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Title:
Elizabeth I
Region:
One
Genre:
Historical Drama
Stars:
Helen Mirren, Jeremy Irons, Patrick Malahide, Toby Jones, Hugh Dancy, Barbara
Flynn, Ian McDiarmid, Simon Woods, Toby Salaman, David Delve, Ewen Bremner, Will
Keen, Eddie Redmayne, Ben Pullen, and Romunas Rudokas
Writer:
Nigel Williams
Director:
Tom Hooper
Executive
Producers: George Faber, Susan Harrison, Charles Pattinson, and Nigel Williams
Feature
length: 211 minutes
Extras:
Making Of Elizabeth I and Uncovering The Real Elizabeth I
Languages:
English and Spanish Language Dolby Stereo Sound
Subtitles:
English Closed Captions and English, French, and Spanish Language Subtitles
Packaging:
Book Style Digipack
Chapter
Stops: 28
Sound:
Stereo Sound
Year
of DVD Release: 2006
Home
Video Distributor: HBO Home Video
TV
Rating: TV-MA
Reviewer:
Mark A. Rivera
Helen
Mirren earned an Emmy® and an Oscar® for playing two different British Queens
named Elizabeth. On HBO in 2005, Elizabeth I proved to be a terrific
two-part miniseries that captured a complex historical figure at a critical time
in the history of the world and arguably was HBO’s finest historical drama
outside of the first season of ROME, which had aired that same season.
Now Showtime is about to premiere their own historical drama with a touch of the
soap opera to add spice in what can clearly be seen as a prequel of sorts to Elizabeth
I entitled The Tudors. Having already seen the first two episodes, I
can tell you there are a few instances referenced in Elizabeth I that are
dramatized in The Tudors. A full review of the first six episodes of The
Tudors will be posted in my TV reviews section presently, but Showtime has
already released the first two episodes on the Internet for anyone with a
broadband connection to see by visiting http://www.sho.com/site/tudors/home.do
and the episodes can also be viewed now on Digital Cable where available either
at Showtime On Demand or Free Movies On Demand. HBO has not missed the chance to
air Elizabeth I again since the two are perfect companions that in my
opinion offer cross marketing opportunities that benefit both premium channel
services. Perhaps the easiest way to see Elizabeth I though is to buy it
on DVD in the two-disc set HBO Home Video released last year.
I
am not sure if this comparison is appropriate or not, but I find that Actress
Helen Mirren attracts the same universal appeal for her match of screen presence
and sexiness that can be appreciated even by men half her age as Sean Connery
has long been considered to be sexy by women of all ages, races, and creeds
across the board. It is not so much that Mirren is going to turn a man’s head
the way Pamela Anderson or Tyra Banks might, but Mirren like Connery just has
some quality about her that regardless if you see her when she was young in
films like Caligula or Excalibur to her more recent turns, one has
to agree that age has not taken away any of her natural beauty anymore than Sean
Connery is any less distinguished now than he was 40 years ago. Basically they
are both likeable stars with good genetics and genuine talent. How else could
Mirren pull off believably the kind of allure she does in her scenes with Hugh
Dancy, who plays the Earl of Essex in the miniseries. Dancy is perfect casting
because not only is he a good looking young guy, but also he beautifully mixes
the impetuousness of his character with the dashing bravado. At times he bares a
resemblance to Errol Flynn, who played the same character in Elizabeth And
Essex.
Jeremy
Irons gives a terrific performance as the Earl of Leicester, who in the first
half of the miniseries provides Queen Elizabeth I with both a romantic interest,
but ultimately a bitter sweet friendship since it is politics that ultimately
plays a role in the tragedy of Elizabeth’s life and those around her. Ian
McDiarmid just seems to be born to play political advisors and so forth with a
similar role in The Last King as well as his deceptive turn as Palpatine
in the Star Wars Saga making me wonder how he would really do as a Member
of Parliament. Patrick Malahide
adds a lot of screen presence to his role and in a small role in the first part,
Simon Woods, who can be seen now on the HBO second and final season of ROME
as Octavian AKA Augustus Caesar, the first Emperor of the Roman Empire, has a
small, but important role in the first part of the miniseries too.
As
with previous HBO Home Video DVD releases, Elizabeth I looks comparable
on standard definition DVD to the high definition broadcasts in progressive scan
480p, and arguably looks better when artificially enhanced to 1080i. The
miniseries is presented in a widescreen 16 by 9 aspect ratio with a clear
English Stereo Soundtrack. I was hoping for a 5.1 mix, but not even the HBO HD
broadcasts had Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound so I guess I should not have
expected it, but what the heck, you never know. A Spanish Language Dolby Stereo
Soundtrack and English Closed Captions for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired as well
as English, French, and Spanish Language Subtitles are encoded onto both discs
as options too. The extra value features are rather thin. Just the HBO Making
Of Elizabeth I special (17:20) and a discussion of the historical accuracy
of the miniseries (7:37) are included on disc two. The two discs come housed
within a sturdy book style Digipack.
Elizabeth
I
is available on DVD-Video now at retailers on and offline courtesy of HBO Home
Video and it is the perfect companion to the Showtime original series The
Tudors, which premieres on April 1, 2007.
©
Copyright 2007 By Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.
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