robert Dudley to overthrow Queen Elizabeth. All of her nearby enemies and traitors were executed with the exception of Robert Dudley. Elizabeth kept Robert alive to remind her "just how close" the Queen had been "to danger."

A deeper symbolism was revealed in two scenes in this movie. The first scene symbolizes the making or beginnings of a Queen, which was when Elizabeth walked outside into a blinding light and that was when she heard that Mary, her sister the Queen, was dead, and Elizabeth was proclaimed Queen. The second scene was when Elizabeth transformed herself into the "Virgin Queen" and backlit from the outside light she entered the court proclaiming that she was "married to the church" and became the Queen.

I rate this movie a 5 stars movie because it is one of the most enthralling and believable versions of the life of Queen Elizabeth that has been made-to-date. It makes no pretenses how people struggled to survive and the sort of treacheries that befell people for having different values, morals, religions and classes. The acting was superb. The gowns and sceneries were beautiful. I find that I watch the kind of movies over and over that make me aspire to be greater than who I am and this is one of those movies.

Rating:
Summary: Historically..umm...skiddish
Review: This movie is fabulous entertainment, but if anacronisms and historical idiosyncracies bug you terribly, I'd skip it. If you're looking for a documentary, go to PBS, if you want a delightful interpretation--look here.

Rating:
Summary: Glorious Drama
Review: Briefly, here is the historical context. Elizabeth I (1533-1603) was queen of England and Ireland from 1558 to 1603. During the brief reign of her brother, Edward VI, Elizabeth barely survived, especially in 1549 when those in her household were arrested and she was placed in what we now call protective custody until November 17, 1558, when her half-sister Mary died, and Elizabeth succeeded to the throne. One of her first actions as queen was to appoint Sir William Cecil (later Lord Burghley) as her chief secretary and he continued as her closest adviser. Both were aware of England's vulnerability to France and Spain. Both also knew that the key to England's success lay in playing the two great powers against each other so that neither could bring its full force to bear against England. The defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 eliminated one serious threat to England's security and also created almost unlimited opportunities for exploration, settlement, and economic growth. When Elizabeth died in 1603, Britannia really was "queen of the oceans."

Directed by Shekhar Kapur and starring Cate Blanchett, this film examines Elizabeth's gradual transformation from being a free-spirited, lusty, at times reckless, and often silly young princess to becoming a sanitized, somber, and worldly-wise monarch. Several key figures are centrally involved in this process, notably Mary (Kathy Burke) and Cecil (Richard Attenborough), Robert Dudley (Joseph Fiennes), the Duke of Norfolk (Christopher Eccleston), and especially Sir Francis Walsingham (Geoffrey Rush). Throughout her adult years, especially when protected by Walsingham, Elizabeth survived numerous assassination attempts and died of natural causes in 1603.

For me, Walsingham is at least as interesting in this film as the queen to whom he is totally devoted. He gathers what we now call intelligence data from his espionage network which extends throughout Europe and even goes after important information himself, when necessary. He also serves as a high-level diplomat as when he meets with the warrior-wonderwoman, Mary of Guise (Fanny Ardent), and assassinates her after sharing her bed. The French troops are thereby denied their leader as they await orders on the Scottish border. Walsingham is also a master of the slit throat (however young it may be) and of torture (even of Papal emissaries) if such initiatives serve the queen's purposes. In fact, her purposes ARE his purposes. We know that he served as her secretary of state from 1773 until 1590, was a member of the privy council, and knighted in recognition of brilliant and loyal service to her.

To me, the younger Elizabeth's lover Robert Dudley symbolizes the personal life which she finally and completely renounces. An indifferent husband and father as well as a minor court figure, the character of Dudley in this film offers Fiennes little to work with but he does his best. The Duke of Norfolk and the French Duc d'Anjou (Vincent Cassell) are much more interesting characters, primarily because the former poses the most serious threat to Elizabeth and the latter provides some delightful comic relief. As entertaining this film is at times, however, I still view it as a generally dark study of a very dangerous period in English history when so many wars (declared or not) were in progress or imminent at the same time. With substantial dramatic impact, it reveals how and why England's survival literally depended on someone who eventually proved to be a much greater leader than her father, Henry VIII.

Rating:
Summary: Good good good
Review: Although the movie is not entirely historically accurate, it was done extremely well. Cate Blanchett was the perfect Elizabeth I, and the rest of the casting was fabulous. The movie shows Elizabeth more as a person than an icon, and shows that even the great people can have doubts and uncertainties. The movie takes all of the elements of her reign and time and creates a believeable image of what Elizabeth was really like in and as a person.

Rating:
Summary: Awesome character development:
Review: from warm sweet girl to ice queen. Cate Blanchette was superb.I really enjoyed everything about this movie, but Cate Blanchette absolutely deserves to be crowned for her excellent performance.She seamlessly carries you thru her evolution with heart and grace.

Rating:
Summary: Historical in tone, if not in fact
Review: I love the movie 'Elizabeth'. It is quite interesting -- dramatic, well-acted, well-scripted, and just the right amount of intrigue and suspense for my taste. The characterisations of Elizabeth, Sussex, Sir William, Walsingham, and Robert Dudley are well done. What a pity that this is largely a work of fiction.

I sometimes have a major 'beef' with movies of this sort; not at all the movie's fault, to be sure -- the tendency on the part of the public, who has not read, and will not bother to read afterward, the history of England during the Tudor period, to see which parts are based on fact, and which parts are dramatic license. From the very start of the film, I knew that this would be largely a fictional dramatisation -- upon the death of Henry VIII, in the credits, Mary assumes the throne. What happened to the poor boy King Edward? We skipped an entire reign! To say nothing of Lady Jane Grey. Of course, she had her own movie (also one of great liberty from the actual historical events)...

The country was torn between Catholic and Protestant sentiments, as the film suggests, but these were not so neatly resolved (and in fact continue to this day to beset the Church of England, now a small minority of religious in England, with problems); Elizabeth, because she would not proclaim allegiance to the Catholic faith unreservedly, had a difficult time finding a bishop to perform the coronation (she had in the end the bishop of Carlisle).

In this film, all of the intrigues that beset Elizabeth are collapsed and promulgated in the character of a few (Spanish, French, and Papist agents) all at the beginning of her reign. In fact, Elizabeth was in the process of securing her throne throughout most of her reign. The love affair with Lord Robert Dudley is most likely true in fact, if not in the form presented here. Walsingham was in fact her trusted ally; the bishops were in fact a problem caste. Sussex, the Lord Chamberlain as the plotter for the throne is an interesting detail -- to this day, the descendants of Sussex continue as Lords Chamberlain, and remain Roman Catholics, and must petition the Pope regularly to continue in their duties (a permission never denied).

Perhaps the best facets of this film are in the mood, or style of the film. Going from uncertainty to certainty, growing in confidence and ability, going from being a girl who would be queen to a formidable woman who reigns, this is presented well in the space of a few hours. The settings, dark and medieval, not yet reflecting the glory of renaissance England which was about to be born under Elizabeth's reign; the costumes elaborate and strangely modern and medieval simultaneously (as is the story!); these things combine to make a great movie of power and intrigue.

The equation of the Virgin Queen with the Virgin Mary is an interesting one, at the conclusion of the film, as Elizabeth becomes wedded to England. In fact, she had many suitors (many of whom lost their heads over her, literally), and the idea of 'virgin' is a rather different one today than during Elizabeth's time. Of course, the Tudors were always a rather randy bunch, and Elizabeth was in many ways, as she proclaimed in her own words, 'my father's daughter'. In the end, Elizabeth remains the only unmarried monarch of marriage-able age since William Rufus, son of William the Conqueror.

The musical score, haunting and suspenseful, meditative and sombre, and finally triumphant, is memorable, but is in fact better experienced apart from the film, where the imagery and dialogue often overpowers the music.

Acting is masterful, astutely played by Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush (who was nominated for the Academy Award for another Elizabethean period movie, Shakespeare in Love), Joseph Fiennes (who played Shakespeare in Shakespeare in Love), and Richard Attenborough. John Gielgud has a brief cameo appearance as the pope, but alas is fairly inconsequential in this film.

In the end, 'Elizabeth' is a victorious movie.

Rating:
Summary: Elizabeth, robbed at the academy awards
Review: I first saw this movie in June 2003, and I was shocked in how well this movie is directed and played. I feel that Cate Blanchette's performance deserved her the Academy Award that she did not win. Although Gwenth Platrows performance was always good in Shakespeare in love, I just feel that she won because of politics. This movie is for anyone who likes a great movie. I think this should have won for art design, picture, director, and Best ACTRISS.