Period drama for the #MeToo generation.

Rating: 8/10 (8 January 2019)

I am a big, big fan of Yorgos Lanthimos whose two previous deadpan comedic features (The Killing of a Scared Deer and The Lobster) are outstanding movies.
The feature of both of these movies is Lanthimos' extremely black humour delivered in a unique style.
However, for The Favourite Lanthimos has taken a big decision in abandoning the scriptwriting and handing the duties over to Deborah Davis (her debut) and Tony McNamara (lots of minor TV but no cinema history). It's a strange choice of writing team because they don't bring any previous to the mix, and neither are fresh-faced youths. But what they bring is an entirely different tonality to Lanthimos' work and that leaves him to focus on direction, with cinematography provided by Robbie Ryan, who made a big contribution (in my view) to American Honey. Indeed, the cinematography is a major talking point after the writing. Gone is Lanthimos' naturalistic, almost clinical, lighting of the Lobster and "Deer" instead, although we again go au natural, it's through a gloom of candle and fire light that renders the screen largely black for a great deal of its 2+ hours.
His frequent choice of extreme wide angle (almost fish eye) lens to capture the scale of the huge palace rooms is highly unusual in cinema and is much more like stills photography. One scene, shot in a long corridor, makes it look like a u-bend when in fact it is completely straight - unlike the principal characters!
But the real meat here is this terrific all female star line-up. In the #MeToo era this is a real vote of confidence in female actors with attitude and sheer quality. Come March it is entirely possible that all of the leads; Olivia Coleman (national treasure that she is), Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone will be career Oscar winners because Coleman's performance is quite brilliant. The other two already hold this distinction and each has a good chance of adding to their trophy haul.
Although, As Queen Anne, Coleman (who gained 2.5 stone to play the gout-ridden Queen's part) is the designated lead, the film is essentially a three player ensemble with some ineffectual men put into bat to be made to look ridiculous and, oh, they do in Sandy Powell's outrageous costumes and Beverley Binda's even more outrageous hair and make up. ("You look like a dead badger" Weisz tells the Queen as she sets out on a royal engagement.)
The story echoes All About Eve as Queen Anne's favourite lady in waiting, and lesbian lover, Lady Sarah Marlborough, The Wife of the Duke of Marlborough who is leading the war with France, is gradually pushed out of favouritism by one time lady and now servant girl, Abigail (Emma Stone). Although she does not go without fight.
This is where the scriptwriting team get the nod to create a bawdy and vicious rivalry set in a Draughtsman Contract-esque world.
Overindulgence, poisoning and illness leads to all three leads vomiting at least once each, reflecting this world of excess.
The music track is at times intrusive, but to my mind in a good way; it's a sort of early 18th Century version of Atticus Rose and Trent Resnor's soundtrack to The Social Network.
What everyone is talking about is the lead performances. Each is supremely talented and each is given so much scope to truly flex their acting muscles that what results is an acting master-class. In the trailer it seems like a knockabout farce but in reality the movie is actually quite slow-paced with moments of true hilarity and enough foul language to shock some of our more prurient audience members. That said, my wife who abhors the C-word volunteered that it was used to great effect several times in this.
The lesbian relationships Queen Anne enjoyed are worthy of note. In a life that saw her lose 17 children (5 still born and many miscarried) her tipping of the velvet was, apart from a bulimic relationship with food, one of her few pleasures. Both Lady Marlborough and Abigail are adept in their duty to pleasure their monarch.
The first half belongs to Rachel Weisz but Coleman steadily comes into her own as the movie progresses. Emma Stone plays a beautifully judged and paced role in which she will do anything to get ahead - but in the end it's Coleman who wins the day, with the last 20 minutes belonging to her as she suffers the consequences of the vagaries of her life. Her portrayal of Queen Anne as a stroke victim is as good a performance as you will see anywhere this year.
It's a fascinating movie, although I'm not convinced it's quite as good as its hype. That said, for lovers of history and lovers of Olivia Coleman it has to be seen.