ELIZABETH (1998) A Film Review by Ted Prigge Copyright 1998 Ted Prigge
Director: Shekhar Kapur Writer: Michael Hirst Starring: Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, Christopher Eccleston, Joseph Fiennes, Richard Attenborough, Fanny Ardant, Kathy Burke, Eric Cantona, James Frain, Vincent Cassel, Daniel Craig, Kelly MacDonald, John Gielgud
Flat out, "Elizabeth is a wonderful flick: as gorgeous to look at as a Peter Greenaway film and as delightful to follow as a Stephen Frears movie. It's bold, lavish, mischevious, and downright entertaining, but those aren't the reasons it's so good. At the center of this film is a performance of such immense power and complexity that perhaps we don't fully comprehend the greatness now. Cate Blanchett's performance as the title character has already won her tons of accolades, a Golden Globe nomination, and an almost sure-fire bet at nabbing an Oscar nod (she better look out, though - back in 1995, when Nicole Kidman was considered a sure-fire bet for an Oscar, she was snubbed come February from even a nomination), but her performance still isn't as well-received as it should be.
I think it's such a good performance because it's one of the few performances by an actress in quite a while to actually be really complicated. She doesn't allow her character to be easily defined by audiences and critics - she shows all her flaws, all her strengths, and puts her character up for complex scrutiny and still remains mysterious. She does it all without overacting or underacting - she's just right on. She's sympathetic yet still a bit untrustworthy. She's definitely a force to be reckoned, but seems easy to crush. And she acts like the coolest person in the world, tossing out jokes to those she works with, but is still a little frightened girl underneath. Maybe the best scene in the movie is one where we see two scenes juxtaposed: one where she's speaking to parliament, cracking sarcastic jokes, and winning them over; and another where she's preparing for this, nervoulsy trying to come up with the right thing to say and the right way to say it.
She's also the anchor in this entire film, which isn't, admittingly, the greatest film I've ever seen. The problem I think is that while the film is setting up her character and her situations, it never truly functions as a real cohesive story. I said it was fun to follow, but it's not the plot you're to follow, but rather the fact that deeds like the ones that transpire in this film transpire at all. Deceptions, beheadings, burnings, and other sorts of treachery abound, and all with the perfect visual flair from director Shekhar Kapur (I especially liked the scene in the beginning where a group of protestants are burned alive - the camera sweeps up, then cuts to various scenes below as members of the audience react with either displeasure or with just the right amount of taste that they toss another log onto the fire). For a lot of the film, I wasn't even exactly sure why they were being killed or people were being avenged - I was just along for the ride.
This biopic on Elizabeth I deals with her first years on the throne, following her half-sister's demise, and it perfectly captures the turmoil England was in at the time, when Henry VIII had brought the country to near Civil War between the Protestants and the Catholics, and both sides were fighting eachother for power. Elizabeth claims the throne after a fit with her sister of her possible execution for being a suspected Protestant, when all the time she was really just in the moderate view on things, and once there, is forced to bring peace between the two groups, and to learn her way around the country as she went.
Equipped with many advisors (including one Richard Attenborough) and one extremely devious assistant who helps her manipulate her way to peace, Sir Francis Walshingham (Geoffrey Rush), who is so incredibly evil that we can't help but love him for being evil for Elizabeth. All this plays around for two hours, as we watch these characters play off one another, try to figure out how the pull the country out of a state of disaray, and punish those who need to be punished (including the Catholic with a vengeance Duke of Norfolk, played with intensity by Christopher Eccleston). All the while, she has to balance all that with her relationship for an older lover, Robert Dudley (Joseph Fiennes, brother to Ralph), who may not be around in her life much longer.
That said, "Elizabeth" is a wild ride, albeit a confusing one. The plot moves without stops and there is much that is a) not explained very well (what the hell happened to Robert?), and b) is historically inaccurate (a bit involving the death of Mary of Guise is hilariously askew). But despite this, "Elizabeth" is about as fun a film to watch as "Dangerous Liasons" or "L.A. Confidential," if solely because the things that transpire are handled with wit, and strong visual flair. And at the center is Cate Blanchett, who shows Elizabeth to be a real human being, flaws and all: she's not a terrifically great person, but she's smart and quick to learn, and has the lack of self-involvement to realize that the problems with the country lie in the fact that the Catholics and Protestants are too hell-bent on both being right, and if she has to pervert things to fix this up, she better damn well do it.
MY RATING (out of 4): ***1/2
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