Perfectly lit period drama

Rating: 8/10 (10 January 2019)

This is probably the first period drama where the lighting was near perfect. That gave the film the necessary atmosphere for conflict.
Now apart from that the film was in itself near perfect at one stage it was running at 10/10 but it lost points due the camerawork . There were times when the sweeping angles and one camera set up made you feel nauseous- together with the overuse of fish eye lenses .
The central theme was strong with the rivalry between Lady Marlborough ( Rachel Weisz stole the show in this Lady Macbeth type role ) and a rising maid ( played affectionally by Emma Stone ) for the affection both in and out of the bed of a bisexual Queen Anne with the backdrop of conflicting politics surrounding the continuing war with France led by the national hero and distant relation of Winston Churchill the infamous Duke of Marlborough played excellently by Mark Gatis.
Olivia Coleman has come in for a lot of praise for her role as Queen Anne , but it was the suppprting cast who were so good that they stole the limelight , not least Nicholas Holt as the leader of the opposition.
It reminded me a bit of The draughtman's contract but with an appeal to a much larger audience , British cinema has come a long way since Chanel 4 revived it in the 1980s .
A enjoyable film with a few surprises if not just a little bit too long but certainly worth seeing and worthy of the praise it's getting .
Pad.A 8/10