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Elizabeth I

Synopsis from HBO’s homepage:
Emmy-winner Helen Mirren and Oscar-winner Jeremy Irons star in Elizabeth I, a two-part HBO Films miniseries event that explores the intersection of the private and public life of Elizabeth I (Mirren) in the latter half of her reign, offering a personal look at her allies, her enemies and her suitors as she struggled to survive in a male-dominated world. Part 1 explores the middle-aged Elizabeth’s tempestuous relationship with the Earl of Leicester (Irons) as it survives a French suitor, war, treason, and illness. Part 2 follows Elizabeth through her later years, during which she had an equally passionate affair with the young, ambitious Earl of Essex (Hugh Dancy), who had been raised, ironically, by his stepfather Leicester.

Elizabeth I sheds light on both the personal and public side of England’s most enigmatic queen. The daughter of King Henry VIII, Elizabeth I (1533-1603) reunited a nation divided by religious strife, faced down the Spanish Armada and, after an unprecedented 45-year reign, died one of England’s best-loved monarchs. During her time as Queen, poets and playwrights wrote about her, artists painted her, and composers dedicated works to her, all contributing to the legend of the “Virgin Queen” who never married. In the public’s mind, Elizabeth’s romantic life is nearly completely overshadowed by her political achievements and military triumphs. Elizabeth I looks beyond the myth at the woman behind the crown, striking a balance between the queen’s desire to find love and passion, and her responsibility to the monarchy.

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Personally, I’ve always been fascinated with enigmatic Elizabeth I ever since I first watched the movie Elizabeth starring Cate Blanchett (which apparently was a very inaccurate film!)…and when I read that a miniseries about her has been filmed, I excitedly awaited the DVD to appear on the shelves of my usual DVD shop.

While at times, I felt that the Virgin Queen appeared a little too human in the show, all in all, I found it to be a brilliant film. Helen Mirren is perfect as Queen Elizabeth…the subtle lift of an eyebrow, the steely glint in her eyes, her quick change in moods…what an amazing actress! And Jeremy Irons as Robert Dudley is oh-so-sexy (yes, I have a thing for older, sexy men who speak with a British or Scottish accent…eg. Sean Connery…*grin*)…you can almost imagine him as a roguish gentleman in his younger days! Hugh Dancy, who plays the Earl of Essex, portrays the hot-headed ‘little boy’ well, torn between rebelling vs. being ruled by the queen he professes to love. And needless to say, the costumes and script is outstanding…especially the script! I absolutely adored the wordplay and the speeches!

It’s a good thing that this show was filmed as a 2-part miniseries instead of a 2-hour movie. The show had so much more details about Queen Elizabeth’s life as a miniseries than it would’ve had as a movie. And the gory scenes would’ve never passed the M’sian censors as a movie! And gory scenes they are! The era where Queen Elizabeth ruled had it’s fair share of violence…after all, the queen’s own mother, Anne Boleyn, was beheaded by the King…and while most shows would tastefully avoid showing too much graphic detail, this show does not shy away from it. It was quite unexpected to see a show that actually depicts traitors being drawn, hung and quartered…but you’ll see it here. And the beheading of Mary, Queen of Scots, will leave you with your mouth hanging wide open (though do keep in mind that in real life, her beheading was much worse than that depicted in the film)!

This film truly shows how hard it is to be a ruler of a country…torn between responsibility to her country vs. responsibility to her heart…and you truly feel for a queen who seem to have everything yet nothing. Again, my only complaint is that there were scenes where the queen was too open with her feelings…it just doesn’t seem believeable as you’d think that monarchs, especially during those uncertain times (and especially Elizabeth, who had to be careful for most of her young life to not be seen or heard plotting against her half-sister Queen Mary), would keep their feelings more in check. And I suppose there are those little historical inaccuracies, but then again, this is a film to entertain, not to teach. Garnering 9 awards in the 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, this is one must-watch show for lovers of historical dramas.