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Summary Grade 12: Elizabeth (1998) Film Study Part 1 (English)
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Grade 12: Elizabeth (1998) Film Study Part 1
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Elizabeth - Film StudyPart 1
Mary-Beth Wilson
1. The introduction scene positions the audience against Queen Mary and the
Catholic church. As the film begins, an ominous soundtrack is playing in the
background, this hints at something sinister. The church is introduced by choral
singing, which is combined with a Military drum beat. This represents the mix of
church and war in England at the time. While the soundtrack is playing, a red
cross is moving around in the background, this symbolizes blood, death, and
warfare. The cross also shows a division, which shows that the cross
(Christianity) causes the country to divide. Screaming is heard and Queen Mary's
throne room is shown. An orbiting shot is used around her. A close-up shot of a
letter is shown on the screen - this is the execution order to kill Protestants. At
the top of the letter, it says “In the name of God”. There is then a high-angle shot
of three people walking with ropes tied around them - these are the Protestants.
The high-angle shot portrays them as helpless and vulnerable. They are tied onto
a pile of wood. An orbiting shot around them creates a sense of urgency and
foreboding. Bishop Gardener then says “Let them burn for all eternity in the
flames of hell”. The Protestants are then set on fire. In the mise-en-scene, people
are running from the guards on horses, there is screaming - this creates a sense
of chaos. A low-angle shot shows guards standing on top of a tower, looking for
threats - which is ironic, as the real threat to England, Queen Mary, is within. The
low-angle shots portray the guards as menacing and powerful.
2. Queen Mary:
In terms of lighting, it is dark as there is little to no natural light, this creates a
sinister and ominous feeling around Queen Mary. The clothes that she and her
court wear are either black or made of very dark colours. In Mary's throne room,
there are no windows. (Therefore no natural light or bright colour.) It is a Catholic
chamber, which can be seen by the statue of the Virgin Mary. The statue is made
out of stone - which creates a cold/sinister look around both her throne room and
the Queen Mary herself. The camera angle used is over the shoulder, this
creates a “spying” effect for the viewer. A low camera angle is used when Queen
Mary is introduced. While this camera angle is usually used to show the ominous
power of a character, it has more of a mocking effect when used on Mary. The
, orbiting camera shot creates tension. It also gives the effect that Queen Mary is
being watched. In terms of characterization, the audience is introduced to Queen
Mary’s mood swings and unstable temperament.the viewersalso learn that she is
over dramatic and an unpleasant character in general.
Elizabeth:
In sharp contrast to Queen Mary, the first shot of Elizabeth is outside and thus
has a lot of natural light. Different colours are used; her ladies are wearing
dresses with bright, vivid colours. The green grass of the first scene is a symbol
of life and new growth. The camera angle used in this scene is Blurred Focus.
This softens the scene as well as releases the tension from Queen Mary’s scene.
The orbiting camera shot is used in this scene as well, however, it is a gentle
orbit - instead of creating tension, it has a more gentle/peaceful effect. Inside
Elizabeth’s chamber, there is a warm, golden glow. The room is characterized by
warm colours. In comparison to Mary’s ladies-in-waiting, Elizabeth has young
beautiful women around her. They dance, laugh, and spend time outside. There
is a happy and carefree atmosphere surrounding Elizabeth. Furthermore, she
also has an element of love in her life at this point (Robert Dudlet), whereas
Mary's husband does not even sleep in the same room as her.
3. The motif of the Virgin Mary is extremely prominent in the film. When The
viewers are introduced to Queen Mary, she has statues of the Virgin Mary in her
chamber as well as many large tapestries of her. In one shot, Elizabeth is
dwarfed by an extremely large image of the Madonna and Child - it appears that
the Virgin Mary is looming over her. Elizabeth is seen in the same shot as the
Virgin Mary a number of times, which shows that the Virgin Mary is something
Elizabeth cannot avoid. Queen Mary asks Elizabeth to promise not to take the
Blessed Virgin Mary away from the people of England. This motif is continued
toward the end of the movie where Elizabeth is told that she has taken the Virgin
away from the people and must replace The Virgin with something. She then
names herself the Virgin Queen of England, in order to give “a Virgin” back to the
people.
The motif of Wolves is first introduced to the viewers when Elizabeth is arrested.
These wolves are Arrandale, Sussex, and Bishop Gardiner. In this scene,the
viewers see an overhead shot of Elizabeth, which portrays her as small and
vulnerable - almost like a lamb (prey to the wolves). At the end of the introduction
scene between Queen Mary and Elizabeth, Mary says “feed [Elizabeth] to the
Wolves”, directly after this Elizabeth has to walk through the court. Queen Mary
means that when Elizabeth is crowned as Queen, she will have to see how it
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