Sony G90 manual Biopics Three British Royals, Love.1 As

SECOND RUN

. . . . . . . . .

Biopics: Three British Royals

Elizabeth. Shekhur Kapur, director. With Cate Blanchett				own. All things considered, she was considerably better off in
(Elizabeth), Joseph Fiennes (Leicester), Geoffrey Rush				the supporting role.
(Walsingham), Christopher Eccleston (Norfolk), Richard				Not only does this so-called “historical drama” play
Attenborough (Cecil). 1.85:1 Widescreen. Dolby 5.1.				2
				fast and loose with the facts, it does so in particularly
Polygram Video. Enhanced for 16.9.				unhappy ways.
				Lord knows, England was in a “parlous state” when Eliza-
				beth came to the throne, to quote Richard Attenborough’s
Mrs. Brown. John Madden, director. With Judi Dench				weak-kneed Cecil. The wounds of the War of the Roses, only
(Queen Victoria), Billy Connolly (Brown), Antony Sher				75 years past, were not yet healed; the cultural, economic, and
(Disraeli). 1.85:1 Widescreen. Dolby Four-Channel				religious divisions that would throw all of Great Britain into
Surround. Miramax Classic Widescreen.				Civil War a mere 40 years after Elizabeth’s death were setting
				Englishman against Englishman. Yes, there were court
				intrigues. Yes, there were plots against Elizabeth’s life and
Gods and Monsters. Bill Condon, director. With Ian				crown. But to present virtually every major character, from
McKellan (James Whale), Brendan Fraser (Clayton				lovers to conspirators, as curly-eyed, saaaasssy young things
Boone), Lynn Redgrave (Hanna), Lolita Davidovich				– all of whom look like pirates who were kidnapped by royal-
(Betty), David Duke (David Lewis). 2.35:1 Anamorphic				ty when they were babies, all of whom speak a hilarious quasi-
Widescreen. Dolby Digital 5.1. Universal.				Elizabethan version of the superheated, crisis-mode dialog
Enhanced for 16.9.
				1 Despite the fact that Dench had a total of eight minutes screen time in
				the witty but lightweight Shakespeare, she was awarded the Oscar for Best
ineteen-ninety-eight was another banner year for the Virgin				Supporting Actress of 1998 – a classic example of the Academy’s biennial
				“consolation” award, making up for the Best Actress Oscar that Dench
	Queen. As acted by the great Judi Dench, Elizabeth
				should have won – but didn’t – for her performance as Queen Victoria in
	played a small but memorable part in Shakespeare in			Mrs. Brown.
	Love.1 As	portrayed by giggly,	gimlet-eyed Cate	2 For instance (and, zounds, how many “f’r-instances” there are in this
	Blanchett,	in Shekhur Kapur’s		film!), Sir William Cecil (Richard Attenborough) is portrayed as a doddering
				old buffoon, when, in fact, he was a mere 13 years older than Elizabeth and
gaudy Gothic meller Elizabeth, she got					served her faithfully (and well) for better than 40
an entire “coming of age” movie of her			J O N A T H A N V A L I N		years, dying just five years before she did.