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ELIZABETH STILL REIGNS
Elizabeth may be last year's triumph, but, she still continues to command attention in all sorts of ways.
Our friend Lillie informs us that not only is Cate featured in the A & E magazine BIO this month, they have also used Cate clips in their "100 Most Important People of the Millennium" television special in which they designate Elizabeth the First as number 80. Lillie says the special re-runs Dec. 31.
Also, the UK Guardian has published their Videos of the Year list. This eclectic grouping is revealed thusly:
1. Buffalo 66
(dir Vincent Gallo, Columbia Tristar, £12.99) Vinnie Gallo makes no concessions to anyone and works only on his own terms. His directorial debut was wincingly funny, oddly tender and used its small budget immaculately - there's only one special effect, but it's as good as you'll find in The Matrix. It's charming, perceptive and hugely original and leaves its set-pieces burned on the retina: the photo booth scene, the bed scene and Christina Ricci tap-dancing in a bowling alley. Gallo isn't modest but he has no reason to be - he's star, director, original story writer, co-screenwriter and music writer. His dad was played by Ben Gazzara, probably the actor with the triple whammy of the year. He did this one between Happiness and The Big Lebowski.2. Hana-Bi
(Takeshi Kitano, Alliance, £15.99) Beautiful, resonant and reflective film from Japan's greatest living director (and on recent form, the world's greatest). Kitano blends stillness and sudden explosive action, perfectly-timed deadpan comedy and a deep sense of honour and obligation to live a good life and tenderness without sentimentality. He's a moralist but nobody makes speeches in a Kitano movie. They think and they act.3. Pleasantville
(Gary Ross, New Line, DVD £17.99) Visually, the treat of the year with its blend of colour and black and white aspiring to art, while its satire against the narrowness of 50s America was slipped in slyly by writer-director Ross in an easy-to-watch and very funny film.4. The Apostle
(Robert Duvall, CIC, £10.99) That most unobtrusive of actors, Duvall cut loose in a brilliantly-told and cliché-free look at Bible-belt America. His charismatic preacher pulled off the most convincing wooing of the year (Miranda Richardson was the recipient) and some of the pulpit-thumping was astonishing.5. TwentyFourSeven
(Shane Meadows, Fox Pathé, £14.99) A quantum leap for Nottingham's finest, at the age of 25. The film glowed and so did Bob Hoskins in his best role in years. All this and the screen's first rendition of "Who ate all the pies".6. Love is the Devil
(John Maybury, Artificial Eye, £15.99) A treatment worthy of Francis Bacon filmed in a painterly but unpretentious style and with a disturbing portrayal by Derek Jacobi. More British seediness and disgust than we've seen since Denholm Elliott's heyday.7. Love and Death in Long Island
(Richard Kwietniowski, Fox Pathé, £12.99) Absolutely charming and often hilarious tale of fusty academic John Hurt's unrequited love for Jason Priestley's himbo actor. An affectionate cross between Death in Venice and Ted and Ralph.8. The Opposite of Sex
(Don Roos, Columbia Tristar, currently only available to buy on DVD £19.99) "I don't have a heart of gold and I don't grow one, OK? But relax there are much nicer people in this film. We call them losers." Christina Ricci sets Roos's sexually confused screwball comedy off on the right foot.9. A Bug's Life
(John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Disney/Pixar, £17.99, DVD £19.99) Bright, sharp and witty as well as technically amazing, and easily cartoon of the year.10. Elizabeth
(Shekhar Kapur, Polygram £15.99, DVD£17.99) A beguiling and dark piece of cod history with a breathtaking performance by Cate Blanchett who goes from carefree dancing girl to steely monarch.And, although we never thought it possible, after the hours of research that has gone into assembling this site, we actually stumbled last week upon a short interview with Cate that was done with Renaissance Magazine to promote the release of Elizabeth:
An Interview with Cate Blanchett
Q: What is the contemporary relevance of Queen Elizabeth's life? In some ways the battle she was fighting then is relevant to women today.
Cate Blanchett: It was interesting watching a character test out her emotional and political emotions while being torn between love and duty, on a more epic scale than one would normally experience it. It is important when you tell a historical tale that you find a modern reason for telling it, but Shekhar [the director] was never interested in historical accuracy when creating the movie Elizabeth. Rather, he was interested in weaving a fantasy around a historical setting, which gave us a lot of artistic license, allowing us to draw on things that weren't purely fact.
Q:How important was doing research on Queen Elizabeth, in helping you create the real her?
Cate Blanchett: I researched her letters because I felt that a lot of Elizabeth's biographies were colored by the historian's political perspective and how they felt about women. For me, the initial historical source is better to read because there is no barrier between the reader and the historical fact. The more I read about her, however, the more I realized just how large an impact she had on Britain. It's incredibly humbling as an actor to think of how you could you ever replicate that impact on screen.
Q:Was there a moment when you felt you captured a part of her true character?
Cate Blanchett: It's a gossamer thing, feeling that you've captured a moment. The minute that it comes, it goes away again. There wasn't any one scene, but overall, the filming was incredibly intense, so there was a heightened sense of chaos and melodrama and instability on the set, which probably did help my acting instability is what characterized the beginning of Elizabeth's reign, after all. Of course, Queen Elizabeth, because she spent her childhood in the public eye, had a strong sense of performance. She relished an audience and was an incredible actress herself.
Q:What was your favorite scene in Elizabeth?
Cate Blanchett: I really liked the scene in the board room where Elizabeth was negotiating with her advisorsmen who had no real confidence in her ability about how to take back Scotland. Elizabeth did have an innate tactical sense, and it's always interesting to watch somebody rise to their capabilities.
Q:How did you feel when you turned yourself into the "Virgin Queen" at the end?
Cate Blanchett: As Elizabeth made herself increasingly remote, she actually walled herself up within her clothing. I couldn't move very well in the costume, but that would have been historically correct. We didn't show them in the movie, but a lot of her dresses were jewel-encrusted, and very difficult to move around in.
Q:When you play a character like Queen Elizabeth, do you wonder whether you would have been able to make the sacrifices that she did?
Cate Blanchett: I would never presume that I would be at that state, but one muses about that sort of stuff. I'll answer your question when I find myself in the same situation.
