Word: queens
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...which is trying to reach out beyondthe frock film crowd--with war scenes that aretruly bloody, a Byzantine political atmosphere aslurid and conspiratorial as our own and a gleamingfeminist jewel in the center of the spectacle--itsElizabeth is decidedly archaic. Despite theexcellent work of Cate Blanchett, who resemblesthe real Queen Elizabeth to an astonishing degree,her character is seldom as active, charismatic andcomplex as the historical queen must have been.Perhaps if the film's plotting were lessconvoluted, perhaps if Blanchett's Elizabeth weremore appealing, perhaps if we saw Elizabethstruggle more with her own sovereignty, the filmmight truly give...
...herchoices are a sterile marriage of convenience withSpain or shallow wedlock with a Frenchtransvestite. She denounces sex not to reign moreeffectively, but only when her lover is revealedas a married man. Given that the real QueenElizabeth once stated flatly that she "wouldrather be a beggar and single than a queen andmarried," the film's presentation of Elizabeth'saversion not to the institution of marriage butmerely to incompatible mates seems simplyinnaccurate...
...much an active participant in her life as an intelligent spectator of the Baroque scheming that surrounds her. Though this film at times feels like the Corleone saga circa 1551--there is even a sequence late in Elizabeth which cross-cuts between shots of the Queen at prayer and the conspirators against her being assassinated--this capo of England never chooses to become "Godmother." And without Elizabeth's complicity in her own fate, the consquences of her power lack the tragic heft of Pacino's deeds at the end of The Godfather Part II. The china doll face...
Blanchett at the end of the film, martyred tothe state as the Virgin Queen, is not a grandpoignant enigma, but merely the astute resolutionto give the people of England the ruler theydesire...
...then there's our familiar cast of characters, only much younger and less cautious. Jake Lloyd is young Anakin Skywalker, soon to become Darth Vader. Liam Neeson dons Jedi gear, Natalie Portman assumes her role as queen, and Samuel Jackson even throws in a oneliner. Leading the cast is Ewan McGregor as the young Obi-Wan-Kenobi (if you think about what Titanic did for DiCaprio, imagine what will happen to indie-film-loving McGregor). Lucas knows that characters--unlike many sci-fi special effects extravaganzas--are the key Star Wars' success. Thus, he casts B-list stars that blend...