(2006) In its words, actors, images, and historical interpretation, this 3 ˝-hour HBO Films miniseries, directed by Tom Hooper from Nigel Williams's superb screenplay, is my favorite of the portrayals of Queen Elizabeth I of England (1533-1603). As if in an Elizabethan drama, Helen Mirren (who will also have the role of Queen Elizabeth II) steps upon the stage as the Virgin Queen, who in addition to being a great ruler was herself an actress and poet in her own right. "The hardest thing to govern is the heart," she ruefully admits.

It is 1579, 20 years into her reign, a time of great uncertainty with threat of religious civil war within England and Catholic powers, led by Spain, seeking from without an opportunity to overthrow the Protestant regime in a divided realm.

Pronounced fit by her physician, capable yet of conceiving (at 46?), implored by her Council and Parliament to marry and produce an heir, after giving serious consideration to all her suitors, Elizabeth tells Robin Dudley, Earl of Leicester (Jeremy Irons), whom she loves (they had been imprisoned in the Tower at the same time): "If I marry, I must marry royalty." She invites Duke d'Anjou (Jérémie Covillault) - an alliance with France would split the Catholic forces arrayed against her - to her court to make his acquaintance.

Unbeknownst to Elizabeth, Leicester has secretly married the recently widowed Lady Essex (pregnant with his child) and taken responsibility for her son, Robin, the new Earl of Essex. Also Sir Francis Walsingham (Patrick Malahide), master secretary of the Council, has put to torture on the rack a man who attempted to assassinate the Queen (whom Leicester defended); his confession implicates Mary, Queen of Scots (Barbara Flynn), Elizabeth's royal Catholic cousin, who is under house arrest, in a conspiracy with King Philip of Spain.

Against Leicester's protestations ("I counsel out of love"), Elizabeth says "a passion's caught me," finding Anjou both royal and to her liking; though Catholic, the duke, who came to the defense of Dutch Protestants, expresses his opinion of the "tyrannies of too much certainty in religion." Though even her advisers would prefer acquaintanceship to friendship with the French, Elizabeth, seeking security for her reign and rule, decides: "We shall proceed with this marriage."

Once again Leicester confronts the Queen with arguments that her union with this foreigner would endanger England's religion and internal stability, for the English people have no stomach for this marriage, to which she retorts: "The Queen has little stomach for the people." Though Leicester's secret is exposed, costing him further access to the Queen and her court, the public's vociferous objection forces her into acquiescence, disguising love with a mask of hate.

The scene advances to 1586: upon the death of Duke d'Anjou, France enters into an alliance with Spain; through interception of traitorous Anthony Babington's correspondence with King Philip, Walsingham has "proof-positive evidence" that Mary, Queen of Scots, is involved in the conspiracy. If Mary were to be executed, Elizabeth can be certain of war with Spain and its allies, yet Mary would have Elizabeth killed.

Recalled to court and renewed confidence with the Queen - since friendship is stronger and lasts longer than love, Elizabeth tells Leicester: "Let us be friends" - Leicester (who says he married to have an heir but whose only child has died) leads the English army, taking along his handsome stepson, to defend Holland against Parma's forces. Elizabeth protests: "The Dutch have no religion; they have cheese."

Elizabeth goes to Mary (whose son King James VI of Scotland has accepted an English pension), pleading with an anointed queen "not to persist in your treason." But Walsingham produces more evidence of treason; several traitors are executed (a grisly depiction of hanging followed by disembowelment) before even Leicester (returned from his disappointing military venture) agrees with the Council: "The Scottish queen must die."

Although Elizabeth signed the death warrant (leaving ambiguous the time of implementation, allowing herself deniability), she reacts with shock and repugnance to the news of Mary's beheading (a gruesome affair, requiring two strokes of the axe) delivered by Leicester. On top of the personal pain of having to dispatch a kinswoman (relatively few executions took place during her reign), Elizabeth must face potential political calamity - she goes to the front with her meager army, exhorting their courage while applying scorn to the enemy - the onslaught of the Spanish armada.

"I am for the dark," exhales Leicester, expiring soon after the victory (the sea battle is not shown): "My life is done."

Part two opens in 1589 with Elizabeth in her diaphanous, high-winged collar, celebrating at 56 her thirty years on the throne by banishing all mirrors from Whitehall. The question of succession has taken the place of the earlier concern among her ruffed advisers for her marriage and an heir.

The Earl of Essex, having been instructed by his stepfather in the ways of wooing the Queen, desires to become her champion and favorite. However, in a jousting tournament against Sir Walter Raleigh and later in a sword duel, he loses face. (Curiously, Raleigh figures no further in this version of Elizabeth's romantic liaisons.) Though forbidden by Elizabeth to embark on the military expedition to Portugal for fear of his safety, Essex (like his stepfather is also called Robin) disobeys his Queen to prove his mettle in an otherwise unsuccessful enterprise (Lisbon is not taken).

Affairs of the state collide with affairs of the heart: To have happiness, Elizabeth realizes, she would need set aside the kingdom. Love, therefore, must change to kindliness.

Upon his return, the aging dowager cannot deny her pretty pet anything, granting him wealth through collection of a tax on sweet wines and influence at a seat amongst her "honest and accommodating advisers" on the Council. Nonetheless, frustrated at being ignored on the Council - Lord Burghley's son Sir Robert Cecil (Toby Jones), with whom Robin grew up as a ward of Robert's father, works behind the scenes to curry greater favor - and denied Elizabeth's bed, Essex uncovers a plot against the Queen (poisoning at the hand of her physician, Dr Lopez), having learned of it on the authority of Francis Bacon (Will Keen), who in addition to being from Middlesex with a preference for young boys has written a poem in Latin, exalting Elizabeth's breasts.

"Whom am I to believe?" asks Elizabeth when confronted with tainted confessions extracted from men tortured upon the rack. Already feeling bitterness toward younger, attractive women in her court, Elizabeth is outraged at Robin's being responsible for Sir Walsingham's daughter Frances's pregnancy ("Love alters when alteration it finds"); her subtle advisor "Pygmy" (as she refers to Sir Robert Cecil), who becomes master secretary upon the death of Walsingham, increases in stature in her estimation, though the relationship is purely political.

Off to fight the Spaniards by sacking Cadiz, Essex returns a conquering hero; Elizabeth, envious of the proud, ambitious earl's youth and popularity with the people (his aim is to become king), turns on him ("My dogs wear my collars") when he displays insolence toward her. As penance, Essex is given the thankless task of becoming Lord Deputy of Ireland with an army to bring the Earl of Tyrone to heel.

When instead of engaging and defeating the Irish, Essex enters into a truce with Tyrone ("Is he still loyal to us?"), Elizabeth says to Robert (whom Essex has accused of poisoning the Queen's mind and conspiring with both Spain and Scotland's King James): "Time to find out who is with us and who is against us."

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Copyright © 2009 Patrick Ivers. All rights reserved.
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