Elizabeth by Rob Schwarz

Director Shekhar Kapur obviously has a thing for strong women. His last feature was the controversial and brilliant The Bandit Queen (1995), about a revered Indian women who slaughters men that gang-raped her, and his new film, Elizabeth, pertains to the queen who ruled England for more than forty years. Another common theme is that both the flicks are finely crafted pieces that employ beautiful as well horrifying takes while pushing forward a powerful narrative. This tasty mixture makes for excellent filmmaking.

Elizabeth opens in 1554: Mary of Guise (Fanny Ardant) rules England but the monarch is deeply ill and without heir. If she dies the crown will pass to her half sister, Elizabeth. The Catholic and aristocratic court all fear this untamed Protestant who was born to Henry VIII and one of his less popular wives. Despite her aides’ pleas, Mary refuses to put her flesh and blood to death and Elizabeth does ascend to the throne when Mary succumbs to a tumor. Thus begins the intrigue. With all the plotting, sub-plotting, and treachery of Shakespeare (indeed, this history was the bard’s instruction tablet) the court and royal counsel try somehow to weaken or kill the “heretic” queen.

Like all good celluloid the film tells several parables at once. We see a naive, young maiden grow into a world-class strategist and cagey ruler; the ministers’ and counsel’s duplicitous dealings are a study in betrayal; a love blossoms but dies between Elizabeth and Robert Dudley (Joseph Fiennes); and a geo-political chess game is sketched. Kapur dashes in rich colors, stunning costumes, sweeping landscapes and brutality to underscore the magnitude and grandeur of the situation.

The most affective stream concerns the development of Elizabeth’s character. Unsure of how she should proceed when crowned, the queen is urged to marry, preferably a prince from France or Spain. Slowly she comes to understand this will compromise her power and undermine her desire to declare Protestantism the state religion. In one of the film’s piercing moments Elizabeth beats back the marriage ruse, pronouncing, “I will have one mistress, and no master!” In a very deliberate manner we see the young woman transform from dancing romantic to hard-edged, pragmatic ruler who sees exactly which aides have her best interest at heart and which do not.

Kapur’s nuanced direction enables this subtle evolution. The film is never in a rush, rather it keeps a relaxed tempo, building and then gliding on the wings of the elegant court’s luxuries. This expert pacing is what lies at the heart of the film’s success. Kapur is sure enough not to force any drama, and grounded enough not to get carried away in feathery visuals. Throw in an excellent script and superb performances (especially by lead Cate Blanchett and the paternal Richard Attenborough) and you have a gem of a film.

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