Elizabeth I
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Movie Reviews of Elizabeth I
Movie Review: hauntingly dramatic, yet as historically accurate as a mini-series can be
Summary: 5 Stars
Elizabeth I is one of the most fascinating characters in history: not only did she reside over Britain's rise as a world power (culture, political, and military) during the Reformation, but she was glaringly human in so many ways: she was lonely, frequently unable to make decisions, and vulnerable to handsome courtiers. Mirren brings all of this out in this incredible reconstruction of her reign. It begins in the middle of her reign, when she is well established in power, and ends with her death (and so is perfectly compatible with Elizabeth, the other wonderful film on her with the incomparable Cate Blanchett). In between, there are many brilliant triumphs (beating the Spanish armada) and catastrophic mistakes (such as her execution of her trusted doctor, a Spanish Jew, based on the accusations of her later courtier beau, the Earl of Essex. Through it all, Mirren helps us to see her as a real human being. It is one of her greatest performances, and that is saying a lot.
Irons is her first great (apparently unconsomatted) lover-courtier, Robert Dudley. He is equally brilliant and portrayed as a better and far subtler politician than the one of Elizabeth (played wonderfully by Joseph Fiennes as a man dangerously out of his depth). While this is an interpretation that is not necessarily the way he was viewed by his contemporaries, it fits with the plot, given his step son, the other Robert, the Earl of Essex, an insufferable dandy seducer. Once the Earl of Essex takes his place, the drama is racheted up to a stunning and bizarre climax that I believe is extremely accurate historically and a frightening reflection on E I's weaknesses of character judgment. But she suspected him all along - and this is no spoiler - yet needed him. Both of these performances are utterly superb and believable. THere is also the Duc d'Anjou, who is portrayed a bit too sympathically in my view as an apparently loving suitor (he was a cynical transvestite in the other film, which he was), though the doubt is always there as to his deepest motives and never resolved - just like real life. Mary Queen of Scots is also wonderful, just as subtle so that a simplistic label cannot be stuck to her. Was she a Catholic martyr? Or a conspirator in treason? Once again, as we cannot know, so is this film, these questions are never answered. Other courtier-ministers are equally complex characters, from the "pygmy" to E I's master spy, Walsingham.
This is perhaps the best HBO film I have ever seen. There is much for history-buff pendants like me, and a wonderfully realised and intricate story. It is simply brillaint and I will watch it many times again, to seek nuance and different interpretations. That makes this a masterpiece, in my view. Warmly recommended. This is truly deep and informative drama.
Movie Review: Helen Mirren's Elizabeth I is outstanding!
Summary: 5 Stars
There are countless portrayals of Elizabeth I in film. Certainly, the best known and unforgettable of these are Dame Flora Robson, Betty Davis, Dame Judi Dench and more recently Cate Blanchett in Shekhar Kapur's "Elizabeth" and "Elizabeth: The Golden Age". In HBO's "Elizabeth I", Helen Mirren's portrayal of England's greatest monarch shows an Elizabeth who has now moved past the flower of her youth into middle age and narrowing prospects of using her virginity as a political bargaining chip on the world power stage. And yet it is no less a push by her Privy Council for her to find a husband and produce an heir and keep England safe and independent from a world that is far more Catholic than it is Protestant. Jeremy Irons is certainly a well considered Lord Robert Dudley, who was the love of Queen Elizabeth I's life. Irons and Mirren play beautifully off one another and the tenderness, even at times when they are at odds or at the passing of Dudley is a palpable thing both historically and on the screen.
The movie is well researched, and the portrayal of Mary Queen of Scots was far more acurate than the version by Shekhar Kapur. Mary Queen of Scots spent most of her life in France and would have a decidedly French accent rather than a Scottish one. HBO's producers of Elizabeth I thankfully did not omit this detail. Mirren gives a very good insight into a very complex and incredibly intelligent women who kept herself several steps ahead of her courtiers and ministers and someone who was very much the product of her father, King Henry VIII and mother, Ann Boelyn. Helem Mirren shows us a glimpse of a woman who loved and loved deeply and yet was not free to live as other women lived and had to make decisions not just for her own considerations but for the people and Country to which she considered herself married to first and foremost. No matter how you feel about Elizabeth I or the times in which England began to truly become an Empire, you can empathise with Mirren's Elizabeth right up until her legendary end.
If you are interested in history, particularly the history of the Tudors and Elizabeth I, this is a film that is definitely not to miss. An important thing to note to those who are concerned about violence in film/ There are a few scenes depicting graphic violence dealing with torture, punishment and execution of those who went against the Crown. The scene of the execution of Mary Queen of Scots showed that it took more than one strike of the executioner's axe to behead her. While all of this is certainly in keeping with the times, it is not for children or the squeamish.
Movie Review: Outstanding historical drama from HBO
Summary: 5 Stars
Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth I, the most popular (and one of the most potent) rulers in English history... How could you go wrong? This is a dazzling production, true to the historical record (with a few speculative asides) with great acting, pacing and production values, and an intelligent, multi-layered script. Mirren works her way through a near-infinite palette of human emotion, at times hitting the subtlest of notes, while later exploding with the heat and fury of a funeral pyre. Her portrayal of Queen Bess offers modernity along with dignity and power... The script perhaps overplays Elizabeth's emotional vulnerablity -- there are a few too many scenes of her falling apart due to romantic frustration -- but it is such a pleasure to see Mirren at work, that even the parts that go overboard are welcome.
Many aspects of this production are outstanding, most notably the costumes, which are jaw-droppingly ornate, as well as beautiful and well-suited to the various actors involved. The cinematography is full of depth and range, with an interplay of light, color and shadow that clearly draws on the work of the old masters of Renaissance painting. The one weak note of the film is the acting of Hugh Dancy, who plays Robert Devereux, the young Earl of Essex, who initially appears as a love interest for the unmarried queen. Dancy is appealing as a dashing, headstrong young flirt, but falters when the character ages and becomes an antagonist and political rival of the Queen. Dancy simply lacks the gravitas to make the character believable, and viewers may wonder how such a callow, frantic young man could have inspired such alarm among the cool, savvy members of Elizabeth's advisors on the Privy Council. (Plus, Jeremy Irons -- the romantic interest in the film's first episode -- is a hard act to follow. Mirren and Irons simply sizzle together, while Dancy seems like a mere youth, still paying his dues in the acting world.) That aside, this is a marvelous film, with a spectacular performance from Helen Mirren, a longtime favorite who still rises to new heights with every project she takes on. Long live the Queen!
Movie Review: Gloriana!
Summary: 5 Stars
Though many a fine actress has essayed the role of Elizabeth I and done so quite successfully, each finding her own vision of the most important queen that ever lived and translating that to film (Cate Blanchette, Bette Davis, Anne-Marie Duff, and Glenda Jackson to name but a few), it should come as no surprise that the enormously gifted actress Helen Mirren could show us yet another aspect of Elizabeth.
This Elizabeth is set in her middle fifties, a woman still able to maintain her reputation as the Virgin Queen while settling into various assignations. Here Elizabeth is in love with Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex (Hugh Dancy) while being prepped for a 'proper union' with France's royalty in the form of the Duke of Anjou (Jérémie Covillault). But her 'love life' is only a small yet refreshingly nuanced portion of the long story. Mirren is fortunate to be supported by such fine actors as Jeremy Irons, Patrick Malahide, Toby Jones, Barbara Flynn, Ian McDiarmid, Simon Woods, Diana Kent, and Toby Salaman among the many standout characters.
The visual aspects of the production are some of the more luxurious ever placed on celluloid, with attention to detail in costuming (Mike O'Neill) and sets (Galius Klicius and Leon McCarthy) that are stunning to see. The fine musical score is by Robert Lane and incorporates period music with works written for the piece that stand solidly as classical music compositions. Cinematographers Dmitrij Gribanov and Larry Smith find the right balance between court grandeur and boudoir intimacy. And of course kudos to Director Tom Hooper and writer Nigel Williams!
But standing above them all is the brilliance of Helen Mirren's involvement as Elizabeth. She provides us with even more information about the enigmatic queen, allowing us to see both the lusty woman and the brilliant monarch simultaneously. The film is a joy! Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, August 06
Movie Review: All Hail Helen Mirren
Summary: 5 Stars
After seeing "The Queen" in theatres and being completely blown away by Helen Mirren's acting ability, I purchased the Elizabeth I DVD without having seen it, and I have to say that I have rarely been so impressed with any miniseries (or movie, or television show for that matter) and that is entirely due to Helen Mirren. This is a beautiful story, extremely well written and directed, and spectacularly acted. As Queen Elizabeth I, the notoriously hot-tempered, passionate, and arrogant woman who ruled England for 45 years, Helen Mirren makes us laugh with her, cry with her, and cower when she is provoked or challenged by someone questioning her authority. According to historical experts on Elizabeth I, this movie, and Helen's performance, come closer to getting at what the Queen was really like as a person than any other film has ever done.
Jeremy Irons and Hugh Dancy are wonderful as well, and Irons in particular, as the sardonic, protective, and smitten Earl of Leicester, the Queen's best friend and only true love. Though he cannot marry her, he stands by her side and (with one notable exception), is entirely honest with her, even when telling the truth is sure to provoke one of the Queen's blind rages.
There is one slight liberty taken with the plot; it is true (and acknowledged by Helen and the writers in the special features on the DVD, as well as in interviews) that Queen Elizabeth and Mary Queen of Scots never met, and that if they had it would have been done in absolute secrecy; the movie shows them meeting but it is done in secret, so I was able to overlook the fact that in truth, that meeting did not take place.
Seriously, if you like period pieces and you want to see great writing, direction, costumes, and spectacular acting, see this version of Elizabeth I. Helen Mirren alone makes it worth watching, and everyone else in it it fabulous too.