Elizabeth
starring Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, Christopher Eccleston, Joseph Fiennes, Richard
Attengorough and John Gielgud
written by Michael Hirst
directed by Shekhar Kapur
This is a great movie. You should see it. Zit is too late now to see it on the Big Screen. See it on DVD like I did. I expected the movie to cover more of the 45-year reign of England’s Queen Elizabeth I (1558-1603) and was surprised when, instead, it was only about the very beginning of he reign after coming to the throne at the age of 25. For people who are not interested in the minutiae of English history this movie will be especially enjoyable. It shows us the issues diving England after the death of king Henry VIII (1547), the complications in society caused by the Reformation that he began there, and the dangers and hurdles his daughter Elizabeth had to overcome in order to ascend the throne, secure her position, and make England the strongest and richest country in Europe in just one generation.
The film opens with a truly gruesome execution scene. Elizabeth’s half-sister, Mary, who is a Roman Catholic, is Queen (1553-1558), and Protestants were suffering severe persecution because her single aim as Queen was to restore Roman Catholicism to England. The movie begins with a live burning at the stake of Protestants. And for the next two hours the barbarity, intrigue and treachery of pre-modern English court life and government are laid bare. I kept thinking, thank God I live today, not then. And I also kept thinking, why can’t these people just get alolng, be nice and stop being so horrible to each other?
The real reason why Elizabeth covered her face with thick white make-up was not to make her appear like a marble statue of the Virgin Mary. It was to cover pockmarks in her skin.
It was in Elizabethan England that William Shakespeare (1564-1616) grew up and had his career. One of the co-stars of Elizabeth is Joseph Fiennes, who came into this movie after starring in the Academy Award Winning Shakespeare in Love. That is also an excellent movie. You should see it, too. Queen Elizabeth also appears inShakespeare in Love, but in that case it is a mature queen played by Judi Dench. Australian Cate Blanchett plays the young Elizabeth.
It is interesting that both these British movies were made, or released last year. It makes me wonder if there is some kind of Elizabeth mania going on. Certainly, she was as remarkable woman. By force of her personality she succeeded in a male-dominated society where the role of women was very limited. She secured her throne against conspiracy and intrigue alternately to assassinate her and to marry her off to some controlling male prince. She established Protestantism in Englandagainst the forces of Romeand the Roman Catholic bishops who made up much of the government of England at the time. And to accomplish all this she sacrificed married life and children. She was fashioned as the Virgin Queen, married only to England, an idol to inspire and unite her fractured, impoverished countrymen Because she died without children in 1603 the throne of Englandwent to Elizabeth’s relative, King James of Scotland.
The real reason why Elizabeth covered her face with thick white make-up was not to make her appear like a marble statue of the Virgin Mary. It was to cover pockmarks in her skin.
I love John Gielgud and was happy tat the was in this movie. Unfortunately, he had only about 60-seconds of screen time as Roman Catholic Pope Paul IV.