though
it is a fine piece of filmmaking
, there 's something about elizabeth .
. .
that left me a bit cold , and i think it is something that bugs me quite often in films , particularly these days
; i just did n't care about the characters .
to me , the first and foremost job of a filmmaker is to create characters ( be they imagined or historical as the case may be ) that the audience gives a hoot about .
and though elizabeth works well on many levels , it falls short of excellence because of that very reason .
elizabeth takes place in england in 1554 , as queen mary , half sister of elizabeth and a monarch on the side of catholicism is dying . before she dies , though , she can not bear to sign a document which would condemn her half sister to death because of her heretical protestant beliefs .
as a result , amidst much anger within the council , elizabeth becomes the queen of england .
the film chronicles her rise to power as she fights for a unified church of england and tries to bring order to her personal and political life .
much of the film deals with elizabeth 's love for lord robert , a mysterious man who thrusts his lordship onto many a woman as he continues to proclaim his love for the queen .
there is much ado about her lack of a husband , and political pressures from spain and france enter into the equation .
the problem with the film lies with this as its centerpiece , as love interests are such a character driven element .
i did n't much care about the characters ( perhaps aside for elizabeth who is played quite well by blanchett ) and so i did n't have much interest in who would join her in her nuptials .
the cast is rounded out well with the marvelous rush who plays the queen 's most loyal advisor , sir francis , and attenborough as a well - meaning but old - fashioned lead council .
why then , you must be asking , do
i recommend elizabeth ?
simply because it is the result of a perfect pairing of director and cinematographer .
kapur and his cinematographer remi adefarasin ( neither of whom i have heard )
create a beautifully realized piece of filmmkaing from the technical side .
the light streams through each frame as in any painting from the period and beautifully captures the realistic light sources that would have been found in churches , cellars and castles in 16th century europe .
each frame is rich with color contrasted with blackness or blown - out white light from windows .
the costumes by alexandra byrne deserve a mention as they are such an inportant aspect of each shot .
indeed , elizabeth is one of the most visually beautiful films of the decade , ranking with kundun and braveheart .
watch also for the incredibly " godfather - esque " mass murder scene .
it made me think in retrospect of the similarities between the two films .
works well on many levels the cast is rounded out well with the marvelous i recommend elizabeth played quite well a beautifully realized piece of filmmkaing from the technical side one of the most visually beautiful films of the decade it is a fine piece of filmmaking each frame is rich with color deserve a mention it is the result of a perfect pairing of director and cinematographer