I finished watching Elizabeth I this evening, and I just can’t say enough about what a great movie this is. Here is the blurb from Netflix:
Helen Mirren earned an Emmy win for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I in this HBO miniseries chronicling the effect of the monarch’s public role on her private life. Unable to wed the man she loves, the Earl of Leicester (Jeremy Irons, who won an Emmy for his role), Elizabeth flirts with the idea of marrying a French prince and later sets her sights on the earl’s stepson (Hugh Dancy). This historical drama scored the Emmy for Best Miniseries.
Helen Mirren really deserved that Emmy, IMHO. I’ve been a fan of Mirren’s for quite some time, but she was truly powerful in this drama. She made me believe she was Queen Elizabeth every moment she was on the screen.
There are a few moments of gore (a couple beheadings plus a drawing and quartering scene). I had to look away with the drawing and quartering. Bit gruesome, although historically accurate. A couple of times during the movie (about 3 1/2 hours on two DVDs that I watched over two nights), I had to pause it so I could look things up in my laptop’s encyclopedia. Fascinating stuff.
If you enjoy historical dramas, don’t miss this one.
-rlh-
