She Deserved MUCH better

Rating: Null/10 (11 May 2002)

Blanchett resembles what we know of Elizabeth Tudor's looks. The costumes are very good, too. Everything else in this production fails as a movie and doubly fails as one purporting to tell a real story. Blanchett's character in no way reflects what we know of Elizabeth's own, and we know a lot. Scene after scene is filled with fantastic and untrue scenarios: e.g., the assassination attempt; the ridiculous arrival of the French suitor and the more preposterous notion that the Duc d'Anjou (I assume this was meant to be him; as he never came to England, one can't be sure) would have a cross-dressing orgy as a guest of the queen he sought political marriage with, in a court riddled, as he would well know, with English spies; and the downright laughable end, wherein the queen consciously adopts a white mask to set herself up as a Protestant icon of virginity. Fifteen years before she entertained the most serious marriage proposal of her life. The real disgrace here is that Elizabeth's life and reign were rife with authentic, highly dramatic incidents which would have made for gripping story-telling. Shame on all concerned for presenting the public with such a travesty.