"I will have one mistress here and no master !", 5 April 2005

By	M. Alcat "bel_78" (Buenos Aires, Argentina) - See all my reviews

Of course, nothing happens, and our main character continues to live allowing the film to continue, but those first scenes give us a glimpse of what kind of life Elizabeth must have led in her youth, amid constant fear of execution and whispers of betrayal. Not much afterwards, though, Queen Mary dies and Elizabeth becomes Elizabeth I. She will have more power, but also new responsibilities and different threats...

Elizabeth will have to deal with the pressure of most of her advisors to choose soon among the candidates that have asked for her hand in marriage, but she is unable to marry the one she loves, Lord Robert Dudley (Joseph Fiennes). She is surrounded by many Catholic-led conspiracies, and by quite a few that wish her ill, starting by the powerful Duke of Norfolk (Christopher Eccleston). Despite that, and thanks to her inner strenght and the counsel of a new advisor, Sir Francis Walsingham (Geoffrey Rush), Elizabeth slowly becomes a ruler who is not afraid to make difficult decisions to stay in power, even if that involves killing those who plot against her. She seems to remember that "I am my father's daughter. I am not afraid of anything".

I think that this movie tackles quite well the idea of how difficult it was to be a woman with power in Elizabeth's time, and how far a female ruler had to go to retain that power. The cast is superb, although I think that it is possible to say that Cate Blanchett's performance is the most remarkable one. I would like to add that I think the art direction was quite good, and that it helped to recreate the atmosphere of days long gone...

Of course, I am aware of the fact that this film is full of historical inaccuracies, but I already knew that it wasn't a documentary. Despite that, "Elizabeth" left me wanting to know more about the period in which all these events happened, and I am probably going to read a book on it :)

On the whole, I highly recommend this film. It is interesting, and different. "Elizabeth" doesn't have much to do with historical reality, but it was inspired by it, and it might spur you to learn more about the period through other sources. What is more important, you will get at least a clue of what drove a young woman like Elizabeth to remain single, married only to England...

Belen Alcat

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A LAVISH AND LUSH MEDIEVAL TAPESTRY..., 3 Dec 2002

By	Lawyeraau (Balmoral Castle) - See all my reviews

The movie begins in 1554, in an England that is bitterly divided on the issue of religion. Ruled by Mary Tudor, Henry the VIII's oldest daughter and a devout catholic, protestants are being burned at the stake as heretics, giving rise to Mary's popular name, "Bloody Mary". Reviled by her Spanish husband and in poor health, Mary is badgered by her advisors to do away with Elizabeth, her considerably younger, bastard half-sister. This Mary will not do, no matter how pressed. Still, Elizabeth lives her life with the sword of Damocles hanging over her head at all times.

When Mary dies, Elizabeth takes the throne, no more than a mere slip of a girl wearing the crown of England. Her advisors look to guide her, and she follows their lead, until she determinedly takes control of the reins of power, and follows her own counsel with the help of her most trusted advisor, Francis Walsingham, played to cunning perfection by Geoffrey Rush. With his help, she is able to fend off the ever present threats to her hold on the throne of England, not just from her own courtiers, but from Marie de Guise, Regent of Scotland, deliciously played by Fanny Ardent.

In the film one sees the transformation of Elizabeth take place. She goes from being a young woman, really no more than a girl, who is in love with Robert Dudley, the Duke of Leicester, dashingly played by Joseph Fiennes, to the commanding woman that history would ultimately come to know as the Virgin Queen. Confronted cruelly with the politics of intrigue and betrayal, she learns that to stay in power and effectively lead her people, she must rule with her head and not with her heart. She succeeded brilliantly, leaving a rich legacy that would be remembered as the Elizabethan era.

This film is an absolute masterpiece. While not quite historically accurate, the film is a broad overview of what happened when Elizabeth first took the reins of power. It also attempts to explain why Elizabeth I would be known as the Virgin Queen. This film is a lush and lavishly costumed medieval tapestry that is woven with great care. It is, without a doubt, a magnificent movie that will hold the viewer in its thrall. Bravo!

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