No one can make a period piece anywhere as
good as the Brits and Elizabeth is NO EXCEPTION.
Though many similarities were made with the other period flick of 98, Shakespeare in Love.
These are two films that are nothing alike at the core.
Elizabeth (Cate Blanchet) is the story of the 16th Century British Royal Family,
most notably that of the Virgin Queen, Elizabeth and her rise to the thrown of England.
She was daughter to Henry the 8th, and only became queen after her Half sister Mary became
ill and died (believed to have been poisoned).
Before becoming queen, Mary had Elizabeth tried for Treason (going against catholic
belief), and the fact she was daughter to Anne Berline, a Protestant, infuriated the
zealot Queen Mary more so. Though many of the
events in the film are in based on fact, Elizabeth's romantic involvements were never
really explicitly known of, especially of those with Lord Robert Dudley(Joseph Fiennes),
and were embellished upon for this film, possibly.
With Elizabeth the Protestant in power, the Duke Of
Norfolk(Christopher Eccleston) a devoted catholic was determined to rid her of the thrown,
even if it meant murder. Many plots were hatched to see the Fall of Queen Elizabeth,
but thanks to her loyal adviser Sir Francis Walsingham (Geoffery Rush) was able to make it
through many of them unscathed.
Elizabeth as a movie is as close to flawless as you can
get. The cast is perfect, direction incredible and cinematography breathtaking (some
shots will make you dizzy :-). Matched with a wonderfully live musical/choir score,
Elizabeth is one of the best films to grace the screen in years. A Must see...
So How Does This Transfer Hold Up??
Here's another very nice anamorphic transfer from the ex-polygram crew, presented with an
aspect ratio of 1.85:1.
Though the picture seems a tad soft, focus wise a bit too often, it is a very pleasing to
the eye. Colour Saturation is intentionally muted a touch at times, still with very
accurate fleshtones. Black level is very good with great depth and shadow detail
(being set mostly inside a castle). There was a few hints of grain now and then, but
nothing to get worked up about. With a majority of the film shot in the interior of
a castle, the lighting is ever so natural with beams of light coming through the high
window openings. Even with low levels of light, there is still a lot to see, and
this also created one hell of an atmosphere.
The movie has been split over two sides of the RSDL disc and is not a very good layer
change as it occurs in the middle of screen motion in Chapter 14, 78:57min. The
layer changes just as the pope moves his arm to Apply the Vatican Seal to a letter..not a
very good placement at all when you consider this layer change is merely seconds after a
complete scene change.
If widescreen/letterboxed pictures are not your cup of tea, then you will be pleased to
know that Elizabeth has been encoded to utilise the 4x3 P&S option for DVD players.
Just go into your Player's menu and select 4x3 P&S for video/image output.
This will send a full screen picture to your TV (without the black bars)
Video Highlights
Ch 4 7:40 - 7:51 - the playing field
Ch 7 30:36 - 30:42 Closeup of Sir Bradbury
Ch 8 31:33 - 31:47 Through the red veil
Ch 11 59:34 - 59:45 The pope has something to say
Even better is the Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track.
This is a cracker, and really puts a 5.1 mix to the limits. David Hirschfelder's
score fills the room with sound, and makes great use of the LFE track throughout.
Choirs have always been a favourite musical additional to me, especially when they
envelope the room as done here, and the Gothic tone created in this one is great.
Soundeffects are also throw in everywhere (this is one of the best uses of thunder FX I
have ever heard and felt..and this is a period drama for god's sake!!!!!).
Dialogue is very natural sounding, and given the setting is in a castle, reverberation is
very prominent with echoes all around the castle...nice!!
My sync impaired pioneer 717 enhanced a few spots of bad sloppy ADR work, but with so much
to enjoy in this incredible soundtrack, it's easy(ier) to look past.
Audio Highlights
Ch 1 0:17 - 1:33 opening credits
Ch 2 3:58 - 4:08 Burning ring of Fire
Ch 7 27:34 - 27:51 Surrounded by the Choir
Ch 9 41:47 - 42:35 A thunderous Choir
Knowing there is a running commentary for Elizabeth,
I was very very disappointed that ex-Polygram omitted it from the our PAL version when it
is available on region 1 DVD :-( Director Kupar was very passionate about this
movie, and stipulated that this film would only ever be played in it's uncut form.
His home country of India wanted to censor certain sexual references in the film, and as a
result it never screened there.
Missing commentary aside, the extras you will find on this DVD are the Theatrical trailer,
a behind the scenes featurette showing the making of certain sequences, The making of
Elizabeth, and cast and crew interviews. The Last two extras really should have been
incorporated into one feature as they are essentially the same thing anyway.....ALL
features are 16:9 Enhanced and window boxed to 4x3 and can be played at fill screen if you
select 4x3 P&S on your DVD player.
Elizabeth is a fantastic movie, that was unfortunately
trampled on at the box office by the other period piece, Shakespeare in Love. and Cate
should have been the one to win that damn Oscar!!!!!!!
| PICTURE QUALITY |
8/10 a bit soft in places, but quite
nice |
| SOUND QUALITY |
9.5/10 terrific 5.1 mix..... |
| FEATURES |
5/10 pity about the missing commentary
track |
Review Equipment
TV: Pioneer SD-T50W1 (16:9 RPTV)
DVD: Pioneer DV717 (using RGB outputs)
Receiver: Marantz SR870 & Sony SDP-EP9ES
Speakers:-
Fronts: B&W 602
Centre: B&W CDMC-SE
Rears: Jamo Magic 14
Subby: M&K V125
- Reviewed 7th December 1999
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