Oh, I actually liked "Elizabeth." I just thought Blanchett looked a bit blanched in the face in that film.
I also think Jo Fiennes's, "Dudley" was overacted and even a bit false at times. Nevertheless he certainly captured the torture of having been dumped by the Queen after having so long been her pet. There was a scene where, after he had been discovered a traitor, Dudley sat in haggard despair in a darkened room, as Walsingham walked nearby. The Queen entered the room and Dudley, some force tugging him against his weariness from his seat, stood, gazing up at her. It was very well done.
I also enjoyed Blanchett's general interpretation of "Elizabeth"-- you know, the slow, pained relinquishment of private personhood thing. That final dance scene with Dudley put a lump in my throat-- Dudley's last ditch effort as well.
In the scene mentioned two paragraphs above, Blanchett began to question Dudley, during which she did this amazing thing. She wanted to understand Dudley's treachery, and as she spoke she seemed to betray the last remainder of a some little attachment, perhaps pity. Then, recognizing the futility of it, she quickly ended the conversation, slightly rolled her eyes as if the last bit of tenderness in her had vanished, leaving only exasperation, and left the room. When she did that, I said to my wife, "That hurt."
Hey, and you just gotta love Geoff Rush, huh? That guy's Walsingham was very nice.
The film has some annoying flaws - a few washed out scenes on the beach, for example, made the actors seem as if they were standing against a photograph. And there was an ever present undertow of soulessness in the film due to a lack of chemistry between the actors. But generally the film, especially the acting performances as entities, was very strong. |
