For some unknown reason, last week I immersed myself in Elizabeth I. In addition to researching her life, I watched three movies. One starred the beautiful life-loving Cate Blanchett, another the fierce and mesmerizing Glenda Jackson, another the mercurial yet tender Helen Mirren.




Cate Blanchett




Glenda Jackson




Helen Mirren


It's fascinating that no two portrayals of Elizabeth have ever been the same. I was riveted to all three performances - and it's true - each interpretation was vastly different regarding Elizabeth. Each manipulated historical facts for whatever reason, but as a reviewer observed:

Glenda Jackson perhaps proves herself the greatest of the screen queens in the wonderful BBC series Elizabeth R (1971). This six part series chronicles Elizabeth's life from the reign of her brother, Edward VI, until her death in 1603, and remains the best ever dramatization of the Queen's life. Not only does Jackson give a powerful portrayal of the Queen, but the scripts are well written and historically accurate. No other series, to date, has recreated the Elizabethan world as faithfully.

Jackson's portrayal was the first I watched. She portrays Elizabeth as an over-the-top very scary person - a nut-job, sometimes too scary for me. I'm a wimp.

Mirren seemed the most realistic to me, but I may have been fooled with clever scripting that gave her grand moments of tenderness. I trusted Mirren's eyes the most with well conveyed unspoken lines.

Blanchett brought frivolity and extreme beauty to the role.

All three productions showcased dazzling wardrobes and music.

Not only were the characterizations of Elizabeth different, each movie added its own unique goriness. Some of the bloodiest I've ever encountered: beheading, rack stretching, and the most disturbing disembowelments where victims lived for hours afterwards. (I fast forwarded through these parts - I used Google for information.)

Which brings to mind why last week I became concerned I'd be constipated (or the other unpleasant condition) for the rest of my life after seeing so many scenes with bloody bowels. Good heavens! I've never seen so much gory bloodletting. Seriously. I had to fast-forward through some of the scenes. Much like I have to speed read most of the news coming from the Middle East these days. Off with their heads was an operative cliche in Elizabeth's era. *shiver*

My fingers balk. They refuse to type another word about b-o-w-e-l-s. Except that years ago when I put together a cookbook for my children (A Reason to Season) I caught a significant typo with the unappetizing confusion of bowl & b-o-w-e-l.

Here's a link to everything you might be interested in knowing about Elizabeth I. I'm a dummy when it comes to linking, so click the link, go to *contents* and then click on Screen Queens. It's fascinating.


Screen Queens