Gorgeous, epic-scale biopic

Rating: 8/10 (13 October 2007)

This was an absolutely stunning movie by director Shekhar Kapur, who has a history of doing very-well done films, as few as he has under his belt. The costumes were what held my attention for the most part of movie; they were vivid, vibrant colors indeed fit for a queen. Makeup and hair was extraordinary, especially for the always brilliant Cate Blanchett. She delivers a very powerful depiction of the Virgin Queen, making her appear as a most believable blend of power, vulnerability, and humanity; we see her laughing with her attendants, making jokes at the expense of very powerful world leaders, acting out of passionate rage and jealousy, and being broken under the weight of her own crown. Yet she still managed to pull everything together at the end and continue her reign as Queen of England.
I think there were two parts of the film that were exceptionally powerful to me. The first was when she asked only for a kiss from Sir Walter Raleigh, who could have probably been better played by someone other than Clive Owen. Such a simple action, yet one that held so much meaning to a queen who could not have what she wanted most. The second part was when Elizabeth, in little more than a white nightgown, stands on the cliff overlooking the burning Spanish ships. The clouds part a little behind her as she smiles in relief and triumph as she watches the destruction of Spain as a superpower of the seas and the world. It was a very poignant image for me.
I think that while some things could have been done to make this film better (replace Clive Owen, make it a little longer in order to give the characters enough time to grow believably, give Geoffrey Rush more screen time as his character was indeed important to Elizabeth's saga, develop Mary Stuart's story a little more), it was a well-done piece of cinema that deserves recognition. It is very rare that we are bestowed with a historical film as engrossing and beautiful as this. I hope we get to see more like this for other historical figures sometime in the near-future.