Elizabeth (film)
Elizabeth is a 1998 biographical film written by Michael Hirst, directed by Shekhar Kapur, and starring Cate Blanchett in the title role of Queen Elizabeth I of England, alongside Geoffrey Rush, Christopher Eccleston, Joseph Fiennes, Sir John Gielgud, Fanny Ardant and Richard Attenborough. Loosely based on the early years of Elizabeth's reign, in 2007, Blanchett reprised the role in the sequel, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, covering the later part of her reign.
The film brought Australian actress Blanchett to international attention. She won several awards for her portrayal of Elizabeth, notably a BAFTA and a Golden Globe in 1998, while the film was also named the 1998 BAFTA Best British Film. Elizabeth was nominated in 7 categories in the 71st Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actress, receiving the prize for Best Makeup.
The film sees a young Elizabeth elevated to the throne on the death of her half-sister Mary I, who had imprisoned her. Her reign over the divided and bankrupt realm is perceived as weak and under threat of invasion by Early Modern France or Habsburg Spain. For the future stability and security of the crown she is urged by advisor William Cecil (Attenborough) to marry, and has suitors in the Catholic Philip II of Spain and the French Henri, Duc d'Anjou. She instead embarks on an affair with the wholly unsuitable Robert Dudley (Fiennes).
Elizabeth must counter threats from within such as the powerful 4th Duke of Norfolk (Eccleston), and from the armies of Mary of Guise (Ardant) garrisoned in Scotland. She also faces plots from Rome directed by Pope Pius V (Gielgud). Assisted by her 'spymaster' Francis Walsingham (Rush), she puts down the threats both internal and external, ruthlessly executing the plotters. Elizabeth eventually ends her affair and resolves to marry nobody except England. The film ends with Elizabeth assuming the persona of 'The Virgin Queen', initiating England's Golden Age.
Plot
In 1558, the Roman Catholic Mary I of England dies of a cancerous tumour in her uterus, leaving her Protestant half-sister Elizabeth as queen. Elizabeth had previously been jailed for a supposed conspiracy to murder Mary but has now been freed for her coronation. The film shows Elizabeth being courted by suitors (including Henri, Duc d'Anjou, the future King Henry III of France, whom she rejects) and urged by William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley to marry, which, as he states, would secure her throne. Instead, she has a secret affair with her childhood sweetheart, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. The affair is, however, no secret from Cecil—who makes it clear that a monarch has no private life.
Elizabeth deals with various threats to her reign, including The Duke of Norfolk; her Catholic cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots, who conspires to have her murdered; and the regent of Scotland, Mary of Guise, who allies with France to attack England's forces. At the end of the film, Norfolk is executed for his conspiracy and Mary of Guise is assassinated by Elizabeth's advisor, Francis Walsingham.
Elizabeth permanently banishes Dudley from her private presence when she finds out that he is married; as depicted in the sequel, Elizabeth then gives up ever having sex again, feeling that such relations could give a man too much power over her. Moreover, cutting off her relations with Dudley is part of the process by which she becomes increasingly tough and assertive—in one scene she carefully prepares and rehearses the speech she would deliver to a recalcitrant Parliament and force through her religious reforms.
She also becomes capable of occasional ruthless behaviour—as in unflinchingly ordering the execution of those who she considers dangerous to her rule, as well as taking up as her right-hand man the Machiavellian Walsingham, who thinks nothing of torturing people or killing with his own hands.
All this is a considerable change from the warm-hearted, rather romantic girl which Elizabeth was in the early parts of the film; remaining such would have been incompatible with being a queen who actually ruled and dominated the men around her, and her transformation is a major theme of the film.
The film ends with Elizabeth assuming the white-faced and -gowned persona of 'The Virgin Queen', and initiating England's Golden Age.
Cast
Production
The costuming and shot composition of the coronation scene is based on Elizabeth's coronation portrait.
Cate Blanchett was chosen to play Elizabeth after Kapur saw a trailer of Oscar and Lucinda.
According to the director's commentary, Kapur mentioned that the role of The Pope (played by Sir John Gielgud) was originally offered to, and accepted by, Marlon Brando. However, plans changed when Kapur noted that many on set would probably be concerned that Brando would be sharing the set with them for 2 days. Later, when Gielgud had taken the role, Kapur at one point suggested (in eventual vain) that The Pope's accent should be Italian; he added that every British and English actor within earshot was horrified that any director was asking Sir John Gielgud to speak in an accent that "wasn't John Gielgud."
A large proportion of the indoor filming, representing the royal palace, was conducted in various corners of Durham Cathedral – its unique nave pillars are clearly identifiable as such.
Reception
The film was received well by critics and the public, it holds a 82% 'fresh' rating on film aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes based on 49 film critic reviews[1].
Historical inaccuracies
The film takes many liberties with history. Among them:
- Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, is shown in the film as converting to Catholicism when in fact he was a staunch Protestant (of the type that would later become termed as Puritan), making such conversion unthinkable.
- Mary Tudor is shown as overweight at the end of her life when in reality Mary was reportedly always very thin which is why she was thought unable to bear children.
- Kat Ashley is portrayed as being of similar age to Elizabeth, though in reality she was significantly older, having been Elizabeth's governess.
- Early in the film, when Elizabeth is arrested for questioning, the guard calls for "princess Elizabeth" to come forth. In fact, Elizabeth had been declared illegitimate by her father and would have been known only as "the lady Elizabeth", never by the term princess.[2]
- In the film, Elizabeth appears to find out from Sir William Cecil that Robert Dudley is married, whereas in reality Elizabeth was well aware, since she attended his wedding. (While it is true that Elizabeth knew that Dudley married his first wife, Amy Robsart, and did indeed attend their wedding, she may not have known about his second marriage—to her cousin and one-time maid of the Privy Chamber, Lettice Knollys; she was furious when she discovered the truth. However, this was many years after the events of this film.)[3]
- The character who seems to be based on Lettice Knollys – called Isabel Knollys in the film for some reason – dies from a poison dress while having sex with Robert Dudley. However, Lettice Knollys did not suffer this fate or anything similar; she actually married Dudley years later, as previously stated, and died of old age when she was 91.
- In the film, the name of the Duke of Norfolk's lover – Lettice Howard – seems to be a combination of two of Dudley's mistresses: Lettice Knollys and Lady Douglas Howard. Lettice was Dudley's mistress before she married him, and Lady Douglas Howard gave birth to Dudley's illegitimate son, who was also called Robert Dudley. There is no Lettice Howard known in this historical context.
- In the film, Elizabeth I is courted by Henri, Duke of Anjou. The two never met in reality, as the actual proposal was for her marriage to François, his younger brother. François came to England and the proposal became a very serious prospect, although it was never fulfilled.[3] Neither Henry nor François went to Scotland to meet Mary of Guise (indeed, Mary died years before the marriage proposal to François was even made). The film insists on Henry's alleged transvestism, and hints at his possible homosexuality or bisexuality, an old assumption based on the Duke's elegance and dislike of manly activities such as hunting and war; today some historians consider it unlikely considering Henry's uncountable affairs with women.
- William Cecil was not even 40 years old when Elizabeth began her reign, contrary to his cinematic portrayal as elderly. He was not retired by the young queen, either. He remained one of her most trusted advisers until his death, shortly before hers. Similarly, Francis Walsingham was in his mid-twenties when Elizabeth was crowned, not a middle-aged man as he was portrayed by Geoffrey Rush.
- The conspiracy of The Duke of Norfolk combines several events into one—in the film he is arrested and summarily executed for trying to supplant Elizabeth and marry Mary, Queen of Scots to cement his hold on the throne. In reality Norfolk was imprisoned in 1569 for trying to wed Mary, Queen of Scots without permission, but was eventually released. He was then implicated in a separate plot in 1572 (three years later) to put Mary, Queen of Scots on the throne, for which he was then tried and executed. Contrary to his portrayal in the film as ruthless and powerful, he was actually a weak man, easily led and used by others.
- No evidence exists to support the claim that Francis Walsingham was involved in the death of Mary of Guise; she died of dropsy. Furthermore, her death occurred only a year into Elizabeth's reign, whereas many of the other events in the film occurred later, making them seem concurrent in the way they are presented.
- In the film, and as emphasised in its promotion, Elizabeth has bright blue eyes (Cate Blanchett's natural eye colour); however, Elizabeth is well known for having the deep amber brown eyes of her mother, Anne Boleyn, and the bright red hair of her father, Henry VIII. Blanchett has sensitive eyes, so she was unable to wear coloured contacts for her role.
- Bishop Stephen Gardiner (Terence Rigby) died before Elizabeth came to the throne, and had no part in the Ridolfi plot.
- The Earl of Arundel was not executed as shown in the film, but was confined to the Tower of London and died as a prisoner.
- The Earl of Sussex was a loyal servant of the Queen and was neither implicated in the plot nor executed.
- When Elizabeth is being questioned by her accusers in the beginning of the film at the Tower of London, the bishop suggests that the debate between Catholicism and Protestantism is what killed her mother, Anne Boleyn. This is not at all the case, for it was the (probably false) accusations of witchcraft, incest, treason and fornication between Anne and other noblemen that sent her to her death.
- The film depicts Elizabeth as having an affair with Robert Dudley. In actuality, there is no evidence to support the notion that she ever slept with Dudley or any other man at any time in her life, though it has long since been rumoured. The assumption that she engaged in sexual activity with Dudley is likely the product of court gossip, and she proclaimed herself to have "lived and died a virgin".
- At the end of the film, Elizabeth decides to shave her hair to look like a virgin. In reality, she never shaved or even cut her hair short. Later in her life, when someone entered her chambers not knowing she was still in bed recorded the queen's hair as having been "all about her ears". In the movie, she is shown wearing a wig in the end, and though the real Elizabeth did wear one later in life, it was worn to hide the thin, sparse hair that was the result of her bout with smallpox.
- The film begins with what is supposed to be the burning of Nicholas Ridley in Oxford, 1555 – he is accompanied not only by another male (presumably Hugh Latimer) but also by a woman who is not identified, and this is almost certainly not historically accurate (according to the several contemporary sources, including John Foxe).
- In order to guarantee passage of the Act of Uniformity, Walsingham locks up seven bishops (including the dead Stephen Gardiner), securing the Queen's act, which won by five votes. No such incarceration took place. Also, bishops throughout the film are shown wearing black mitres, which is historically inaccurate.
- In the epilogue it is stated that Sir Francis Walsingham served Elizabeth until the end of her reign. However, Walsingham died 13 years before Elizabeth did.
- The film depicts Sir Thomas Elyott being murdered by drowning by John Ballard, who reveals Elyott had been passing information on Howard's actions to Walsingham; in truth, Elyott died in 1546 at his estate in Cambridgeshire.
Accusations of anti-Catholicism
The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights accused the film of anti-Catholicism, stating that the film gives the "impression that the religious strife was all the doing of the Catholic Church", noting that the review in The New York Times considered it "resolutely anti-Catholic" complete with a "scheming pope" and repeating the charge made in the Buffalo News that "every single Catholic in the film is dark, cruel and devious".[4]
Soundtrack
Release
Elizabeth premiered in September 1998 at the Venice Film Festival and was also shown at the Toronto International Film Festival.[5] It premiered in London on 2 October 1998 and it premiered in the United States on 13 October 1998.[5] It opened in the United Kingdom on 23 October 1998[5] and opened in limited release in the United States in nine cinemas on 6 November 1998, grossing $275,131.[6] Its widest release in the United States and Canada was in 624 cinemas,[6] and its largest weekend gross throughout its run in cinemas in the US and Canada was $3.9 million in 516 cinemas,[6] ranking No.9 at the box office.[7] Elizabeth went on to gross $30 million in the United States and Canada, and a total of $82.1 million worldwide.[8]
Awards
Wins
- 71st Academy Awards: Best Makeup (Jenny Shircore)[9]
- BAFTA Awards: Alexander Korda Awards for Best British Film (Alison Owen), (Tim Bevan), Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music (David Hirschfelder), Best Cinematography (Remi Adefarasin), Best Makeup/Hair (Jenny Shircore), Best Supporting Actor (Geoffrey Rush), Best Actress (Cate Blanchett)[10]
- Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards: Best Actress (Cate Blanchett), Breakthrough Artist (Joseph Fiennes)[11]
- Chicago Film Critics Association Awards: Best Actress (Cate Blanchett)[12]
- Empire Awards: Best Actress (Cate Blanchett)[13]
- Golden Globes: Best Actress (Cate Blanchett)[14]
- Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards: Most Promising Actor (Cate Blanchett)[13]
- London Critics Circle Film Awards: Actress of the Year (Cate Blanchett), British Producer of the Year (Alison Owen), (Tim Bevan)[13]
- National Board of Review: Best Director (Shekhar Kapur)[15]
- Online Film Critics Society Awards: Best Actress (Cate Blanchett)[16]
- Satellite Awards: Best Costume Design (Alexandra Byrne), Best Actress (Cate Blanchett)[13]
- Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards: Best Actress (Cate Blanchett)[13]
- Toronto Film Critics Association Awards: Best Actress (Cate Blanchett)[13]
- Venice Film Festival: Max Factor Award (Jenny Shircore)[13]
Nominations
- Academy Awards: Best Actress (Cate Blanchett), Best Art Direction (John Myhre), Best Cinematography (Remi Adefarasin), Best Costume Design (Alexandra Byrne), Best Original Score (David Hirschfelder), Best Picture (Alison Owen), (Eric Fellner), (Tim Bevan)[17]
- BAFTAs: Best Costume Design (Alexandra Byrne), Best Editing (Jill Bilcock), Best Picture (Alison Owen), (Eric Fellner), (Tim Bevan), Best Art Direction (John Myhre), Best Original Screenplay (Michael Hirst), David Lean Award for Direction (Shekhar Kapur)[18]
- Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards: Best Film[19]
- Chicago Film Critics Association Awards: Best Cinematography (Remi Adefarasin), Best Original Score (David Hirschfelder)[20]
- Golden Globes: Best Director (Shekhar Kapur), Best Motion Picture - Drama[21]
- Satellite Awards: Best Director (Shekhar Kapur), Best Picture (Alison Owen), (Eric Fellner), (Tim Bevan), Best Art Direction (John Myhre)[22]
References
External links
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