Elizabeth (1998)

Having the opportunity to re-evaluate a film can be worthwhile. I saw Elizabeth, one of the nominees for Best Picture of 1998, in the theater when it was first released. At the time, I thought it less impressive than another film set during the Elizabeth Age and co-starring Joseph Fiennes, Shakespeare in Love, which would eventually win the Oscar that year. Now that I've watched the film again, though, I realize just how fine an achievement it is. I know that, as a period drama, the costumes and sets will be detailed and immaculately reproduced, and they are, but what is even more intriguing is the performance of Cate Blanchett as the so-called "Virgin Queen" and the story about how she grew to become one of England's greatest monarchs.

The film begins in 1554 during the reign of Queen Mary, a Catholic who fears that when she dies, her younger half-sister Elizabeth will assume the throne. Elizabeth is, you see, a Protestant, and Mary fears reprisals for her people. She should have good reason to fear, given how brutally she and her court have punished Protestants during her reign. In fact, one of the earliest scenes shows three Protestants being burned at the stake. It's a particularly brutal scene, and we are not spared much in its depiction on screen. That sense of brutality continues throughout the movie, with various scenes showing us those who have been slaughtered in battle or the pain inflicted upon a young lady-in-waiting who unknowing dons a poisoned dress. Yes, you read that right.

Upon Mary's death, a young Elizabeth must quickly learn what is expected of her. The film raises a lot of the questions that surrounded her reign. There was a feeling at the time that a woman, particularly one who had not yet married, was not truly fit to be the ruler of an empire like England's. Even Elizabeth herself is filled with doubts at times. She is surrounded by people who were loyal to her sister, and there is so much pressure to wed and give birth to a boy who can assume the mantle of power. It had to have been quite overwhelming, and Blanchett allows us momentary flashes of the pain that Elizabeth feels when she has yet another difficult decision to make.

It's the various behind-the-scenes intrigues that make up the bulk of the plot. Elizabeth hires Geoffrey Rush's Sir Francis Walsingham, a brutal man capable of killing or having killed anyone who opposes his queen. In fact, the first scene with Walsingham shows him cutting the throat of a young boy who had attempted to kill him. Rush's Walsingham helps Elizabeth fend off attempts by Mary, Queen of Scots, and the Duke of Norfolk (an intense Christopher Eccleston), among others, to lay claim to the throne. I won't comment upon the fact that Walsingham seems to be surrounded by handsome young men throughout the movie. Let's just say that the often-married Walsingham has no wife apparent throughout the narrative. We're meant to focus instead upon his use of spying and espionage to achieve his goals, but the nebulous nature of his sexuality is always in the background almost every time Rush's character is on the screen.

At its heart, Elizabeth is a romantic film as well. The first time we see Elizabeth, she is dancing joyously in a field. Her lover, Robert Dudley, the Earl of Leicester (Fiennes), applauds her. You can see just how much affection they feel for each other. Of course, Dudley is already married and is, therefore, unsuitable as as potential husband. Nevertheless, Elizabeth cannot truly bear to banish him from her court even after he is implicated in a plot against her. She half-heartedly plays along with the attempts to wed her to various men, including the nephew of Mary of Guise (the exquisite Fanny Ardant). However, the Duc d'Anjou (played by Vincent Cassel) seems to prefer the company of men and the clothing of women, facts revealed by Elizabeth to almost everyone at court. It is Dudley whom Elizabeth truly loves, and she does her best to seek out ways to reject the potential suitors who are brought to her.

There are several highlights for me in Elizabeth. I enjoyed the flirtatious way with which Blanchett's queen convinces the nobles and clergy to support the Act of Uniformity, which established a single church for England and a single prayer book. It's a masterful job of acting, with Blanchett coy at one moment and strong-willed at another. She even manages to make a joke or two at the expense of the unmarried clergymen in the audience without, apparently, offending them. I also enjoyed the subplot involving the Pope's attempts to have Elizabeth assassinated. It helps that the Pope is played by John Gielgud, and the assassin is none other than Daniel Craig. Gielgud was always a fascinating actor to watch, and I enjoyed seeing Craig in this early movie role. He displays some of the same brashness he would later bring to the Bond films, and there's even a torture scene that the makers of Casino Royale seem to have copied.

I remember when I first saw this film that I was annoyed by the direction by Shekhar Kapur. He keeps placing barriers between us and the action. There are always pillars or walls or sheer fabric that obstruct our view. I thought perhaps he had an inept cinematographer, but this time I realized that we are seeing these moments the way that someone eavesdropping would have. We become complicit in the palace intrigue by seeming to skulk around behind Elizabeth. She even notes at one point that there is no privacy for a queen like herself, and there's no better example of that than the night she takes Dudley to bed and her ladies-in-waiting watch the two of them make love. We, too, invade the queen's privacy, and the film allows us periodically to see what that is like.

I would like to compliment the costume design and set design for Elizabeth. They are both exquisite. This is a rich, lush film in many ways. The coronation scene, in particular, is a marvel. It's lit almost like a Vermeer painting come to life, so beautiful are all of the elements on screen at the time. I have watched quite a few costume dramas (or period pieces or whatever) for this project, but Elizabeth is one of the few that truly stands out for the work its makers have done in recreating a time period and a look.

The greatest praise, though, should be reserved for the star. Blanchett was nominated for Best Actress and deservedly so. She lost to Gwyneth Paltrow in Shakespeare in Love because, well, that movie was a bit more light-hearted and fun-filled and romantic. And the Academy was incredibly susceptible then to influence by the Weinsteins, who were the producers of Paltrow's film. Yet Blanchett's Elizabeth is a remarkable achievement, one that is likely to be more lasting and one she continued almost a decade later in Elizabeth: The Golden Age. I'd like to see her return to the role every few years, giving us a history of Elizabeth as she aged. It was a long reign after all.

Oscar Win: Makeup

Other Oscar Nominations: Picture, Actress (Blanchett), Art Direction, Cinematography, Costume Design, and Original Dramatic Score