Post by Stu on Aug 15, 2005 8:42:16 GMT
Dir: Shekhar Kapur
Declared illegitimate at the tender age of 3, tried for treason aged 21 and crowned Queen of England at 25: Elizabeth, considered by many as the greatest monarch ever to rule England.
Was Elizabeth shrouded in mystery? Was this monarch a worthy custodian of the title ‘Virgin Queen’? Here director Shekhar Kapur and writer Michael Hirst have collaborated to offer us an insight into their version of Elizabeth’s rise to power and her early years as Queen of England. With Cate Blanchett’s Golden Globe winning performance, along with an exquisite assemble of acting talent and Remi Adefarasin’s first class photography, this film is an eye opener to a subject not as yet exploited in such a thought-provoking manner.
Its 1554 England is under the rule of Queen Mary I devoted Catholic and daughter of Henry VIII. England is also in a state of religious unsettlement. On her deathbed the dying Queen refuses to relinquish her grip on the protestant repression, but an attempt to execute her protestant half sister Elizabeth fails thus leaving the 25-year-old to become Queen of England. From the outset Elizabeth is unpopular as the majority of her Kingdom, now back under Catholic belief after the death of her father Henry VIII, are against her inheritance thus increasing the risk of her being overthrown.
On news of England’s new Monarch the Protestants in exile return home forming a new alliance to the Queen at this crucial time and none more so than Sir Francis Walsingham her most loyal advisor, played by the brilliantly menacing Geoffrey Rush. What follows is the story of how Elizabeth derailed her enemies, washed her hands of her love interest’s and became England’s ‘Virgin Queen’, a formidable and unbeatable leader who went on to rule her country for over 40 years.
Where other movies tend to focus on the ‘reign and power’ of our royalty, Kapur’s adaptation concentrates it’s energies successfully on Elizabeth becoming Queen and the love, loyalty and betrayal surrounding her coronation. This visually stunning movie combined with an atmospheric feel, intelligent screenplay and a great cast are just a few ingredients required for making a movie of this magnitude and quality.
Declared illegitimate at the tender age of 3, tried for treason aged 21 and crowned Queen of England at 25: Elizabeth, considered by many as the greatest monarch ever to rule England.
Was Elizabeth shrouded in mystery? Was this monarch a worthy custodian of the title ‘Virgin Queen’? Here director Shekhar Kapur and writer Michael Hirst have collaborated to offer us an insight into their version of Elizabeth’s rise to power and her early years as Queen of England. With Cate Blanchett’s Golden Globe winning performance, along with an exquisite assemble of acting talent and Remi Adefarasin’s first class photography, this film is an eye opener to a subject not as yet exploited in such a thought-provoking manner.
Its 1554 England is under the rule of Queen Mary I devoted Catholic and daughter of Henry VIII. England is also in a state of religious unsettlement. On her deathbed the dying Queen refuses to relinquish her grip on the protestant repression, but an attempt to execute her protestant half sister Elizabeth fails thus leaving the 25-year-old to become Queen of England. From the outset Elizabeth is unpopular as the majority of her Kingdom, now back under Catholic belief after the death of her father Henry VIII, are against her inheritance thus increasing the risk of her being overthrown.
On news of England’s new Monarch the Protestants in exile return home forming a new alliance to the Queen at this crucial time and none more so than Sir Francis Walsingham her most loyal advisor, played by the brilliantly menacing Geoffrey Rush. What follows is the story of how Elizabeth derailed her enemies, washed her hands of her love interest’s and became England’s ‘Virgin Queen’, a formidable and unbeatable leader who went on to rule her country for over 40 years.
Where other movies tend to focus on the ‘reign and power’ of our royalty, Kapur’s adaptation concentrates it’s energies successfully on Elizabeth becoming Queen and the love, loyalty and betrayal surrounding her coronation. This visually stunning movie combined with an atmospheric feel, intelligent screenplay and a great cast are just a few ingredients required for making a movie of this magnitude and quality.